Our Blog | Walkable Ottawa

Apr 19, 2021
3 min

The Useful Walk... To A Neighbourhood Shop

The unrelenting segregation of housing from retail that characterized post WWII planning, left people with no destination for a useful walk.

Apr 15, 2021
2 min

The Ballad of the Soccer Mom

In the beginning, was the City. And the City was without order. People, wagons, horses and oxen filled the streets. People produced wares...

Mar 31, 2021
3 min

Training Wheels for Walkable Neighbourhoods: Why We Need Transitional Parking

"You can't just jump on a bicycle for the first time and go for a ride! It's time for Walkable Neighbourhood Training Wheels."

Mar 26, 2021
4 min

Density and Infill: A Solution Hiding in Plain Sight

Are dark looming towers and cold apartment blocks the only way forward? Could it be possible that a simple solution, a win for all, is...

Mar 24, 2021
3 min

The Death of Retail has been Greatly Exaggerated

I’m told we’re witnessing the Third Great Extinction of Retail. First, Shopping Malls killed the Main Street stores. Then Big Boxes...

Mar 15, 2021
3 min

When You Wish Upon a Driverless Car

The advent of Autonomous Vehicles promises to put us all in a state of perpetual toddlerhood, sitting in the back seat playing Candy Crush..

Mar 5, 2021
2 min

Redrafting the Draft Official Plan

It's been a long road but we've finally completed our Response to the City of Ottawa's Draft Official Plan.

Feb 19, 2021
3 min

Density - Comparing Apples to Apples

"It's really important to know what density calculations we are comparing and be sure to compare apples to apples."

Feb 5, 2021
3 min

Vision for a Walkable Alta Vista

"I have lived in 15 minute communities elsewhere, and know from experience that walkability is achievable." Janet Mark Wallace (contributor)

Feb 2, 2021
2 min

Planning - Cutting Through the Fog

"One of my major concerns has been that the City’s planning process is opaque and impenetrable for most people" Ken Hoffman (contributor)

Nov 19, 2020
2 min

Environment Crisis Fatigue

I think I've been suffering from a condition I call ECF ( Environmental Crisis Fatigue). Environmental Crisis! The World Is On Fire!...

Nov 19, 2020
3 min

Definitions Matter! What is a Walkable Neighbourhood Anyway?

On Halloween night I informed my kids that they were to eat only 3 candies a day. My 8 year old looked down at her loot...

Oct 22, 2020
2 min

The Joy of Walking to Small Shops

Whether you stop by on the walk home to pick up supper ingredients or visit on a Saturday afternoon outing with family or friends...

Oct 9, 2020
2 min

To Walk, or Not to Walk.

Transitioning our neighbourhoods to fully walkable would set Ottawa apart, as one of the most ecologically advanced cities in North America.

Sep 23, 2020
3 min

Bold Steps Forward for Ottawa

Walkable Ottawa's fall workshop sessions were a bold step forward in ongoing collaboration. Thanks to all those who joined in!

Sep 22, 2020
1 min

Should 'Missing Middle' be built along collector roads?

Where do you think new homes belong in Ottawa? Should we build up collector roads?

Sep 22, 2020
1 min

Can planting trees make a city more equitable?

Cities across the U.S. are pledging to plant trees and restore urban forests to combat climate change and cool off disadvantaged communities

Sep 22, 2020
1 min

Stay-at-home culture bolsters pop-up markets, old-style corner grocers

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought neighbourhoods alive as people have stuck close to home: Local parks are being heavily used...

Sep 22, 2020
1 min

7 Rules for Creating 15 Minute Neighbourhoods

What is a 15-minute neighborhood? ...a neighborhood in which you can access all of your most basic, day-to-day needs within a 15-minute walk

Aug 22, 2020
1 min

Buy local….Work local! In your neighbourhood.

It’s pandemic and environmentally friendly. Vancouver City planners believe that “flexible zoning for mixed-use buildings is crucial to...

HAPPIER. HEALTHIER. SAFER. SMARTER. GREENER.

Get Involved

There are a variety of ways you can get involved. Please take a moment to let us know about yourself and how you might want to take part.

Get Involved

There are a variety of ways you can get involved. Please take a moment to let us know about yourself and how you might want to take part.

HAPPIER. HEALTHIER. SAFER. SMARTER. GREENER.

HAPPIER. HEALTHIER. SAFER. SMARTER. GREENER.

HAPPIER. HEALTHIER. SAFER. SMARTER. GREENER.

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