In 1955, that is. The cranky old eugenicist may have been as racist as the day is long but Ottawa mayor Charlotte Whitton knew how to get a crowd on side with a quip. Here she has the audience, the panel, and the host of the old What's My Line gameshow absolutely howling simply by affirming her unmarried status. "I've made enough mistakes", she says by way of explaining why she is still a "Miss", not a "Mrs." Continue reading this post
Each week we will be focusing on blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. We’ll be on the lookout for websites outside the country that approach themes related to urban experiences and issues.
• If you've been saving up for a trip to Tokyo's Shimokitazawa neighbourhood, be sure to plan your travels before 2013. The bohemian hotspot is due for revamping and some fear that the very characteristics which make this place a favourite (twisting alleyways, discount shops, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, open air urinals) will be lost. The Globe and Mail shares some local gems.
• Worldchanging shares a recent study from a team of economists at the University of Munich examining the effects of mandatory parking minimums on development in urban and suburban Los Angeles. The study found that parking minimums "significantly increase" the amount of land devoted to parking, to the detriment of water quality, pedestrian safety and non-automotive modes of transportation. The authors suggest that these mandatory minimums often exceed market demand for parking space.
• For the Love of Biking shares some creative bike post designs from Minneapolis's DERO.
• Trust Copenhagen to find an unexpected solution to the problem of illegal bike parking. Copenhangenize reports that the City has started a program to move illegally parked bikes near Metro stations to designated bike racks. The team of "bike butlers" will then oil your chain, pump your tires and leave a little note on your bicycle asking to kindly use the bike racks in the future. The positive reinforcement appears to be working - "when the project started in April they were moving around 150 bicycles a day. Today that number has dropped to between 30 and 50."
Photo by ajari
Top right of image shows the 28 acres of forest to be paved over
The following letter was sent to us by Spacing Ottawa reader Jason Garlough, who is a member of City of Ottawa’s Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee:
"On Wednesday, September 1st 2010 the City’s Committee of Adjustment will be considering an application for a “Minor Variance” that would allow more than 28 acres of existing forest in the Greenbelt to be destroyed and replaced with a 2,000 car parking lot and Exhibition Hall. Continue reading this post
Yesterday was the last day ever for the Super Ex, and Spacing Ottawa contributor Érinn Cunningham was there to capture some images for posterity. Click on the image above to see all the images in his set.
Capital Wire and Cloth Building, destination #24 on the Hintonburg Heritage Tour
I came across the above scene while walking through Hintonburg this morning; it's the newly-sandblasted western entrance to the Capital Wire and Cloth Building at 7 Hinton Avenue having its brickwork re-pointed in preparation for a fresh coat of paint.
We came across this little gem recently on YouTube -- it's a 1940s newsreel-style trailer, produced for MGM studios, created to show American movie audiences a little-known foreign capital city called Ottawa. The earnest and stilted narration is worth the price of admission by itself (listen for the pronunciation of "Ri-DEAU") but the most fascinating aspect is just how little "ceremonial" Ottawa - the canal and the parliamentary precinct – have changed in the 70 years since the film was shot. As the narrator says, they are noted for their "picturesqueness"
Of course, the stereotypes come thick and fast; red-suited mounties stride into the frame apropos of nothing, doughty old Queen Victoria gets a plug, and Canada is called "a vast wilderness", before the audience is assured that despite its differences and French prime ministers, the dearest wish of the Canadian people is to have full and mutually beneficial relations with the United States of America.
One other thing - have a look at about 1.50 for footage of one of Ottawa's old swimming beaches in action. There's a huge diving tower well out from the shore of what the narrator says the Ottawa river; it's a glimpse at how previous generations kept cool in the summer before agricultural run-off spoiled our rivers.
Each week we will be focusing on blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. We’ll be on the lookout for websites outside the country that approach themes related to urban experiences and issues.
• NPR chronicles a growing trend for start up chefs who use trucks, trailers and mobile homes to sell their food to the masses. The overwhelming expense of starting a restaurant isn't stopping these gastro-preneurs from practicing their art.
• The Globe and Mail reports that for $148 U.S., Japanese Prius owners can now install noise makers into their hybrid cars. The devices make a whirring sound equivalent to the noise of a regular car engine; regulators and automakers hope the move will reduce the number of pedestrian-hybrid crashes which are two times more common than with conventional engines. The device may soon be made available in other markets.Continue reading this post
O'Brien and Doucet get the message. But what about Cleo?
September is approaching and campaigns are picking up the pace. Candidates are starting to roll out their platforms. Pressure groups are lining up debates and releasing platforms of their own. Before we know it, election signs will start popping up... although perhaps not as many we might expect.
Larry O'Brien's campaign says that lawn signs are "old school and expensive". He's opting for billboards instead. Clive Doucet's campaign is eschewing the tradition for environmental reasons. It's unclear whether this includes signs on public property (which were much more effective a campaign tool for O'Brien in the last campaign, as his lawn sign count was minimal). But Alex Cullen's website still has a link to order a lawn sign, and Jim Watson keeps announcing his daily sign request count on Twitter, so they won't be jumping on the no-sign bandwagon. Continue reading this post
