Archives /// May, 2012
November 11th, 2009
Art form, bike function: Bank Street bike racks
By Kate Wetherow // 4 Comments
I stood near the corner of Bank and Somerset one day, puzzled, as I watched a woman struggle to lock her bike to a fence that protected one of the newly planted ash trees, while a brand new bike rack stood vacant, less than 4 feet away, with no bike to call it’s own.
This year I have watched with interest at the discovery and use of the new Bank Street bike racks and wondered how long it will take to for people to really make the connection.
Public engagement with new community art is always a slow process.
Last year the City of Ottawa put out a call to local artists to submit graphic drawings that would be used as templates for steel bicycle racks. This was part of the long overdue Bank Street North rehabilitation project between Laurier Avenue and the Queensway. It is one of many public art commissions the City currently has underway along central neighbourhood streets, such as Preston and Wellington.
November 14th, 2009
Counting down for safer crossings
By Kalle Hakala // 5 Comments
Perhaps you have noticed that you now have to beat the clock when crossing at some intersections around Ottawa. These are countdown timers, and they are starting to crop up at intersections throughout the city. Often counting down from the number 10, they can have the connotation of a NASA launch or a MacGyver-style bomb defusing, at least for some users who appear to be a little anxious the first time they encounter the new signals.
The signals consist of a digital display showing the number of seconds left to cross the street, and accompany the familiar “flashing orange hand” that is supposed to mean not to start crossing or to finish crossing if you have already started to do so. Although already in widespread use in many other cities, including on the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River, pedestrian countdown timers are new to Ottawa, with the first only appearing in 2009. According to the City of Ottawa, these devices will be installed progressively over the next 10 years starting with priority locations, such as near schools and seniors homes, wide and busy streets, and during street reconstruction projects.
November 17th, 2009
Is Corktown a bridge too far?
By David McClelland // 1 Comment
[videofile width="600" height="516"]http://homepage.mac.com/evan.thornton/Sites/corktown/soundslider.swf[/videofile][videofile][/videofile][videofile width="600" height="516"][/videofile]
Spanning conflict: from Kettle Island to Big Joe Mufferaw
By Tonya Davidson // 1 Comment
Three years ago, the City of Ottawa held a christening ceremony for a long-awaited piece of civil engineering. The Corktown Bridge was named in honour of a 1830s-era settlement of Irish canal-diggers. This pedestrian bridge crossing the canal and joining Somerset Street in Sandy Hill to Somerset Street in Upper Town is of such design strength it won an urban design award presented by the associations of Canadian architects, urban planners and landscape architects. Corktown was the name of the region near the canal where many canal workers – navvies – lived. Most of them hailed from County Cork, and in remembering them, the bridge is a recognition of Ottawa’s labour history and the estimated one thousand canal builders that died of malaria when building the canal.
November 18th, 2009
Opinion: Lansdowne is a key city-building project
By Alain Miguelez // 13 Comments
What better topic to kick off Spacing Ottawa than with Lansdowne Park? It has attracted a great deal of controversy and misinformation, but in looking at the future of this important municipal asset, I have sought to steer clear of the rhetoric and asked myself a few basic questions about what the city ought to consider as it ponders Lansdowne’s future. The answers I give here are my own, as a citizen of Ottawa and one who is ambitious about the evolution of this city.
What should Ottawa seek to achieve at Lansdowne?
Lansdowne was never intended as a park in the strict sense of the word. It has always been, and should continue to be, a magnet for people and a place of intense activity revolving around sports and commerce.
November 20th, 2009
Public Space and Private Gain: What’s ours is yours, for a price
By Michel Frojmovic // 1 Comment
The “public-ness” of public space is a loose concept. Public sidewalks are – in principle – meant to be accessible to and enjoyed by members of the public. That’s pretty simple. However, we are less likely to appreciate that the public right-of-way extends well beyond the edge of paved roads and sidewalks. A good portion of your front lawn is probably not exactly “yours”.
Municipalities put in place carefully-worded by-laws and regulations to minimize or prevent the obstruction or privatization of sidewalks. Yet, in a higher-density, inner-city commercial mainstreet environment, these rules seem to create as much tension as they resolve.
Public space is regularly used for commercial gain. For-profit places of business regularly “use” public property, both restricting its use to paying customers, as well as profiting from the use of property it does not own. At the same time, the result is often a lively animation of the street and a general enhancement of the overall street experience.
A tour of Wellington Street West illustrates the variation in the use of public space.
Placing a couple of tables and a few chairs on the sidewalk is a relatively innocuous use of public space. The absence of a railing or permanent patio and the obvious transitory nature of this use make it quite benign. In this sense, it is a simple and harmless way of enhancing the street and adding to the level of public interaction. However, without the appropriate permissions and fees, it is also an illegal encroachment of pedestrian access to sidewalk space, and an unfair commercial gain at the expense of public property. It is worth regulating this type of use?
November 23rd, 2009
JOHN LORINC: Paul Goldberger on why architecture matters
By John Lorinc // No Comments
In an era pre-occupied by "starchitecture" and the dominance of global cities, New Yorker architecture critic Paul Goldberger makes a persuasive case for the importance of workaday structures and the limitations of urban planning.
"I don't buy the notion that you can draw a clear line between great architecture and ordinary buildings," he said Friday during the Canadian Urban Institute's Designing Cities symposium. "Each structure has something to say about the culture that built it."
Goldberger has just released a new book entitled, "Why Architecture Matters" (Yale), in which he sets out to mine the meaning of Winston Churchill's famous aphorism, "We shape our buildings and thereafter they shape us."
Architecture, observed the Roman builder and engineer Vitruvius, encompasses "commodity, firmness and delight," and Goldberger, a Pulitzer Prize winner, cites this enduring definition to point out the paradox at the core of the most visible of all art forms. A building has to be "both useful and the opposite of useful," he says. "It makes sense to think of architecture as both great masterpieces and daily experiences... Sometimes, it is the average [building] that tell us the most."
The current recession, he said during an interview with me on Friday (the full conversation will be available on Spacing Radio on the December 7th episode), has dampened demand for good design. "In the very short term, we're going to struggle to have architecture at all."
Looking beyond the recovery, however, Goldberger feels the next wave of architecture will focus on the need for highly flexible design that recognizes the changing nature of family life. He also predicts that sustainable design "will become so taken for granted that we'll stop talking about it."
Goldberger further argues that bold experiments such as New York's High Line, Broadway's new "piazza" and the West Toronto RailPath mark a distinct trend in the way cities are thinking about the purpose of open space. "We've viewed public space as being about stasis — it's where you sit and don't move."
With cities lacking both money and space to create new Central Parks, they are looking instead to linear parks as a means of re-claiming waterfronts or aging infrastructure. "Cities are about movement and circulation as much as anything else," he observes. "We're looking at places of movement as being public spaces."
November 24th, 2009
Prime time busking in the market
By John Carroll // 4 Comments
Not surprisingly, one of the very best spots for Ottawa busking is in the Byward Market.
It's at the corner of George and William, in front of the patios of what used to be Oregano's and what is now the Aulde Dubliner. It has a large space for building a crowd, and a pretty steady traffic flow, especially in the evenings. Another advantage is that the people on the patio are usually quite appreciative of the "free" entertainment, and will often tip generously.
This spot is the favourite of itinerant buskers from other parts of Canada and the world, especially those doing "circle" shows, which are the types of shows where the performer does acrobatics, juggling, magic, fire-breathing etc. etc., and rather than getting tipped from people walking by, they build a crowd and then "pass the hat" at the end of their performance.
November 25th, 2009
Six steps to better memory: Lansdowne digest by Apartment 613
By Apartment613 // 1 Comment
-Editors note: Our colleagues at Apartment 613 will be guest blogging on Spacing Ottawa every Wednesday; the following is the first post in this series.
As guest bloggers for Spacing once a week, we thought that it would be prudent, given what has transpired with a certain large piece of city-owned land lately, to compile the observations our writers have made on the debate that has polarized viewpoints across the region.
Lansdowne Park is the spark that has lit up a Hindenburg-sized blimp of public opinion on how choices about the city are made and who should decide these outcomes. From power-driven city councilors, to concerned citizens, to sports fans, to eager developers (and everyone in between), it is clear that the people of the City of Ottawa are craving something new and exciting to revamp, revitalize and reclaim an area of our beautiful city centre.
Video: Spacing Launch at Cube Gallery
By Evan Thornton // 1 Comment
[vimeo width="600" height="450"]http://www.vimeo.com/7815938[/vimeo]
Our friends at Dawghaus Studios were at the Cube last week to cover our launch and we are thrilled that they were; these guys are masters at capturing the energy in a room, and as you'll see there was plenty of that to go around. If you need to show someone what Spacing Ottawa is all about, this video is a great place to start!
World Wide Wednesday: Transit fares, bridges and Dallas’ newest park
By Matthew Blackett // 1 Comment
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.
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• Dallas, Texas, long-known for a lack of green space and an overabundance of parking lots, is taking bold action to change its reputation and transform its downtown. Last week, ...
November 26th, 2009
Street furniture for smokers: an Ottawa success story?
By Evan Thornton // 5 Comments
They are the least-thought out public spaces in Ottawa and yet they are used hundreds of thousands of times in a day. Many people spend more time in and around them them per day than they do with their families. The spaces are all improvised on a case-by-case basis yet every building has one, and no two are the exactly same.
They are, of course, the smoking areas. Arising as a necessity from mid-90s legislation that first banned smokers from federal government buildings and later from any workplace in Ontario, they cropped up in front of and behind buildings across Ottawa.
Butt-filled and foul smelling, not too many even thought about the demands the improvised spaces put on the public sphere.
How would a National Housing Strategy impact our cities?
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
by Emma Feltes, cross-posted from Spacing Atlantic
HALIFAX — National Housing Day was first marked on the calendar by a team of Toronto housing advocates on Nov 22, 1998. But this year, more than a decade later, it was infused with new meaning.
Housing is back on the national agenda, with proposed Bill C-304 calling for the development of a national housing strategy designed to ensure safe, adequate, accessible, affordable housing to all Canadians. The Bill, seconded by Halifax MP Megan Leslie, has deep implications for Canadian cities, and the diversity of housing challenges they face. “Housing impacts the health of communities," says Leslie, who is the NDP critic for housing and homelessness. "It’s not just about putting a roof over someone’s head, it is about the health of a community general — the physical health, the mental health, the economic health of a community.”
The need for a national strategy was made amply clear at yesterday's National Housing Day events in Halifax. Gathered at St. Matthew's United Church, a crowd of over 100 marked the opening of the Out of the Cold emergency shelter for a second winter. A collaborative community initiative by the Metro Non-Profit Housing Association, Community Action on Homelessness (CAH), St. Matthew's, and a dedicated team of volunteers, the shelter provides 15 beds for men and women.
A panel consisting of members of the organizing committee, housing advocates, and community members shared stories on why initiatives such as this one are so important in a city like Halifax, wrought with its own unique set of housing challenges. However, the grassroots, community-based strategy provokes conflicted feelings for many of those involved.
November 27th, 2009
Week in review: the headlines
By Patty Barrera // No Comments
URBAN & CITY DESIGN
• Ottawa in the year 2050, Architects, designers share their vision of Canada’s capital (Ottawa Citizen)
• Development 'is not a bad thing' Reflect on process, urban-issues critic (Ottawa Citizen)
COUNCIL WATCH
• Committee Rejects Donation Ban (CFRA.com)
• You're stuck with it: Budget news goes from bad to worse (Ottawa Citizen)
• City Government for the people (Ottawa Citizen)
• City Council approves LRT as Ottawa’s rail technology choice (OttawaStart.com)
• Why they voted the way they did on Lansdowne (Ottawa Citizen)
photo by Jonathan Crowe
SPACING: come to our Toronto release party
By Matthew Blackett // 1 Comment
WHAT: release party for winter 2009-2010 issue of Spacing
WHEN: Wednesday, December 9, 2009
WHERE: Toronto Reference Library, The Appel Salon, 789 Yonge Street
HOW MUCH: $10 (includes copy of mag), $5 for subscribers
ATTENDING?: RSVP to our Facebook event
If you're in Toronto, make your way to the Toronto Reference Library (7pm-midnight) on Wed. Dec. 9th, to take part in Spacing's 16th issue release party and holiday party. We'll have some games and activities, plus the music to dance to thanks to our resident DJs Track Meet.
Come check out the Reference Library's new event space The Appel ...
November 30th, 2009
Angels in the City
By Tonya Davidson // 1 Comment
Walking around Ottawa, with eyes directed only towards the city’s 70-plus statues and monuments the heroism of Canada, can seem overwhelming. A knight, Sir Galahad, welcomes visitors at the gates of Parliament Hill while countless Fathers of Confederation populate the lawn. Twenty-two figures of gallant bravery charge through the arch of the National War Memorial, while just down Sussex Drive, three more contemporary soldiers stand (and kneel) on the Peacekeepers’ Memorial.
What is striking about this parade of heroes is its unquestionable masculinity. Sure, there is a woman in the Peacekeepers’ Memorial despite the protests of the Department of National Defense who argued, at the time of its designing, that no woman had performed that role making the design not historically accurate. There are also two female nurses at the end of the charge of soldiers through the National War Memorial. However, what is celebrated in Ottawa are male leaders and heroes, though there are a few women celebrated in Ottawa: the Famous Five, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, and Laura Secord. However, women more commonly are featured as allegorical figures representing a virtue or the nation.
December 1st, 2009
Public access to waterfront in Port of Spain, Trinidad
By Michel Frojmovic // 2 Comments
Become a fan of Spacing Ottawa on Facebook
By Matthew Blackett // 1 Comment
Spacing Ottawa has created a fan page on Facebook. If you're already a Facebooker, you should consider becoming a fan so that we can make you aware of our upcoming events and you can see some of the stuff we're writing about. Any notices we send out will be sporadic, so don't worry about us filling up your inbox.
December 2nd, 2009
Beyond the urban horizon
By Apartment613 // 2 Comments
Back when there were only two licensed restaurants in all of Ottawa (in the 1960s, or so the old-timers tell us ) a cabinet minister from Quebec used to fulminate that the "only good thing about living in Ottawa was the 5.00 PM train to Montreal". There would be no shortage of proud Ottawans to dispute that kind of slander today, but contained within his snide bon mot was the germ of something true, not just for Ottawa but for any city. Part of urban life is contingent on what is close by; that which we can experience without feeling that we are roaming to0 far from our home base.
One advantage of urban life in the nation's capital is that things don’t always actually have to be so urban. Ottawa is situated cheek-by-jowl to farmland, small towns, rivers, campgrounds and parks. For the new resident who fancies local produce and Saturday-morning-only small-town charm, Ottawa’s location can come as revelation. Fifteen or twenty minutes in a car can bring many of us deep into the sort of natural splendour residents of Toronto or Montreal are an hour or more from even getting close to.
For Apartment613's guest blog this week, we want to highlight some of our favourites from this unique zone of proximity, and reflect on what lies just beyond the urban core.
World Wide Wednesday: Las Vegas, Dubai and Mecca
By Matthew Blackett // 1 Comment
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.
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• CityCenter, Las Vegas' newest mega-project, debuts to the public next week. Designed by 8 notable architects to function as a city in-itself, the $8.5 billion, 67-acre, glass-and-steel structure is home ...
December 3rd, 2009
Photo of the day: Byward
By Editor // 1 Comment
Interior, Byward Market Square.
photo by Justin van Leeuwen
December 4th, 2009
The sign of the fish: Ottawa sewer grates
By Evan Thornton // 3 Comments
Are the patterned openings to these storm sewer grates trying to tell us something? Some people look at them and see an odd jumble, others think a man's necktie is being evoked for some strange reason, and still others see a fish in the middle of the pattern right away.
Of course, once the fish is pointed out, most people will see it that way from then on. Then the next mystery is why? Again, it's a head-scratcher for some, while some intuit the reason right away. The fish symbol alerts us to the fact that however murky the flow of water below us might look through these grates, the ultimate point of outflow is directly into our rivers, either the Ottawa or the Rideau.
So the symbol is trying to tell us something. But does the City of Ottawa itself ever explain the meaning of its lovely fish grates?
Week in review: the headlines
By Patty Barrera // No Comments
COUNCIL WATCH
• 'Everybody loses’ in bus strike with city’s tally put at $5.9M (Ottawa Citizen)
• Let's end parochial municipal politics (Centretown News)
• City Government for the people (Ottawa Citizen)
• Luxury Spending (Ottawa Citizen)
DESIGN & PUBLIC SPACE
• City hears plea to buy former school (Ottawa Citizen)
• Tim and Pat Murray: From Alcan to the Pope (Ottawa Citizen)
ENVIRONMENT
• The green bin mile (Ottawa Citizen)
• Clean river a costly proposition (Ottawa Citizen)
• Ottawa Columnist Argues HOV lanes Hurt the Environment (CityCaucus Blog)
photo by ...
December 7th, 2009
Urbanist’s diary: when mainstreet comes to our backyard
By Chris Henschel // 1 Comment
This is the first of a multi-part series that will follow environmentalists Chris Henschel and Allegra Newman as they share their first-hand experiences dealing with an intensification project directly affecting their own residence near Island Park Drive.
I live with my wife and baby daughter in West Wellington. We got rid of our car when we moved into the our house last year and we love to walk to all that this wonderful neighbourhood has to offer. Neighbourhoods like this are being encouraged in Ottawa through planning guidelines aimed at creating ‘traditional mainstreets,’ which the City defines as:
mainstreets developed primarily before 1945. They generally present a tightly knit urban fabric, with buildings that are often small-scale, with narrow frontages and set close to and addressing the street. This results in a strong pedestrian orientation and transitfriendly environment. Land uses are often mixed, with commercial uses at the street level and residential uses on the upper levels. [http://ottawa.ca/residents/planning/design_plan_guidelines/completed/traditional_mainstreets/traditional_mainstreets_en.pdf]
Development and intensification are integral parts of creating traditional mainstreets, and we support this.
This support in principle is now being challenged in practice. We live directly behind 1451 Wellington Street, the corner lot at Island Park Drive - current home to Pro-Shine car wash and subject to a condo development proposal by Springcress Properties.
The proposal for the condo presents a list of concerns for us: a winter-long shadow on our house; increased traffic and a parking entrance off our dead-end street; a proposed parking lot and underground garage along our backyard; and, a loss of privacy for our home described by all visitors as a piece of country in the city.
December 8th, 2009
Places we like: three blogs about buildings and streets
By Evan Thornton // 2 Comments
A supportive ecology is crucial to any organism, and Spacing Ottawa is no different. But whereas in many cities in North America our recent splash landing in the middle of the local blogosphere could have seen us washed us up on some very barren shores indeed, in Ottawa we were blessed to find ourselves surrounded by a rich variety of like-minded blogs from across the city.
The water is warm here; we pan to bob along with the current and share what we see along the way. For this first passage through Ottawa's blogging archipelago, we want to highlight three sites that get right down to street level, and revel in what they find.
Charles Akben-Marchand is a Centretown resident, neighbourhood activist, and superb observer of change in downtown Ottawa. His "Images of Centretown" blog is focused on the way memory attaches itself to buildings and other elements of our streetscape, and he carefully documents those moments of transition when a street changes forever, one iteration of a particular address or streetcorner giving way to the next. Here's Charles himself on what he does:
December 9th, 2009
Ottawa’s architectural gems – from this weekend’s Apartment613
By Apartment613 // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="320" caption="Photo courtesy of Qardash on Flickr. "][/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="259" caption="Courtesy of Spotmaticfanatic on Flickr. "][/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="261" caption="Courtesy of amydawnrose on Flickr. "][/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="260" caption="Courtesy of fieldtripp on Flickr."][/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="320" caption="Courtesy of matthew palmer on Flickr. "]...
December 10th, 2009
Seventeen years and counting for abandoned Ogilvy’s
By Chris Warden // 9 Comments
Getting off the bus on Rideau Street located in front of the Rideau Centre you are confronted with the former Ogilvy's department store. The five story buff brick building sits as it has been for the past 17 years, empty, deteriorating, while still distinctly marking the corner at Rideau and Nicholas. How did it reach this point, and what is possible in the future?
Ogilvy’s is important both from a historic perspective and an urbanistic perspective. The building in its current incarnation started life in 1907 when Charles Ogilvy constructed a modest three story story structure on the site extending halfway through the block with architect W.E. Noffke. As business improved the building more than doubled in size filling out the remainder of the block now occupying the site from Rideau to Besserer; again designed by Noffke in 1917. The building was further expanded, receiving the fourth story in 1931 and the fifth and final story in 1934. With the fifth story it became one of Ottawa’s largest department stores; the square footage was a clear indication of the success that Ogilvy's enjoyed during the first half of the twentieth century.
December 11th, 2009
Week in review: the headlines
By Patty Barrera // No Comments
CLIMATE CHANGE
• Our Cities Are Hotbeds of Climate Action (TheTyeee.ca)
COUNCIL WATCH
• City Council Environmental Report Card (Ecology Ottawa)
• City of Ottawa plans cut to buy-local program (CBC)
HOUSING
• Ottawa, provinces huddle to get housing cash spent (Ottawa Citizen)
MUNICIPAL PARTIES
• Parties can pump new blood into city politics (Ottawa Citizen)
URBAN DESIGN & LANSDOWNE
• Seven members of Ottawa's design review panel resign (Ottawa Citizen)
• Frustrated architects dump panel: Hope en masse resignation will ‘humiliate’ City Hall into designing a better Ottawa (Ottawa Citizen)
• Councillors debate weight of public feedback on Lansdowne Park decision (EMC ...
December 12th, 2009
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
Spacing Saturday is a new feature that highlights posts from across Spacing's blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region. Spacing Saturday replaces the weekly features Montreal Monday and Toronto Tuesday.
• Public space activists in Toronto cheered this week as City Council voted to implement a new bylaw and tax on commercial billboards.
• Spacing Toronto's Shawn Micallef writes about the "overwhelming" experience of visiting Richard Serra's hidden and mysterious "Shift" sculpture unusually ...
December 14th, 2009
Urbanist’s diary, Week 2: lobbying in two places at once
By Chris Henschel // No Comments
Spacing Radio 013: Albino Squrriels, Paul Goldberger, and Transit Investment
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
CHECK OUT THIS WEEK'S SPACING RADIO PODCAST: To coincide with the release of Spacing magazine’s new issue on urban animals, Spacing Radio sent our producer Mieke Anderson on a quest to find Toronto’s elusive albino squirrel (who is also the star of the magazine’s cover) with Jane Farrow (an albino squirrel know-it-all). Spacing’s contributing editor John Lorinc sat down with noted architecture critic Paul Goldberger to discuss the outlook on building cities in a difficult economic climate. We also sent our new contributor Sarah Bridge to an international transit conference to find ...
December 16th, 2009
View from the Hill: it’s a jumble out there
By Tonya Davidson // 8 Comments
I was walking with my out-of-town friend around Ottawa, when, at Parliament Hill my friend remarked that while the Parliament buildings were nice, Ottawa as a city had no sense of cohesion. I was shocked and defensive at first, but he gestured towards the cityscape in front of us and I had to swallow my civic pride. The south side of Wellington is a jumble of architectural styles. Snuggled together is the Second Empire style 1880s Langevin Building, a contemporary National Capital Commission INFOcentre, the 1930s neo-Classical Bank of Canada, enlarged with 1970s glass towers, and peaking out behind these buildings is the Ottawa Marriot with Ottawa’s one revolving restaurant.
Certainly, this skyline is influenced by policies beginning in 1910 that prevented buildings in a designated distance from Parliament to exceed the height of Parliament’s Peace Tower. Policies didn’t however regulate for architectural consistency.
World Wide Wednesday: Streetcars, Subways and Bikes
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• An ongoing bike-lane-battle in Brooklyn New York just got more heated as two "vigilante" cyclists were arrested for repainting lane lines that had only days before been sandblasted away by the ...
December 17th, 2009
After the thaw: could this be a farm by next spring?
By Kalle Hakala // No Comments
As an apartment dweller living in close quarters, sometimes I appreciate open or unused spaces simply for the fact that they are not built upon. But in other cases, I lament upon what seems like wasted space around an office or apartment building, or even an extra-deep front yard. Perhaps it is the fact that I have no yard of my own that makes me yearn to make use of some underused land for my own personal garden.
At least one other Ottawan feels similarly. Urban farmer Jesse Boynton Payne has started a new type of Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) initiative that partners with homeowners to use their yards to grow organic vegetables and fruit. Instead of looking out at a yard that you have to mow, or planting a garden that you really don’t have time to weed, you can partner with Jesse's service --The Vegetable Patch -- and he will cultivate your yard for you. Similar services exist in many U.S cities; closer to home another variation is Toronto's Young Urban Farmers.
In payment for use of your land, you get periodic vegetable baskets throughout the growing season, from both your own and other gardens around the city. It's this "in-kind" payment of free produce that makes Jesse's service different from traditional CSA models, where the customer buys a share in the harvest before the season starts. But like a traditional CSA, Jesse's customers are aware of what he intends to plant early in the year, and the actual produce that is delivered depends on the season and the success of the crop. The users of the service are participating in the risk of agriculture; if there is a bad weather season, or a pest infestation of a certain crop, the harvest – and the food box – suffer. Equally, in a good year, there is extra for all.
December 18th, 2009
Where in Ottawa?
By Chris Warden // 1 Comment
Spacing's motto is "understanding the urban landscape". Buildings and streets are major components of that landscape; they are the big picture. Within their frame, often specific elements will come to the fore and become the common image associated with a structure or specific location; the Peace Tower standing for all of Parliament Hill, or the frozen canal under the arch of the Laurier Avenue bridge becoming the default image for the 200 kilometer length of the Rideau Waterway. But this process of forming a collective mental picture often crowds out other important details to ...
December 21st, 2009
Suburban home: a place for poets?
By Trevor Tucker // 1 Comment
A previous version of this article appeared in e-architect.co.uk/
They say of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the Romantic poet and famous opium addict, that he was prone to digress into his illustrations. He had a far-searching mind that just couldn’t leave well enough alone. Defining sustainable community would have given him hours of fun.
Renewable energy. Ten percent of Germany’s roofs now green. Ten-thousand solar rooftops in LA. Stockholm suburban houses that one can heat with a hair dryer. Leed-certified box stores. Most of the press on the subject suggests that sustainable homes mean technologically savvy and energy efficient. But the marketing and attention given to eco-gadgetry overlooks a couple vital human needs.
Every day I drive through the vinyl sea that was once a novel garden city en route to our little three-acre plot north of Kanata. I scan the streetscape for attempts at architectural beauty: gothic signifiers in a hotel fit for Batman; the preservation of the hundred-year-old March House (soon to be dwarfed by a box store neighbour); a stylish renovation to a bungalow now a dental clinic (with stonework outside that reminds me of crooked teeth in need of straightening). But, I have to look hard. Most of the time I think I could be on any suburban street in Toronto, Seattle, or Vancouver and not know the difference. I’m not a fan of suburbia.
But suburbia is where I grew up. My pastoral playground was the bungalow-ville of the seventies. Its developers, too, had paved over valuable farmland. My neighbourhood was far from the modern density ideal.
December 22nd, 2009
The Gréber plan: A ghost of Ottawa past
By David McClelland // 6 Comments
In the late-1940s, Ottawa was a vastly different place from the city we know today. In spite of being Canada's capital for 80 years, the city was still relatively small (just over 270,000 people on both sides of the river) and retained much of its industrial roots—especially its position as an important centre for the logging industry—and maintained a haphazard collection of poorly-built “temporary” office buildings to house a civil service that exploded in numbers during the war.
Several plans had been prepared throughout the first half of the 20th century to beautify Ottawa, but all wound up falling by the wayside, due to the First World War, Great Depression, and changes in the winds of political favour. It wasn't until 1950, after several years of study, that a plan that would ultimately lead to the transformation of Canada's capital would appear: the Plan for the National Capital General Report, more commonly known as the Gréber plan, after its chief architect, Jacques Gréber.
December 23rd, 2009
World Wide Wednesday: Buffalo, Los Angeles and Palma
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• Construction of a major Canal side redevelopment plan in Buffalo could begin by June of next year according to Buffalo's Business First Magazine. The $300 million project (funded ...
December 25th, 2009
Tis the season…
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from the editors of Spacing.
photo by Dave Ripdaskull
December 26th, 2009
Chinatown Arch
By Editor // No Comments
Photoshopped representation of the new arch expected for Chinatown in March of 2010; thanks go to West Side Action for the update.
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
Spacing Saturday is a new feature that highlights posts from across Spacing's blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region. Spacing Saturday replaces the weekly features Montreal Monday and Toronto Tuesday.
• Spacing Toronto's John Lorinc assesses the candidates and the playing field in light of Toronto's upcoming mayoral election.
• The winning design for Toronto's Fort York Visitor Center was announced last week. Check Spacing Toronto's flickr page for photos of the winning design.
• ...
December 28th, 2009
More blogs about buildings and streets
By Evan Thornton // 3 Comments
A couple of weeks back we wrote about some excellent Ottawa blogs that take an urbanist point of view with them as they explore our city's streets and structures.
Today we've got three more that are well worth adding to your RSS reader; Spacing Ottawa checks these ones on a daily basis to see what new gems have been brought to light.
We'll start with the photoblog Wawtawa Life maintained by photographer Robin Kelsey. Robin tries to post one image every day, and though he's slowed off that pace a bit recently he still manages to be one of the most regular photobloggers around. Based near Somerset West, his eye for the telling detail is superb as he chronicles the fascinating streetscape of Chinatown and adjacent downtown districts. He's a clever man with his photoshop, but for our money he is at his very best when he employs composition or perspective to tell a story. One mild criticism; it would be great if Wawtawa included a thumbnail gallery to make navigating the site a bit simpler. Still, clicking on a text description instead of a thumbnail image does add to the surprise factor.
December 29th, 2009
Opinion: Transit Tunnel is no Turkey
By Eric Darwin // 11 Comments
Editor's note: the following article originally appeared in the author's own blog, West Side Action, on December 28. Comments and updates are viewable at that location.
The usual suspects are carping about the transit tunnel, again. Did the province provide funding? Apparently no good news is good enough -- they didn't provide 15-25% more than was asked for ... so it's disaster time. Ring-a-ling. Ding-a-ling. It's disaster time in the city ...
So what might happen if the tunnel portion was cancelled? Critics are quick to attach huge price tags to the tunnel portion. But these won't disappear if the tunnel is cancelled. After all the tunnel includes tracks (won't these be needed for the surface rail?); it includes stations and platforms (which will be needed at the surface too, and may have to be located on what is now private property that may have to be acquired by the city); signalling (which will be way more complex and expensive on the surface as it will have to accomodate private cars, trucks, and bus movements too), etc.
December 31st, 2009
Orleans Town Centre Cinema – A Possible Future?
By Dwight Williams // 1 Comment
[caption id="attachment_1373" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="The former home of Empire Theatres' Orleans theatre between St. Joseph and Centrum, now closed for business"][/caption]
Some east-enders may have noticed changes at the Orleans Town Centre this past week.
The six-screen multiplex that's been standing there for nearly twenty years is now shut down. Originally planned as the proposed third floor of the expansion plans for the Place d'Orléans Mall of the latter half of the 1980's, instead it somehow got built as the second floor of a separate building across the street and about a block away down Centrum Boulevard. It was initially owned by Cineplex Odeon and then passed on to Empire Theatres some years ago.
January 2nd, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
Spacing Saturday is a new feature that highlights posts from across Spacing's blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region. Spacing Saturday replaces the weekly features Montreal Monday and Toronto Tuesday.
• Alanah Heffez examines Montreal's various encounters with pedestrian only streets and the opportunities and challenges they bring. Her account begins in the Summer of 1970 when the city opened its first pedestrian mall on Mount Royal Avenue.
• A look through The Gazette's archives gives ...
January 6th, 2010
Ottawa Graffiti: A Photo Exposé
By Apartment613 // No Comments
Tattooed onto the concrete skin of the city, graffiti plays an ambivalent role in the aesthetic of the urban spaces. While the sprayed, drawn or painted markings often rise to the status of art form, adding life and color to dull gray surfaces, they can also make a street corner into a darker, less humane space. The difference may lie in the intentions of the creator. When graffiti is an act spontaneous self-expression or communication, their effect is to transform a generic structures into unique and meaningful landmarks. When graffiti is intended ...
World Wide Wednesday: parking garages, private streets and carbon-neutral cities
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• An ambitious plan from landscape architecture firm James Corner Field Operations aims to connect four distinct quadrants in the heart of downtown Cleavland to create one cohesive park. Currently ...
January 7th, 2010
Where in Ottawa? The answer…sort of
By Chris Warden // 3 Comments
We've had no correct answers to our first Where in Ottawa contest. even after two times of asking, so it's time to move on!
The building in question is the Former Bank of Montreal Building at the corner of O’Connor and Wellington (through to Sparks Street). This 1932 RAIC Gold Medal winning building was designed by Ernest Barott of Barott and Blackader out of Montreal in 1929. Barott is also known for designing the Aldred Building in Montreal on Place D’Armes which was designed during the same time as the Former Bank of Montreal.
Hartman’s slowly dissolves its brand & community
By Ian Capstick // 4 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="800" caption="Hartman's Piano Lounge in happier times"][/caption]
January 8th, 2010
Week in review: the headlines
By Patty Barrera // No Comments
CITY HALL
• Committee gives Ottawa South pedestrian bridge the go-ahead (ctv.ca)
• Green bin collection gets rolling (Ottawa Citizen)
2010 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
• Cullen announces intention to vie for mayor’s chair (Ottawa Citizen)
• Gauthier joins race, will Watson follow?(Metronews.ca)
CYCLING
• City considers segregated bike lanes (cbc.ca)
• Doucet peddles new cycling plan for city (Ottawasun.com)
NCC
• Feds pour $35M into NCC for Ottawa-area facelifts (Metronews.ca)
photo by Simon Pulisifier
January 9th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
Spacing Saturday is a new feature that highlights posts from across Spacing's blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region. Spacing Saturday replaces the weekly features Montreal Monday and Toronto Tuesday.
• Suffering from ill-repair and chronic under-use, the future of the Quinpool Education Center (formally Halifax's St Patrick's High School) is in doubt. Jake Schabas muses on what could be done to invigorate the building which has been a Halifax landmark since it opened its doors to students in ...
January 12th, 2010
Abandoned bikes: where do they go?
By Kathryn Hunt // 9 Comments
On my way from the bus to the Rideau Centre doors one morning last month, just after the first real snowfall of the year, I passed a bike that had been left locked to the railing. It was up to the pedals in snow, half buried, and had clearly been there since before the snow came down. To me at least, it looked as though the basket still had some things in it – but then maybe it was just that passing pedestrians had been sticking coffee cups and flyers and other trash in the basket.
I had no way of knowing how long that bike had been there, but I kept an eye out for it, and when I passed a few days later, there it still was. And I started wondering. Whose bike was it? Why had it been left on the bridge? Why hadn’t its owner returned for it? How long had it been there, and how long was it going to stay there before someone removed it… and for that matter, whose responsibility was it to move the thing? What would happen to it?
January 13th, 2010
The Apartment613 Blogger Consultation on Budget 2010
By Apartment613 // No Comments
World Wide Wednesday: Virtual billboards, sprawling cities and the world’s tallest building
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• An art project in Columbus, Ohio, asks residents to consider the role of parking lots in the city's development. The piece, called Audio Dwelling, consists of two ...
January 14th, 2010
Swaps not squats: a blueprint for investing in the arts?
By Kate Wetherow // 5 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1024" caption="Former site of Goldstein's Supermarket on Elgin; still vacant"][/caption]
January 16th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
Spacing Saturday is a new feature that highlights posts from across Spacing's blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region. Spacing Saturday replaces the weekly features Montreal Monday and Toronto Tuesday.
• A look back into history reveals that the story of Montreal's Plaza Saint Hubert and "its distinctive glass awning" began almost 40 years ago "when the Saint Hubert Merchants Association wanted to convert the commercial street into the world's biggest shopping centre".
• Montreal’s City Council tabled the 2010 ...
January 18th, 2010
Urbanist’s diary: human scale and a ticking clock
By Chris Henschel // 5 Comments
[caption id="attachment_1643" align="alignnone" width="557" caption="Detail from "City of Ottawa Urban Design Guidelines for Development Along Traditional Mainstreets""][/caption]
This is the fifth of a multi-part series that will follow environmentalists Chris Henschel and Allegra Newman as they share their first-hand experiences dealing with an intensification project directly affecting their own residence near Island Park Drive.
This week gave birth to both rumours and official documentation of Springcress's plan for the condo. One of our neighbours heard some good news in a phone call to the City about the developer's parking plans; I'm still trying to confirm this before writing publicly about it.
The Developer also made a formal application for variance for the building. He is seeking three variances (italics added for explanation):
• To increase the building height limit from 18m to 22m above average grade (from 6 stories maximum to 7 stories maximum;
• To reduce the required front yard set-back from 2m, above 15m in height, to 0.5m (reducing the depth of the 'step-back' designed to reduce the 'canyon effect' of large buildings);
• To reduce the required corner side yard set-back from 3m to a height of 15m and 5 m above, to 0m (no setback from property line on the west side).
January 19th, 2010
Photo of the day: fire in the Glebe
By Editor // 2 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Yesterday's fire on Glebe Avenue as seen from Bronson and Carling"][/caption]
photo by Justin Van Leeuwen
Where in Ottawa? – Round 2
By Chris Warden // No Comments
First of all congratulations to Charles A-M aka Centretretowner for correctly identifying the former bank’s likeness in the central carved panel above the Wellington Street entrance. As you'll recall our first round was a two-part question:
I am a building, and I just may be the only one in the downtown core to include a depiction of myself on my exterior. Who am I, and where on me do I feature this image of me?
The first part of the question drew a blank from everyone, but once we named the building as a further clue, Charles found the depiction, located under the rays of “Thrift” up on the edge of a bluff ( see image below). It is a rather heroic likeness, but there is nothing wrong with a little artistic license now and then.
Spacing Radio returns for season three!
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
Spacing is happy to announce the launch of Season Three of our biweekly podcast Spacing Radio.
You can listen to the episode on the Spacing Radio web site or subscribe to the podcast (free!) through iTunes.
Episode 014 kicks things off with Marc Glassman (the owner of the now-defunct Pages Books) interviewing critically acclaimed filmmaker Atom Egoyan, who discusses his decision to cast the oft-overlooked Toronto as itself in his latest film, Chloe. Will Alsop, the renowned British architect whose work (including the Ontario College of Art ...
January 20th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Hong Kong, Moscow and Port-au-Prince
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• Since July of last year Petaluma California has been known as "the city without planners". The decision to dissolve the official planning department in favour ...
January 21st, 2010
Monumental Monuments
By Apartment613 // No Comments
[caption id="attachment_1694" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Courtesy of meaghan.walton"][/caption]
As the national capital, Ottawa is in the somewhat unique position of housing many of the country's significant and historical monuments. For the folks who live here it means that often our daily commutes or routines can end up including references to the country's history, falters, apologies and successes. In many ways we Ottawans are responsible for the nation's collective memory.
Today apartment613 is lucky to have a collection of photos from Meaghan Walton-Perreault exploring this theme. Take a look and let ...
A daytime date with Mr. Dark
By Evan Thornton // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Courtyard behind Sussex Drive"][/caption]
When you're getting to know someone you think might have prospects it often a good idea to spend some sunshine hours with them before moving on to dinner and a movie and whatever might come next. Going for a walk can be a great strategy. Let them choose the route, maybe end up somewhere for a coffee, and spend a while with them where you can get a sense of who they are before there are any expectations.
One person we thought Ottawa needs to go on a daytime stroll with and get to know of a little better is George Dark, chair of the Strategic Design Review and Advisory Panel. That's the panel charged with making sure the design of the new Lansdowne will do Ottawa proud. How important is that? Well, some argue that Lansdowne Live might be the biggest city-building project we've seen in decades. So this thing we've started with George might be very serious, indeed. But beyond getting paid for it, we wondered -- why should a Toronto landscape architect care what a long-neglected site 400 kilometers away from his office really ends up looking like? Why should we trust him to care about us?
January 23rd, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
Spacing Saturday is a new feature that highlights posts from across Spacing's blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region. Spacing Saturday replaces the weekly features Montreal Monday and Toronto Tuesday.
• Sidewalk sandwich boards--a creative tactic for small businesses to attract customers? A way to add vitality to city streets? Or commercial intrusion on public space? These are some of the questions being asked as Halifax's 2006 Temporary Sign By-law--a measure ...
January 24th, 2010
Urbanist’s diary: a side street “closed longer than anyone remembers”
By Chris Henschel // No Comments
This is the latest in a multi-part series that follows environmentalists Chris Henschel and Allegra Newman as they share their first-hand experiences dealing with an intensification project directly affecting their own residence near Island Park Drive.
Everyone in the neighbourhood received a letter from Ottawa's Committee of Adjustment this week to inform us that the Committee would be ruling on the developer's application for three variances on February 3. I went with a neighbour to check out the plans.
The plans confirm that the developer is now proposing vehicular access from Wellington Street (instead of our dead-end side street) and only underground parking (removing the need for an above-ground parking lot that would create all sorts of nuisance for us). Good news!
Except it seems the City may not yet be onside. The local councilor Christine Leadman has expressed support for a Wellington Street access, but the City staff may not agree. We've been told there will be a meeting with the developer this week to discuss this issue and that the City will likely request an adjournment of the Committee of Adjustment's hearing on the proposed variances as they consider the plans.
January 26th, 2010
The history of the Ottawa subway
By Alain Miguelez // 22 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Subway tunnels, Seattle-style. We've been talking about getting our own since 1915."][/caption]
As Ottawa takes decisive steps toward giving itself a downtown subway, it is fascinating to find that this is actually the fourth time that plans for grade-separated downtown transit have been proposed. This is typical of growing cities that have had to tackle such a major investment in transit. Montreal, for instance, first proposed a subway in 1910. It would be over half a century before the métro finally opened, in 1964. Likewise, Toronto’s first subway plan dates back to 1909. It took until 1954 to see the first trains roll. Even cities like Paris first discussed subways as early as 1854, and had to wait several decades until the first line was put in service in 1900.
In Ottawa, the first subway plan dates back to 1915. In a report to Parliament, the Holt Commission noted the severe congestion of Sparks Street and arteries leading up to it, including Bank and Elgin Streets. As the drawing below illustrates, it recommended placing streetcars in a subway between Bronson and Rideau Streets, with southbound lines on Bank and Elgin. The portals would’ve been at the escarpment on the western edge, the Rideau Street intersection with Sussex at the eastern edge, and at about Laurier Avenue for the southern edges of the Bank and Elgin lines.
January 27th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Portland, Detroit and Port-au-Prince
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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January 28th, 2010
Where in Ottawa, Round 2: time for the cheat sheet
By Chris Warden // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Canadian Museum of Nature: Victorian, haunted, under renovation, and *not* the answer"][/caption]
No one has correctly guessed the correct answer to last week's puzzler. To refresh memories, here it is again:
While I currently sit unassumingly at the base of the city, stripped down, but encased, I once played host to spectacles and even the Prime Minister. What structure am I?
So it's time to break out the cheat-sheet and make with the extra hints:
I am not the Musuem of Nature (Victoria Memorial Building)
I am located in the northern ...
January 29th, 2010
Week in review: the headlines
By Patty Barrera // 1 Comment
CITY HALL
• Council passes budget, 3.77% tax hike. Bus routes, tree trimming slated for cuts win reprieve, but at cost of higher transit fares (Ottawa Citizen)
• City seeks citizens' ideas for Lansdowne urban park (MetroNews Ottawa)
• Committee introduces new anti-poverty strategy (CBC Ottawa)
DESIGN
• Key Carleton landmarks circled for major facelift. Updated master plan urges replacement of Paterson Hall among other recommendations (Ottawa Citizen)
CYCLING
• More cyclists brave elements to commute year-round (Ottawa Citizen)
MUNICIPAL ELECTION
• Hume is the man to watch. If he runs for mayor, election will be ...
January 30th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
Spacing Saturday is a new feature that highlights posts from across Spacing's blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region. Spacing Saturday replaces the weekly features Montreal Monday and Toronto Tuesday.
• A redevelopment plan for downtown St. John's calls for the destruction of three buildings to make way for a new 15-story office tower. According to Spacing's Andrew Harvey, the destruction of the low-rise buildings (currently occupied by small businesses) would transform both ...
February 2nd, 2010
Mayoral Ottawa: from Fun Frank to Fisher’s Folly
By Tonya Davidson // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="489" caption="Birkett Castle, now the Hungarian Embassy --photo by E. Thornton"][/caption]
When it was recently announced that Jim Watson would be joining the mayoral race, I began to think about mayors and their stamps of the city’s built environment. In a capital city that duly celebrates ‘nation-builders’ where can we find the ‘city-builders’? When I started to dig a little it turns out that Ottawa’s mayors — particularly those from the first half of the 20th century — haunt the city everywhere, in street signs, bridges and hospitals they advocated for, decadent ‘castles’ they lived in, and swimming pools.
Lyon Street is named for the mayor who had the honour of celebrating Confederation — Robert Lyon was the mayor in 1867 and was a serious man, most notable for having a family full of famous characters, and the longest beard in Ottawa’s mayoral history.
February 3rd, 2010
Opinion: a reborn Union Station could hold our history
By David McClelland // 10 Comments
Editor's note: an earlier version of this post appeared in Spacing Ottawa contributor Dave McClelland's Ottawa Project blog
Ottawa’s Union Station: it’s a majestic building, a half-scale replica of New York City’s old Penn Station, and painfully underused. Since 1966, when the National Capital Commission removed rail from downtown, the building has served as a government conference centre, rather than a hub for rail travelers. However, if mayor Larry O'Brien isn't just floating the idea for the fun it, it seems that trains might just return to Union Station, in the form of a downtown stop on the new light rail system—taking the place of the Rideau/Sussex station in the LRT proposal.
As its stands right now, the interior of Union Station is unknown to most Ottawans. An occasional conference centre for First Minister's meetings and other high-level discussions, its grand hall and spacious passageways are usually roped off to the citizens who walk past it each day. But as the main hall of a transit station, commuters would have cause to use the public space on a daily basis.
World Wide Wednesday: Moscow, Vancouver and America’s high-speed rail
By Kat Snukal // 1 Comment
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.
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• A big transit news week as the Obama administration announced the benefactors of the $8 billion investment in high-speed rail. Time Magazine ran an in-depth piece on ...
February 4th, 2010
A river runs near it: re-orienting the Carleton quad
By Chris Warden // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="The Rideau river near the Herzberg Building, Carleton University"][/caption]
Every five years or so, Carleton University revisits its master plan. The most recent draft edition was released in September 2009. Though the campus has long failed to take advantage of its spectacular setting, its administrators have always understood the power of the site, as most brochure shots of the institution are traditionally taken from the air. From this perspective you get a sense of the way Carleton relates to both the Rideau River and the Rideau Canal. On the ground the visual effect is much different. The site is heavily insulated with ring roads and parkways which separate the campus from its natural setting. There have been sporadic attempts to connect portions of the campus to the surrounding waterways, but in the end, the powers-that-be have always judged that the ring road was of more importance than, for example, allowing the Loeb Building to reach out to the banks of the Rideau River.
February 5th, 2010
Week in review: the headlines
By Patty Barrera // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Carleton O-Train station -- set to see more users soon?"][/caption]
2010 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
Ottawa council needs new blood: advocacy group (CTV)
Watson officially enters Ottawa's mayoral race (Centretown News)
Peggy Feltmate retires (Ottawa Citizen)
URBAN DESIGN
The dukes are up (Ottawa Citizen)
TRANSIT
Student group hails transit pass plan (CBC)
LANSDOWNE
NCC not interested in buying Lansdowne (Ottawa Citizen)
Architects named for Lansdowne redesign (Ottawa Sun)
photo by Earl Andrew
February 8th, 2010
Intensification, Smart Growth and Density Bonusing
By Allegra Newman // 4 Comments
As condo after condo is planned in the Wellington West neighbourhood, intensification is seen as an inevitable by many local citizens. City of Ottawa planners and councilors promote intensification all the while musing on the increased tax base a new seven storey condo will provide. Citizens begrudgingly accept that the new condo development, whether in their backyard, on their street, or in their neighbourhood will increase traffic but they also hope that the new developments may encourage new businesses and increase public transit and community services. But what really is driving this move to intensify our cities?
The promotion of urban intensification, or densification or infill as it is otherwise known, can be attributed in part to the popularization of the urban planning theory of Smart Growth. Smart Growth theory promotes the construction and reconstruction of compact communities in the center of the city, as a more sustainable approach than continuing urban sprawl. Smart growth communities are transit oriented, bicycle and pedestrian friendly and promote local jobs and services.
February 9th, 2010
Machismo – the vital accessory for vehicular cycling?
By Kathryn Hunt // 2 Comments
Editor's note: As the video above will show, cycling the winter streets in Ottawa is clearly not for everyone. It helps to be young, male, and a little bit aggressive about claiming your space on the road. In fact, as this article from Scientific American suggests, those descriptors are associated with the majority of urban cyclists across North America, in any season. The article makes the case that if authorities wish to measure the success of safe cycling initiatives, they need only look to see if women make up an equal share of cyclists on the road. Female cyclists are "indicator species", it is argued, and when we see them represented equally we are looking at streets and pathways that are safer not only for women, but for everyone on two wheels.
With this context in mind, we join Spacing Ottawa contributor Kathyrn Hunt of the Incidental Cyclist blog as she discusses her experience going against the statistical trend to become a four-season "vehicular" cyclist.
A reader commented on a recent post on my blog, saying that danger spots like the Queen Elizabeth/Queen Elizabeth intersection — where the city path and NCC path don't meet — are what keeps her off her bike.
Awkwardness — that's what really bothers me about such intersections. There's a learning/acclimatization curve to urban biking. I grew up in rural New Brunswick. When I moved to Ottawa for college I brought my bike and I used it a lot — but only on the sidewalks. It was way too scary just trying to cross major intersections with the bike, let alone ride in the street. I slowly learned how to use the side streets, but I would do anything not to have to be on Bank Street dodging the #1 bus. And eventually I gave up on riding for the most part. The bike in question was lost in the shuffle when I moved out of the country for a couple of years.
February 10th, 2010
Apt613 Photo Essay: Lesser Known Buildings
By Apartment613 // No Comments
Ottawa-the national capital, often overshadows Ottawa-the place to live. This is particularly true in architecture, where institutions like parliament, the Museum of Civilization and the National Art Gallery of Canada grab all the attention. Today, Apartment613 is featuring a photo essay by photographer Steve McCullough that explores some of the structures that - while not national treasures - help to give the city its unique style.
Steve uses his camera to bring out the extraordinary in the everyday, even capturing the infamous City Center in an attractive light.
Frequently voted the ...
February 12th, 2010
If you love someone, buy them Spacing
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Between now and Vanetine's Day on Sunday, you can buy the love of your life a discounted subscription to Spacing.
For only $25, the man or woman that loves Toronto as much as they love you can receive six issues mailed to their home for nearly 50% off of our newsstand price. This deal is also $4 off of our regular subscription rate.
photo from Toronto Archives: fonds 1257, series 1057, item 6980
“Where in Ottawa?”: a cinema, stripped bare
By Chris Warden // 2 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Popcorn and a Prime Minister: the old home of Place de Ville cinema"][/caption]
The answer to last week's quiz is the Podium Building at Place de Ville. It seems it was a tough one; we had no right answers.
Place de Ville was once home to the Place de Ville Cinemas operated by Famous Players. The theatre opened in 1971 and closed in 1996. It opened as one of the replacements for the Capitol Theatre, which once graced the corner of Bank and Queen, a short distance away.
The old cinemas are hidden behind office space which now encircles them. This allows the offices access to the natural light provided by the windows, while the cinemas are encased, an arrangement which reduces their perceived bulk. The Place de Ville Cinema is unique in the city as the cinemas are piggy-backed. Cinema II accessed from the ground floor had 437 seats and Cinema I had 751 seats. The primary feature of the multi-story foyer was a mural of images of the old Capitol Theatre which rose up next to the multi-level escalator.
Week in review: the headlines
By Patty Barrera // 1 Comment
CITY HALL
Winds of change in air for new council (Ottawa Citizen)
City gets $780Gs back for fuel it did not use (Ottawa Sun)
Expand Lansdowne jury, adviser urges (Ottawa Citizen)
CYCLING
More cyclists brave elements to commute year-round (Ottawa Citizen)
SCHOOL BOARD
Board again tackles alternative school issue (Ottawa Citizen)
URBAN ART
Cozy up to a lamppost and some urban art (MetroNews)
photo by Justin Van Leeuwen
February 13th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
Spacing Saturday is a new feature that highlights posts from across Spacing's blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region. Spacing Saturday replaces the weekly features Montreal Monday and Toronto Tuesday.
• The centrally located Halifax Commons has become a hub in the daily commute of many Halagonions. Making the Common cyclists friendly is thus essential to creating a bike-friendly city. ...
February 16th, 2010
Opinion: Lansdowne deadlines are illusory and artificial
By Tim Lash // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1024" caption="Winter at Lansdowne: the season to gather opinion"][/caption]
February 17th, 2010
The return of food
By Emily Sinclair // 1 Comment
Kalle Hakala’s December 17th post ("After the thaw: could this be a farm by next spring?") brought to mind the relationships between food production, consumption and urban landscapes. Community gardens, community-shared agriculture (CSA), farmers’ markets, patios, street vendors and even Ottawa’s new green bins are among just a few examples of the presence of food in public and private spaces of the city. The following post by Emily Sinclair is the first of series in which she will examine the impact of food issues on the experience of urban space.
Easily dismissed as an antithesis to modern city-building by planners and other urban administrators at the turn of the 19th century, issues of food production and consumption have helped shape the physical form and social content of the modern city. Activities relating to food production – the messiness of soil, pests and livestock; the rural nature of labour for food cultivation – contradicted the cleanliness and modern appeal of urban life. Through zoning and land development, food production was banished from city parks and lawns to the rural countryside where it was deemed a more “appropriate” use of land. On the other hand, activities relating to food consumption, and in particular the decidedly urban pursuit of food retailing, quickly became the realm of private enterprise. The regulation of food consumption was assumed almost entirely by private market forces and surfaced only as a social concern in the narrow contexts health and welfare agencies.
February 19th, 2010
Week in review: the headlines
By Patty Barrera // No Comments
CITY HALL
I'm no Marxist proposing living wage (Ottawa Citizen)
City to study living wage policy, East end councillors split on issue ( Orleans EMC)
LANSDOWNE
Ottawa residents have chance to weigh in on Lansdowne plans (Ottawa Citizen)
TRANSIT
Transit-riding parents set to fight for stroller space (Ottawa Citizen)
DEVELOPERS
Councillor seeks to revisit boundaries (Ottawa Citizen )
OTHER IDEAS/OTHER CITIES
Urban Food Strategy Unveiled (Globe and Mail)
photo by Kona Gallagher
February 20th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Every Saturday, we highlight recent posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
• Jenn Casey examines the details of the recently approved five-year Metro Transit plan for downtown Halifax, including provisions for increased service to outlying areas, a streamlining of bus coverage in the core, and a year-round downtown shuttle.
• The Shannon Park military barracks in Dartmouth is a dilapidated eyesore with huge potential — as a new-thinking, sustainable neighbourhood, land for the the ...
February 22nd, 2010
Mayor’s race: “I’m not Larry” isn’t going to cut it
By Vicky Smallman // 1 Comment
Editor's note: Voting day is still eight months away, but with candidates such as Jim Watson and Alex Cullen already in the running for the mayor's chair and several long-time councilors announcing plans to leave office at the end of this term, interest in October's civic election has already started to build.
Spacing Ottawa is launching our commentary on the 2010 municipal election with this post from veteran blogger -- and former candidate for Kitchissippi Ward -- Vicky Smallman. Vicky will share our CityVote column with commentator and media consultant Ian Capstick.
What is it about a municipal election that makes the campaign seem so long? Well, it's not just a feeling; municipal elections are a drawn-out process. Candidates can register starting in early January, but nominations don't close until September 10. From a candidate's point of view, the jockeying for attention starts from the moment of their announcement, but most of the action (debates, canvassing, and media attention) occurs between the close of nominations and election day, which is October 25.
But that doesn't mean there's nothing to write about right now. Take the mayoral campaign. Nine candidates have registered so far, including veteran councilor Alex Cullen and former mayor Jim Watson, who resigned his position as Municipal Affairs minister and Member of Provincial Parliament to seek the mayoralty. Incumbent Larry O'Brien says he'll make up his mind in June. Homelessness advocate and 2006 candidate Jane Scharf is also running. As for the others, there is not a lot of information about them at this point in the campaign.
World Wide Wednesday: Vancouver, Lisboa, and Shanghai
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games will eventually end. The athletes and spectators will go home but the infrastructure built to accommodate them will remain. Fastcompany looks at the built-form ...
February 25th, 2010
Living on the street? Unfortunately, there’s a map for that.
By Evan Thornton // 5 Comments
For most of us economic conditions wax and wane with recession and boom, but for the past 20 years one indicator of social-economic well-being in urban centres has shown no improvement whatsoever. That is the number of homeless people living in our cities. in 2008, that number was estimated by social sector organizations to be in excess of 300,000.
To find out why, studies are commissioned and ignored and then other studies are initiated to study the previous studies for clues that may have been missed. However, for many Canadians of a certain age, the answer seems linked to a policy change in the early 90s. At that time the federal government withdrew support for the social housing sector, and within 18 months of that many of us started seeing people regularly "sleeping rough" on our streets for the first time in memory.
The response from various levels of government has been a patchwork of policy and small measures that have done little to even recognize the scope of the problem, never mind address it any meaningful way. The public has gotten used to the once-horrifying sight of people sleeping on the streets – it's the new normal, except that after two decades it's not even that new anymore.
February 27th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
Every Saturday, we highlight recent posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
• A long-anticipated bike lane along Jarvis Street in Toronto has finally been given the go-ahead at City Hall. John Lornic looks at why mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi has decided to turn the proposal into a contentious election issue.
• Spacing's Sean Marshall looks at Disco Road--the road the city forgot. The a four-lane industrial road, contains signs never converted to metric....
March 1st, 2010
Soundscape: Market and Rideau Centre
By Evan Thornton // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="image by Google maps"][/caption]
As an experiment, this past weekend I brought an omni-directional microphone with me during a walk through the Byward Market and Rideau Centre. Starting beside the Highlander at the foot of the William Street Mall, I walked along seeing what sounds might leave a strong enough "audio footprint" to identify when I played the file back.
In the first segment I managed to pick out the sounds of Karen Carpenter thumping the life out of a tinny speaker outside a candy store, then the tuneless plucking ...
March 2nd, 2010
SPACING RADIO: City budgets, ferry rides and Olympic legacies
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
Spacing Radio 017 is on the air.
It's budget-time in Toronto and while City Hall is busy at work approving the final numbers, host David Michael Lamb sits down with Spacing contributing editor John Lorinc to talk about the pitfalls of having to pay the bills. Producer Mieke Anderson stows away with the crew of the Toronto Island Ferry Ongiara to discuss the realities of operating the ferry throughout the winter months and, in the process, discovers one of the city's best-kept secrets. Meanwhile, nearly 3,500 km away in Vancouver, reporter Pattie ...
March 3rd, 2010
World Wide Wedneday: Los Angeles, Denver and Mumbai
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• In 2004, the City if Denver committed $4.7 billion to an ambitious transit project called FasTracks, to be completed by 2017. Supported by thirty-two regional mayors, FasTacks included provisions ...
Needed: feet on the street
By Editor // 5 Comments
This week on Ottawa Morning the CBC's Julie Ireton is taking an in-depth look at Ottawa's dysfunctional Sparks Street mall, the national tourist attraction that doubles as an echo chamber from October through April.
In this segment she hears ideas on how to revitalize the street; the concepts include a dedicated vintage trolley system, on-street parking, and dropping in an "anchor store", or maybe even two.
With ideas to share like Kate Wetherow's on how to make vacant buildings come to life -- combined with some pot-shots at the federal bureaucracy -- Spacing's ...
March 6th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
Spacing Saturday is a new feature that highlights posts from across Spacing's blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region. Spacing Saturday replaces the weekly features Montreal Monday and Toronto Tuesday.
• Spacing Montreal’s Adam Bemma has produced an informative mini-doc on a contentious Montreal proposal that would see a bus corridor run through the city’s historic Griffintown neighborhood. Check out Spacing Montreal for the fascinating video where Bemma speaks with engineer ...
March 8th, 2010
Community collaboration: the real catalyst for change
By Ian Capstick // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Reserved seating: commitment-phobes only?"][/caption]
Ottawa is a change-averse city. Or is it our elected leaders who are holding back change? Our current city council has been dragging their heals on fundamental debates and decisions about transit, infrastructure, and urban development for over a decade.
This on-again, off-again relationship with decision making has turned city council into the cliched commitment-phobic boyfriend. Just as you’re sure council is about to propose a great solution, one of them steps in to break up the near-deal and send debate careening off into committee hell for another six months.
When asked if we want change, citizens in Ottawa respond with a resounding “yes!” Until, that is, it’s time to actually vote. Then we return our incumbents to their squabbling and bickering.
March 9th, 2010
Trees and grass with that playground? Swap you for it.
By Allegra Newman // 4 Comments
View Larger Map
Listening to the repetitive clanging of machines boring through bedrock it can seem that the condo developments along Richmond and Wellington Roads are never-ending. But along with the noise and dust, urban infill can also mean exciting possibilities, and can be used as a creative opportunity for changes within a community. Most recently, development options are being proposed for the Soeurs de la Visitation convent at 114 Richmond Road. This large, cloistered, very green looking area stretches from Richmond Road to Byron Avenue and is a mystery to local residents who have only air photos and glances at buildings and hundred year old trees to identify the heritage and natural value of the site. Immediately adjacent to the site is Hilson Public School with its treeless schoolyard separated from busy Richmond Road by a chain link fence. These two properties, side by side, green space and concrete. According to the current proposal the green space will be developed and the concrete will continue to be a children’s playground. Imagine if this could be different.
March 10th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Exit signs, China’s golf obessesion and the decade’s most expensive transit projects
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• Planning a bike trip using Google Maps is about to get much easier as the company is set to launch a new bike trip planner service in 150 US ...
March 13th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
Every Saturday, we highlight recent posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
• Growing customer dissatisfaction with the with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and the looming municipal election have led to earnest conversations on how the fledgling city agency can be overhauled. One idea on the table is to integrate the TTC into the larger regional transit organization Metrolinx. Spacing Toronto hosts a debate between contributors and transit experts, John Lorinc and Steve Munro, ...
March 16th, 2010
The ‘Last Good Year’: Revisiting the Centennial Craze
By Tonya Davidson // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Did Montréal get the best Centennial legacy of them all?"][/caption]
1967 was a good year— the “last good year” according to Pierre Berton. Canada’s centennial sparked centennial-project craze across the country.
I first started to think about the lingering legacies of Centennial celebrations on a visit to St. Paul, Alberta. I was on a little road trip checking out ‘big things on the side of the road’ and stopped in St. Paul to visit the town’s UFO landing pad. Reading the accompanying plaque I discovered that the UFO landing pad was a centennial project. For the citizens of this Albertan town, welcoming out-of-planet visitors was the perfect way to celebrate Canada’s birthday and Canadian hospitality. While countless arenas, community centers and parks were built in honour of the Centennial, Berton outlines other more extraordinary celebratory acts. Men grew ‘centennial beards,’ one man attempted (unsuccessfully) to lead a dog team from Tuktoyaktuk to Edmonton, and a team of paddlers embarked on a canoe trip/ race following the historic route of the Voyageurs from the North Saskatchewan River to Montreal, all in celebration of the nation’s birthday. Berton also noted this more anarchist style ‘centennial project’: “It almost seemed that every man and woman in the country was determined to mark the anniversary with a personal effort, even if to somebody it meant throwing a hammer through the window of the U.S. Consulate in Toronto. A note from the anonymous vandal attached to the hammer announced that this was his centennial project” (39).
Spacing Radio 018 is now on the air
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
This episode of Spacing Radio is all about rules. In support of Spacing magazine's upcoming issue, our contributors examine the dos and don'ts of the city. Host David Michael Lamb talks to publisher Matthew Blackett about how millions of Canadians were given permission to break all traffic laws when Sidney Crosby scored the overtime winner at the Winter Olympics. Monika Warzecha examines the drinking laws of Halifax and why the city is afraid to close downtown streets. And ...
March 17th, 2010
Streetcar elegy
By Spacing Ottawa // 7 Comments
Between Tonya Davidson's post on the Centennial year and the above video of Ottawa's old streetcar system, it seems it is History Week here at Spacing Ottawa. It was Eric Darwin from West Side Action that first drew our attention to this amazing colour video, mostly shot in the late 1950s, of streetcars plying Ottawa's roads and avenues. The segments are haphazardly joined together, but as you'll see, the route took the cars through Confederation square, along ...
March 18th, 2010
Canadian artists in the urban fabric
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
By Marcus Bowman, cross-posted from Spacing Toronto
An unprecedented collaborative report mapping the concentration of artists in Canadian cities was released last month. The study was a result of the collective effort of the cultural departments of the cities of Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. Published by Hill Strategies, and based on data from the 2006 census, the report paints a fascinating picture into the make-up of Canada's artistic and creative communities.
Each city has its own trends in the way its artistic and creative communities have located. Vancouver had the highest overall percent of artists at 2.3% but has its artistic community spread widely throughout the city. Toronto has by far the largest artistic community; it is home to one in six Canadian artists. Toronto has also seen its artistic neighbourhoods shift slightly since to 2001 to different areas of concentration. Montreal has perhaps the most densely located artistic community and is home to three of the country's top five artistic employment postal codes. The Montreal neighbourhood of the H2T postal code (northward from avenue du Mont-Royal to avenue Van Horne between St-Denis and Jeanne-Mance) is the most artistic in Canada with artists accounting for 7.8% of its workers, ten times the national average. Ottawa and Calgary have artist concentrations closer to the national average, interestingly they also both have the largest income gaps between artists and the rest of the workforce and the largest percent of female artists. Maps of these trends are shown below.
March 20th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
Every Saturday, we highlight recent posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
• As part of an ongoing collaboration with the NFB, Spacing Toronto has posted an Oscar-nominated animated short from 1966 entitled "What on Earth!". The short film, the work of Les Drew and Kaj Pindal, shows Earth through the eyes of visiting extraterrestrials who, confronted with automobiles everywhere they look "understandably assume they are the dominant race".
• Spacing contributor Marcus Bowman examines a ...
March 22nd, 2010
1% for public art on Ottawa streets
By Kate Wetherow // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Can "one percent" bring art to streets beyond the national gallery? "][/caption]
When you see public art projects on Ottawa streets, do you wonder how they get there? Who pays for it?
Many Ottawans don’t realize that every new Ottawa street re-vitalization project is subject to the City’s “1% for public art” policy. The idea of “percent-for-art” programs has been around for a while and is contingent on a mandated allocation from government (or corporate) initiatives. As it says on the City of Ottawa’s website: “One percent of funds for new municipal spaces is put aside for public art in order to beautify the space and make art accessible to everyone.”
For example, the Community Design Plan for the Wellington West road reconstruction has a $25+ million price tag for capital improvement. 1% of that budget, approx. $250,000, is intended for commissioned public art. Other such projects include Bank Street, Preston Street and in the future, streets like Sussex Drive.
Does the 1% always get directed to public art? No, but 1% initiatives are becoming more visible due to the strength and persistence of Ottawa’s vocal community groups who are starting to hold the City to its funding policy.
March 23rd, 2010
Learning from others
By Vicky Smallman // 2 Comments
As I write this, I'm enjoying a family holiday in Vancouver. Travelling always makes me feel a little wistful, especially when I come across great public spaces or city services we don't see much of in Ottawa. Sure, it's easy to be envious of the big things – great parks, great transit, and so on. But what gets me going are the little things. Like public washrooms in playgrounds... open ones! In March! Or fenced dog runs tucked into unexpected spaces. Or street signs that ...
March 24th, 2010
Hop on board with a deadman for another “Where in Ottawa”
By Chris Warden // 1 Comment
With last week's post on the old Ottawa streetcar system fresh in out minds, this edition of Where In Ottawa tests your knowledge of Ottawa transit history:
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Can you solve this week's streetcar puzzler on your own, or will you rely on the kindness of strangers?"][/caption]
I am looking at the area that once contained one of the trickiest one-two combinations in the city's streetcar network. You had to run the gauntlet and avoid becoming a deadman. Where am I?
As well as sending us your guess, you can also ...
March 27th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // 1 Comment
Spacing Saturday is a new feature that highlights posts from across Spacing's blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region. Spacing Saturday replaces the weekly features Montreal Monday and Toronto Tuesday.
• Toronto's Cabbagetown, known for it array of independent businesses, artistic community and Victorian homes has undergone a number of reincarnations over the years . Once one of Toronto's poorest neighbourhoods its been gentrifying steadily since the 1970s. Spacing’s Ryan Bolton looks at neighbourhood change ...
March 30th, 2010
Spacing Radio 019 is on the air!
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
The new episode of Spacing Radio continues with our look at the Rules of the city (to complement the release of our new magazine issue) as producer Mieke Anderson examines the arcane permit process in Toronto. Reporter Sarah Bridge sits down with internationally renown architect Jack Diamond to discuss the success and failures of renovating Toronto's Union Station. And Montreal correspondent Adam Bemma explores the Berri Square (see series of posts on SpacingMontreal.ca), one of the city's most socially ...
March 31st, 2010
Two zloty to ride the red rocket
By Evan Thornton // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="802" caption="click on image to launch full-size viewer"][/caption]
April 3rd, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
Spacing Saturday is a new feature that highlights posts from across Spacing's blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region. Spacing Saturday replaces the weekly features Montreal Monday and Toronto Tuesday.
• Carol Coletta, CEO of CEOs for Cities, recently spoke at a sold-out Halifax luncheon on "cities as engines of economic prosperity". Responding to Ms. Colett's emphasis on the importance of developing a Halifax brand, Emily Richardson ...
April 6th, 2010
Bread and circuses: ampitheatre a boon to summer in the city
By Kate Wetherow // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Even spectres congregate at World Exchange ampitheatre "][/caption]
It’s the time of year for renovations and construction projects, getting ready for the onset of the busy Ottawa tourism and “good weather” season.
One of the renovation projects I have been keeping an eye on is the World Exchange Plaza Ampitheatre.
In downtown Ottawa, the World Exchange is a well-utilized mixed-use facility. The property is managed by Bentall LP, known for their “responsible property management,” comprehensive green programs, and integrated approach to real estate.
Office towers above, a mall on the main floor and free public parking below, the Exchange is perhaps best known for the Empire Cinema at its heart. The cinema is busy throughout the year, drawing people from Centretown, Lowertown, the Glebe, Sandy Hill and users of the transitway.
Finding such “draws” is something that Spacing Ottawa has been actively talking about lately, especially on the issue of how to create that energy on nearby Sparks Street, where tumbleweeds have been seen rolling through the silent corridor at night.
World Exchange has been sprucing up its outdoor pedestrian garden and popular lunchtime seating area (bordering busy Metcalfe, Albert and Queen), and enhancing its outdoor performance space.
April 7th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Is smart growth the future of American cities?
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• According to a CNN report the American urban landscape is undergoing a transformation--sprawling suburbs are on their way out and sustainable, urban-centric development is on its way in. The ...
April 8th, 2010
Reclaiming common sense for our revolution
By Ian Capstick // 5 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="596" caption="Sidewalk lake downtown: a taste of what pedestrians get for their taxes?"][/caption]
Common sense.
For a lot of people who live in Ontario, I suppose Mike Harris and his right-wing “Common Sense Revolution” ruined those words. But taking a page from progressive movements, I say let’s reclaim “common sense.”
It's the essential trait missing among the many elected people on city council who can’t see past the boundaries of their own ward. Perhaps it’s a leadership deficit, forced amalgamation or simple political rivalry that keeps these ...
April 9th, 2010
Playing hardball for the convent: power politics emerge from the cloister
By Chris Henschel // 6 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="598" caption="Crane looming over Byron: are there more to come?"][/caption]
Editor's note: the following article is cross-posted from Spacing Ottawa contributor Chris Henschel's personal blog, Bestboro, Best Wellington
My wife Allegra and I wrote a series of posts for SpacingOttawa.ca that chronicled our involvment in a condo development on Richmond Road, behind our house.
The project ended up falling through, but the experience of working with the developer was largely positive. Though I believe that the City's height restrictions are too liberal (especially for the north side of a 'traditional mainstreet'), the developer was more or less happy to stay within City bylaws, with minor variances. He was also a nice guy and was listening to what people were saying: we didn't like parking at the back, so he put it all underground; we didn't want an access off a dead-end sidestreet, so he proposed moving it to Wellington.
Economic concerns doomed the project. Residents were relieved. But our ongoing experience with the redevelopment of the Soeurs de la Visitation Convent currently being proposed by Ashcroft Homes inspires a more sober perspective: what might happen behind us if this style of developer comes knocking.
Ashcroft's proposal for the Convent site doubles the permitted density and height prescribed in the City's Official Plan and Secondary Plan. It crowds and overbears the historic convent building. It cuts a private access road through the Byron Linear Park. It has no useful public space and it threatens to gridlock traffic on Richmond Road (the City's figures show that the proposal would push the neighbourhood to within a breath of its 2031 density targets).
The residents on surrounding streets that were invited to pre-consultations on the proposal see no trace of their input. The developer has filed with the Ontario Superior Court to quash a recommendation for heritage designation of the whole property that could strengthen the City's hand when reviewing the plan.
April 10th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Spacing's Sean Marshall follows up a piece in the latest edition of the magazine, talking about Toronto's ubiquitous "12-8-8" yellow traffic lights and their negative aesthetic affects on the city's urban landscape. Pointing to examples of how lights are designed in other cities and even in some special areas throughout the GTA, Marshall discusses how to improve the aesthetic value of traffic signal while working with safety requirements and the Ontario Traffic Manual.
As part of the ongoing building stories exhibit at the Gladstone Hotel, David Wencer uses the old Canada Linseed Oil Mills building, abandoned since the late sixties, as a window into exploring the industrial history of the area along the CPR lines and into how the area has regenerated. While the site beside the building has been turned into a Park, the building itself remains fenced off, despite having been purchased by the city in 2000. Local residents hope to tap the building's potential to become a dynamic community space.
Alanah Heffez provides some background on the work of contributer Andrew Emond who along with Michael Cook was arrested this week while exploring the Garrison Creek sewer in Toronto. Emond has been featured on Spacing, amongst other media outlets, for his fascinating work on mapping and photographing some of the spectacular, yet unsung infrastructure at work beneath Montreal.
Inspired by thinking about other people view the same area of a city guest contributer Daniel Rotszain recalls the experience of walking through the Mile End neighbourhood with his father. To his surprise his father saw the neighbourhood not as the height of urbanity many consider today but as the inadequate slum it was to a generation of immigrants yearning for something better that it was during his father's childhood.
As part of the ongoing 'Spokes People' series, contributer Steve Bedard discusses the importance of building Halifax's crosstown connector bike lane from the perspective of someone with an education in nursing and has seen many of the increasing health ailments affecting people as a result of inactive transportation.
Inspired by the way many European cities integrate their historic monuments into the modern city to maintain functionality, Jake Schabas takes a look at Halifax's Citadel Hill and the potential to do some modernization on the site to make it less removed from the city.
April 13th, 2010
The Line of Parting: Ottawa’s Two Sublimes
By Daniel Velarde // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="267" caption="Voice of Fire: the template for curatorial controversy since 1989"][/caption]
You might remember the ink spilled several months ago over Maria Cook's Ottawa Citizen article revealing plans for a 10-storey Roxy Paine sculpture, a kind of giant stalagmite atop Nepean Point. Online commentators quickly lashed the New York artist's Hundred Foot Line, and in the tradition of taxpayer critiques, ridiculed the commission as yet another foreign and aloof New York abstraction pushed onto the "suckers" at the National Art Gallery. Not to be outdone, the curatorial establishment rallied to defend the installation, apparently eager to assume the role of a cultural bastion desperately resisting the philistine masses. (A Mount Carmel complex which says a lot about the gallery's PR doctrine and its evolution since the early 90s, but let me concentrate for a moment on what seems vital.)
These art controversies may strike us as naive, foolish, or ridiculous, but I believe they present some otherwise unavailable clues or code outlining larger processes in Ottawa's historical development. More specifically, these public art installations are likely the latest phase in Ottawa's well-known spatial mutation, beginning in the 1950s, when the horizontal city — the "Edinburgh of the West" whose only towers were the spires on churches and on Parliament — burgeoned into the familiar vertical experience of glass and concrete, the stunted mockery of Toronto or New York. (With all that came packaged: wild architectures; kaleidoscopic visual stimulation, etc.)
April 14th, 2010
Spacing Radio 020 is on the air!
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
On this episode of Spacing Radio producer Mieke Andersen takes you on a walk with Cindy Rozeboom through the east end of Toronto, along the Danforth, to explore the potential of empty storefronts. In other cities, street food is a major component of public life, but in Toronto food vendors don't seem to get any respect from city hall, BIAs, and urban designers — reporter Pattie Phillips talks to Marianne Moroney of Toronto's Street Food Vendors Association. The release of the new book "Rediscovering the Wealth ...
World Wide Wednesday: Parks, bikes, and cable cars
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• Luud Schimmelpinnink--one of the activists behind the 1965 White Bicycle Plan in Amsterdam--has envisioned the bike ...
The laneways of West Wellington
By Evan Thornton // 5 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption=" Laneway art installation in Melbourne, Australia"][/caption]
This week the Citizen's David Reevely ran an excellent post on Ottawa's neglected laneway system, which has largely been allowed to disappear via generations of encroachments, though it is still visible as a series of thin lines on certain old maps of the city. Reevely identified the West Wellington area as the "big kahuna" of the old back alley network, and I was reminded of a piece I wrote for a print publication several years ago about the West Wellington laneways. The following is that article, slightly edited. - Evan Thornton
It was a green dumpster plopped down in a patch of weeds; but something near to it had my friend acting weird. He was around the back, muttering; I heard phrases like “right through here” and “just where the map said it was”. Now he had me curious, and I tip-toed through the muck to join him. In front of us was a bizarre little structure sticking out of the back wall of the bowling alley like a carbuncle; imagine a plank-sided out-house grafted onto a cinderblock wall. A rich growth of weeds below almost convinced us it was an old privie; boarded-up, but still doing its bit to fertilize the soil below the cracked asphalt of this miniature urban wasteland.
April 19th, 2010
Idea-shy mayor’s race: playing for time, or putting us to sleep?
By Vicky Smallman // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="In lieu of fresh thinking, will candidates rely on the old stand-by?"][/caption]
It's true that elections are no time to debate policy – between the hot button-pressing and the sound bite speaking, no one seems to want to do any actual big-T Thinking. But municipal elections are slightly different than their provincial or federal counterparts. Candidates can register as early as ten months before election day, so they can start spending money and get their message out to prospective voters.
With six months to go, it's still early, so it's not too surprising we haven't seen much from the front-running mayoral candidates about their vision for Ottawa. But perhaps it's time they started throwing out some ideas. Six months is long enough to get people talking. By the time September rolls around, schedules become packed, the media starts paying more attention, and candidates have less control over the debate. So why not get ahead of the game and set the agenda while you still can?
April 21st, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: New York, Shanghai and Pajarito Mesa
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• Good Magazine has devoted its newest issue entirely to neighbourhoods. Check it out online for tips on starting a community garden and strategies for throwing an amazing block ...
April 22nd, 2010
Turn left at the teapot: corporate sculpture in Ottawa
By Kate Wetherow // 8 Comments
In the dense forest of corporate buildings in downtown Ottawa, wouldn’t it be nice to distinguish one corner from another? Too many offer only the pre-requisite coffee shop or dry cleaner tucked inside a big glass wall.
One solution that enlivens urban centres is investment in corporate sculpture.
When I was young, I had the chance to go to Chicago on a school field trip. To an art student, downtown Chicago is the epitome of cool. It’s a city that appreciates art and urbanism. We took architecture walks down streets lined with architecture by the likes of Louis Sullivan and Mies van der Rohe and you couldn’t help but notice the large commissioned sculptures that proudly sit in front of many of the city’s big buildings.
It’s commonplace to give directions by saying: “Turn left at the big bat.” The “bat” being Batcolumn, a monumental grey skeleton of a baseball bat by pop artist Claes Oldenburg. Not only that, but people love the bat, gather and eat lunch in its shadow.
April 24th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
The saga of how to replace to the Turcott interchange got even more interesting this week as Devin Alfaro explains in a piece profiling the City of Montreal’s counter proposal to that proposed by the Provincial Ministry of Transportation. The City proposal involves a circular design, similar to one found in Shanghai, and dedicated bus lanes. Importantly the City’s proposal would actually take up less land, and prevent the proposed expropriation of demolishing of an existing neighbourhood.
In Halifax, Jake Schabas looks at what a bottlenecked pedestrian/cyclist passage says about the city’s transportation priorities. The bottleneck, which chokes an important passageway between the north and south parts of the city is causes merely by a chain link fence.
While many Atlantic Canadian cities have traditionally lacked the density to spawn infill housing projects, Halifax’s Wright Ave is an example of how effective dense infill housing can be at plugging holes in the urban fabric with attractive and efficient spaces.
Sean Micalleff explored the timely topic of the weather in his psychogeography column this week. Quoting Leanord Cohen’s famous lines about the obscenity of Spring as bare skin is revealed and the collective celebration of our winter survival, Micalleff discusses how attitudes this Spring reflect a maturing awareness about public space in Toronto, as a place where the revival of Spring truly plays out.
The question of how to bring effective public transit to the suburbs is as interesting as it is important. Spacing’s Sean Marshall travelled to his hometown of Brampton this week in a post highlighting some of the public transit changes that are coming to the city. The city’s new Zum high order bus service and the Hurontario/Main St LRT project are profiled and discussed.
April 27th, 2010
WWJJD? Centretown through Jane Jacobs’ eyes
By David McClelland // 3 Comments
Editor's note: How powerful is the written word? Sometimes to gauge the impact of a writer we have to imagine what our world would be like without their contribution; without Jane Jacobs it is possible to imagine that there might never have been an urbanist movement in North America. In New York there probably would have been a six lane road instead of Washington Square, in Toronto an expressway right through the Annex, and in Ottawa, perhaps a 17-lane freeway instead of Laurier Avenue, as was on the drawing books of our road planners in the mid-1960s (see above). That these neighbourhood–killing projects never came to pass is still in large part credited to a discourse that began with Jacobs' stinging critique of post-war urban planning.
Certainly without Jacobs there would be no Spacing Ottawa blog, and so to mark this week's launch of Ottawa's third season of Jane's Walks we asked contributor David McClelland to consider the Jane Jacobs legacy from the point of view of an Ottawa neighbourhood. He chose Downtown/Centretown.
When it comes to urban thinkers, there are few names that are quite so revered as Jane Jacobs. She's cited in nearly every passionate debate about urban issues in North America, and The Death and Life of Great American Cities, her 1961 attack on modern urban planning policies, is still required reading at countless universities around the world. And though she died in 2006, her legacy lives on: Jane's Walks are held around Canada and the United States, which celebrate urban life and her passionate, incredibly observant view of cities.
But in spite of all this, many people do not seem to be familiar with what exactly her ideas were. Many know the gist of what she writes about in Death and Life, but aren't as certain in their knowledge of the ideas that underpin them. And while it would be nearly impossible to summarize all of the ideas in the book (as, while very readable, it's also densely packed), one section of the book is on the four conditions that make for diverse neighborhoods. So to better understand the ideas of Jacobs, why not take a look at downtown Ottawa through the lens of these four conditions?
“1. The district, and indeed as many of its internal parts as possible, must serve more than one primary function; preferably more than two. These must insure the presence of people who go outdoors on different schedules and are in the place for different purposes, but who are able to use many facilities in common.”
To anyone interested in cities today, this seems obvious: a good neighborhood has mixed uses. But when Jacobs was writing in the 1950s and 60s, this seemed less obvious. It was widely believed that a healthy city was a segregated city—people should live in one place, work in another, and be entertained in a third, and so on. However, Jacobs didn't buy into this, realizing instead that the more services a place could offer, the more attractive it would be, both as a place to live and a place to visit. Simple, but revolutionary nevertheless.
Thankfully, downtown Ottawa generally features a good mix of uses. The very heart of the CBD is far too dominated by government offices, of course (and this has a great deal to do with why Sparks Street is so dead outside of the business lunch rush), but it is still surrounded by residences, condos, shops, bars, and so on. So while it could be better, it could be a lot worse—one only needs to look at Tunney's Pasture to see the effects of a strict, single-use area.
Spacing Radio 021 is on the air!
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
We begin this episode of the Spacing Radio podcast in Toronto’s Alexandra Park, where Spacing producer Todd Harrison speaks with Jane’s Walk executive director Jane Farrow about this weekend’s upcoming Jane’s Walks and how the event — and the discussions it inspires — has evolved both at home and abroad.
Up next, Spacing producer Mieke Anderson takes us to Cleveland, Ohio where she meets up with local newspaper critic Steven Litt, to discuss the drawbacks of the city’s Public ...
April 29th, 2010
Preview: Jane’s Walk this weekend
By Evan Thornton // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Jane's Walk 2009 in the Byward Market"][/caption]
With 35 captivating neighbourhood-based walks on the program, this year's edition of Jane's Walk promises to be the most deliciously diverse version of the festival yet.
We don't have the space to preview all of the tours on offer this weekend, but we do want to draw our readers' attention to several of the walks with a strong Spacing connection.
From the outset of this blog, the people behind Apartment 613 have been huge supporters of Spacing Ottawa and it is no surprise ...
May 1st, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Spacing's Jake Schabas takes readers to the campus of Dalhousie University for a tour of the school's relationship with its modernist architectural heritage. Schabas compares the buildings constructed during the boom of the 1960's and those built during the campus's recent boom times today. It is a comparison that finds some favour in the designs of the past, and presents a case for caring these concrete buildings into the future.
As G8 development minister convened on Halifax this past week, protesters took to the streets to shine light on Nova Scotia's problems with affordable housing. Emma Feltes discusses some of the startling comparisons the protesters made between the economic thinking of the G8 and the gentrification of Halifax's North End. As the province turns affordable housing projects over to the private sector questions are raised about who's interests are really being served.
Understanding how public transit and the broader issue of mobility truely affect a neighbourhood is a fascinating and critical part of the debate on how to get more transit built. Mile Thomas explores issues of mobility in the Montreal-Nord borough. Describing the area as exiled from the rest of the city, Thomas breaks down the real trials mobility presents to area residents and considers how such isolation has been allowed to happen in an advanced, developed country.
John Lorinc used his column this week to continue the evolving discussion over the future of the Transit City project, thrown into turmoil by the Provincial Government's decision to 'delay' funding. Lorinc explores the reactions of a spectrum of candidates for both the mayoral and Provincial elections, to seek there true intentions and speculate about the future of the project's funding.
The Hot Doc's documentary film festival kicked off this week. With so many films to choose from, Jaqueline Whyte Appleby offers a guide to the urbanist films being screened.
May 3rd, 2010
Opinion: tomorrow’s rapid transit will support today’s urban sprawl
By Chris Bradshaw // 8 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Prowling the depths: best left to auto traffic?"][/caption]
Chris Bradshaw is the co-founder of Vrtu-car, and was co-owner until 2006. He is also a co-founder and long-time (1988-2000) executive member of Ottawalk. He is now a member of the Ottawa Seniors Transportation Committee. Chris and his wife live car-lite in Sandy Hill.
Originally submitted as a comment, the following is Chris's response to an earlier Spacing Ottawa post ("The History of the Ottawa subway") wherein author Alain Miguelez outlined his reasons for supporting the City's plans to build a transit tunnel underneath downtown Ottawa.
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The history related by Alain Miguelez shows that the wonderful 'moment' we have today is partly thanks to the procrastination of previous generations of planners and politicians; otherwise, we would be stuck with yesterday's technology and problematique. It is sobering to consider whether the plan now waiting for funding and environmental assessment will suffer the same fate. I expect so.
I start with the premise that people belong at the surface of cities. Let vehicles with their power and speed use the subterranean spaces. For instance, downtown auto users are either passing through or destined for an underground parking garage. Why don't they go underground, instead of people? And the proposal's enormous number of very long escalators should simply be strung out horizontally for moving sidewalks to connect two super stations at either end of downtown, like Denver does (linked for decades by free electric buses on the surface).
May 5th, 2010
Spacing nominated for Best Single Issue in 2009
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
Spacing is happy to announce that the summer-fall 2009 issue of the magazine was nominated for Best Single Issue by the National Magazine Awards. This is the second year in a row that we've been nominated in this category. Many thanks to our cast of contributors who made this one of the 10 best issues in Canadian magazines in 2009. We'll find out June 4th just how good of an issue it was.
World Wide Wednesday: Greenways, maps, and a railway run by children
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• The National Council of Research in Rome is generating innovative ideas on city building by looking at the urban environment through the eyes of children. As explained on ...
May 6th, 2010
The burning city
By Evan Thornton // 2 Comments
This year it seems a week can't go by without another major fire in the news. The crowd-sourced echo chamber that is twitter no doubt adds to that perception that fire is all around us, as with Tuesday's blaze in Kanata -- captured here in a tweetphoto of such intensity it looks like the iPhone that took it is starting to melt --or last weekend's controversial blaze at a scrapyard on Sheffield Road, tweeted within minutes of breaking out. Of course when fire struck Merivale Road in February the news didn't need even need twitter to spread around quickly; CJOH losing its home of nearly four decades was instant headline news all by itself.
Fire seems to be a perfect subject for the immediacy of social media and the aftermath of a blaze seems an especially popular subject for Ottawa photo-bloggers.
Spacing Ottawa contributor Justin Van Leeuwen has the knack for being close the scene for the fires that seem to bedevil his West End district, and has recorded the destruction superbly in shots like this Chinatown panorama or the shattered windows of this dream home on St. Francis near Gladstone that recently caught on fire on the last day of construction. This pit of rubble is a burned-out convenience store not far from Bronson.
Spacing’s next stop: Carleton Place
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
This Friday Spacing Ottawa will be traveling to the banks of the Mississippi River in Carleton Place to test out a new commuter bus line that was launched earlier this week.
Unlike most commuter bus services in the Ottawa valley, Lanark Community Transit is offering a return service that will allow passengers to go "against the flow" and actually travel to an outlying town in the morning and return later in the afternoon. Other commuter lines typically disgorge their passenger load in downtown Ottawa in the a.m. and park the bus until the afternoon ...
May 8th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
How well a city invests in transit is reflected in the priority it places on public transportation. In Halifax, Dustin Vallen continues the 'City Unbuilt' series to showcase a graduate architecture project for a bold new bus shelter at a prominent corner in the city.
Halifax's Jane's Walk was a great success as a good crowd showed up to tour through some of the areas of downtown that are on the verge of some significant change. Spacing Atlantic this week featured a review of the walk, so that anyone can experience at least a little taste of what they may of missed.
As the dust settles on our 2009 tax returns, now is a good time to look at the significance of some of the numbers. Spacing's Alanah Heffez breaks some aspects of her return for readers and in doing so reveals a fantastic illustration of a fundamental problem with Canadian Federalism: the underfunding of municipal government.
Is Stephen Harper using the G8 summit to punish urban voters in Toronto? After reading Matt Blackett's summary of the Orwellian security measures that will be imposed on the city during and leading up to the summit, you may think so.
Toronto is a city defined by its undefinedness and has long had troubles properly marketing itself to the world. On the eve of a trip to Manchester, Spacing's Shawn Micallef reflects on that city's success at defining its image and compares its marketable attributes to our own, wondering why there has been such a difference, and what causes some city's to a clearer collective image of themselves than others.
May 10th, 2010
Opinion: time is right for teenage transit to grow up
By Alain Miguelez // 6 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Bumper-to-bumper on our BRT - growing pains on the way to adulthood?"][/caption]
Reading my friend Chris Bradshaw’s recent Spacing Ottawa opinion piece on rapid transit reminds me of the challenges of a growing family. Canada is a family of cities of various ages and therefore at various stages of maturity. Montreal and Toronto are the “older children”. They were the first ones to go through the growing pains of passing through the stages of development that children experience as they move through their teenage years and into adulthood. Because they are older, they always thought of themselves as the “bigger kids” and, like most first-borns and second-borns in large families, they were the ones who had to learn from mistakes, rather than benefit from the teachings of older siblings they never had.
Ottawa, on the other hand, is one of the family’s younger children. It was cuddled and sheltered more than its older siblings and, accordingly, was spared some of the mistakes made by its older brothers and sisters. It has more green space than its older siblings. It has fewer of the harmful effects of some of the more misguided urban interventions tried by their larger siblings. It has fewer scars as a result.
But just as we don’t imagine children growing from newborn to toddler to big kids while still drinking milk from a bottle or using diapers, so cities grow out of the more junior arrangements that come from the days when they were smaller. And children usually do resist, at first, things like potty training, picking up after themselves or doing their homework after school. It’s hard to grow up. It’s also unpleasant at first. And children aren’t equipped to see the richer life that awaits them once they learn new skills and take responsibility for themselves.
May 11th, 2010
Spacing Radio 022 is on the air!
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
In this episode of Spacing Radio — the last of season 3 — our cast of contributors explore the theme of how we get around cities. First up are a handful of clips from Jane's Walk, the yearly festival of walking tours in Toronto and over 60 other cities across North America. Then Spacing magazine's senior editor Shawn Micallef takes listeners to Yorkville to discuss the ethos behind his new book Stroll. Our new reporter Katie Harris examines the impact the ...
May 12th, 2010
Tripling the damage
By Evan Thornton // 1 Comment
It turns out it wasn't just our imagination; Ottawa is experience a mini-boom in fires. According to Ottawa Fire Services, there were 98 fires causing $50,000 or more in damage in 2006; by 2009 Ottawa experienced 143 fires in that category.
Definition of "structure working fires" = $ loss is equal to or greater than $50,000
Year # # of structure working fires
2006 ...
World Wide Wednesday: “Tesco Towns”, security cameras, and the world’s greenest buildings
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• What would a socially equitable city look like? The Polis Blog sheds some light on this complex question in a fascinating series entitled "The Just Metropolis". ...
May 14th, 2010
“Green corridor” takes you car-free to Carleton Place; NCC the only bump in the road
By Evan Thornton // 1 Comment
Last Friday I had the opportunity to try out the commuter bus line offering return service to downtown Carleton Place that was launched earlier this month. As I wrote in the preview post:
Unlike most commuter bus services in the Ottawa valley, Lanark Community Transit is offering a return service that will allow passengers to go "against the flow" and actually travel to an outlying town in the morning ...
May 15th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Community activism is changing in the information age and we are just beginning to see what can be accomplished by the trend of increasingly open access to public data. Emily Richardson profiles a number of initiatives and programs in place both in Atlantic Canada, and throughout North America.
Alanah Heffez talks about a new initiative by the STM to put green roofs on select bus shelters throughout the city as part of slick new marketing campaign. The campaign is a window into the broader green initiatives of Montreal's transit operator.
Shiny new streetcars are coming soon to the streets of Toronto and this week the TTC began preparing for their launch with a campaign to build excitement by eliciting rider input. Spacing Editor and TTC Customer Service Review Panel member, Matt Blackett talks about the initiative and gives some suggestions on how the names of the new cars can be used to sell them to riders.
In a very provocative piece, Nicole McIsaac speculates about a future of open source government and what it could mean for civic engagement. While other Cities are quickly hoping on this bandwagon by releasing their immense date basses to the public where the data can be organized according to need, and widely disseminated.
May 18th, 2010
CityVote takes a visual turn
By Ian Capstick // 2 Comments
This half of CityVote is taking a decidedly visual turn for the next little while. I’ll be blunt: I was having trouble breaking out of my “rant mode” with written text. It comes too easily. CityVote and this space needs to be a conversation and my role is to provoke that. I’ve had some amazing people ask me to help them tell their stories. I can’t think of a better way than to teach them how to do it themselves.
Making the invisible visible will be the theme of the audio/video project. My team at ...
May 19th, 2010
So, about that federal LRT funding…
By Spacing Ottawa // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="579" caption="Is it all just pie in the sky without the feds?"][/caption]
Editor's note: the following article was written by Peter Raaymakers, Executive Director of Transit Ottawa. It originally appeared on the Public Transit in Ottawa website.
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The City of Ottawa is still waiting to hear the federal government announce their intentions to match (or hopefully exceed) the provincial $600M funding pledge for the city's $2.1B light-rail transit plan. Queen's Park made its pledge back in December, and the general understanding was that a similar announcement from Federal ...
World Wide Wednesday: London, Bangkok, and New Delhi
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• Though still incomplete, New Delhi's subway system is already being hailed as "a runaway success". According to the The New York Times not only is the Delhi Metro "scrupulously ...
May 22nd, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Marcus Bowman // 1 Comment
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
In the Plateau neighbourhood, recently elected Project Montreal has put forward a new plan to deal with restaurant terraces on area sidewalks. The plan calls for terraces to be moved off of sidewalks and onto the street to improve pedestrian flow. Businesses in the area have taken a number of issues with the plan and threatening to close their terraces all sumer in protest.
Allanah Heffez reports on the sombre mood surrounding cyclists in Quebec following the recent tragic deaths of four cyclists on a rural highway. While silent vigil rides dubbed "tour de silence" are taking part across the province police in Montreal have fallen back on the classic blame the victim approach stepping enforcement on cyclists but not motorists.
The question of whether or not Toronto is really a world class city has finally been definitively answered. Thursday morning city officials gathered on the Waterfront to unveil Toronto's first public pay toilet, complete with friendly female voice, and soft waterfall music. Nicole McIsaac satisfied her curiosity about the new street furniture with a visit and shares her observations with readers.
Moving on from the disappointing failure of the University Ave bike lanes proposal, cycling advocates were out in front of Queen's Park this week to push for intelligent new safety laws requiring drivers to leave at least three feet of space when passing cyclists. The new law could help address the main barrier keeping more people from cycling: safety.
Responding to speculation that roundabouts may soon be coming to the streets of Halifax, Steve Bedard gives a ringing endorsement of the plan by reflecting on observations of how well the round arrangement works in Europe. Bedard notes in particular how well the French use roundabouts to manage traffic efficiently and promote shared roadways.
As St John kicks off the celebrations of its 225th birthday, Abad Khan reflects on the city's priorities as demonstrated by the two year closure of one its most important pedestrian routes to facilitate bridge construction. Would the city have closed a road as well?
May 25th, 2010
On LRTs and architecture
By David McClelland // 8 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Light well, Outrement Station, Montréal Metro"][/caption]
As rail-starved Ottawans wait for the latest attempt at light-rail transit to creep slowly towards completion, one question remains unanswered: who will design the stations? Admittedly, this has little to do with the actual nuts and bolts of the proposed system, or to do with the all-important dilemma that is funding its construction, but it is an important question nevertheless. After all, this system will be used by tens of thousands of people every day, so it seems only logical that stations should be pleasant and interesting places to wait for a train, right?
The current Transitway system seems to be the antithesis of this philosophy. Right now, stations range from dank and unpleasant (St. Laurent), to utilitarian (the majority, like Hurdman and Lincoln Fields), to mildly pleasing (Dominion comes to mind). Transitway stations betray their 80s heritage at a glance: concrete abounds, and the ubiquitous red tubing and glass that makes up nearly every shelter quickly becomes depressing and repetitive.
Commuting snapshots across the Spacing map
By Spacing Ottawa // 3 Comments
Source: Statistics Canada
By Emily Richardson – cross-posted from Spacing Atlantic
Despite dramatic differences in population, density, infrastructure, and growth, there is remarkable consistency between commuting patterns in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Halifax, particularly when it comes to traveling by car. And incidentally, when it comes to getting us out of them, we seem to find buses and bike lanes unconvincing. A closer look at our most recent census data raises some surprising – and some predictable – findings about the way we get to work and how preferences change as our cities grow.
First a few words on sources and statistics: All data in this article, with the exception of bike lane information, is based on the 2006 census of Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal's census metropolitan areas with trends from the 2001 census. I will be the first to concede two important shortcomings in the data. First, neither the number of cities nor the number of data points within each city is sufficient for any analysis to be statistically significant (in other words, proper analysis requires more, and more robust, data to hold up to scrutiny). Second, the data is a static snapshot in time, and it lacks any context that might explain why the upcoming 2011 census might paint a vastly different picture.
But despite these drawbacks, the census data does highlight some consistencies between cities and concerns about the economic, social, and environmental implications of our commuting habits. It remains to be seen whether erratic fuel prices, transit-pass tax incentives, and growing bike-lane networks over the past four years will meaningfully influence our commuting habits by 2011. In the meantime, comments and observations are welcomed in response to this anecdotal food for thought.
May 28th, 2010
Week in review: the headlines
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="800" caption="Horticulture Building, Lansdowne: immovable object?"][/caption]
May 29th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
As the Place des festivales nears completion, Montrealers are getting a look at one of the most striking new public spaces in Canada. Spacing's Allanah Heffez reviews the new space bringing up both good and bad about the realized version of the square.
Setting the stage for future investments in public space, the council of the Plateau neighbourhood recently announced interesting plans to expand a park in an area lacking in green space by closing off a street that runs beside it. The street has already been closed to car traffic and will be use the space to establish a farmer's market.
Steve Bedard promotes the Halifax Open Street Party, happening this weekend in the city's North Commons. The event is hosted by the Halifax Cycling Coalition and The Bike Week Planning Council.
In his weekly column, John Lorinc finds some cause for optimism about the future of Transit City despite cries from the Mayor's Office that the province will not carry through with the plan. Lorinc examines the Mayor's claim that the Eglington line will run from Leaside to Forest Hill and contrasts it against the recent actions of Metrolinx and his forecast for the Province's political future.
In a call to action Hillary Best advocates the idea of 'Complete Streets' as was discussed during a recent conference held by the Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation. Best shows that the more we understand the idea of complete streets, the more apparent becomes their necessity to the future vitality of the region.
June 1st, 2010
New blood versus same old faces: who should prevail?
By Vicky Smallman // 4 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Knowing the ropes: do voters give it too much weight?"][/caption]
Much has been written about the need for fresh faces on Ottawa's city council. From community coalition Our Ottawa to the high profile residents behind Fair Chance, from columnists like Randall Denley to bloggers like Blake Batson, the call for change at City Hall has been loud and clear.
There's no question that Ottawa's pattern of re-electing incumbents is not exactly healthy for our local democracy. But is a clean sweep what we need? What are the pros and cons of supporting incumbents versus voting in new faces and new voices?
Incumbents:
On the pro side, incumbents have no learning curve. They know the ropes, they know the rules of order, they have relationships with staff and know how to answer constituents' issues and resolve problems. There's no waiting while they set up an office and hire staff – they're ready to go as soon as they take office. They also know what to expect – they understand the pace of a councilor's lifestyle, so there's no adjustment period while they get used to the evening meetings, the event-after-event weekends, the reduced family time and the lack of privacy.
But incumbents get tired. They might get lazy, or take voters for granted. They may resist new ideas, or ignore some communities in favour of the constituents that voted them in. Some are quite parochial in their approach, focusing on the narrow interests of their ward instead of the city as a whole. Some get defensive when challenged by residents (Gord Hunter, for example, is notorious for his quick email trigger).
June 4th, 2010
City plans to widen Centretown’s great divide
By Evan Thornton // 7 Comments
The always-excellent West Side Action is two parts into a 5-part series on Bronson Avenue. Bronson was designated as an arterial in the 1970s as part of the Centretown plan, and bears the brunt of north-south automobile traffic in a wide swath of Centretown, from Kent/Lyon in the east to Booth in the west. Factors like noise, dust, narrow sidewalks, and limited pedestrian crossings make Bronson a real barrier for foot and cycle traffic, separating Chinatown from points east and discouraging development along Bronson itself.
Bronson is slated for reconstruction in 2011, and, astonishingly, the City presented a plan to the neighbourhood that would see engineers actually widen the roadbed, facilitating even greater traffic speed along the road.
June 5th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Its election year in a city where both traffic and transit development are gridlocked so mayoral front runner George Smitherman's release of his transportation platform this week inspired critical examination from both John Lorinc and Jonathan Goldsbie. While Lorinc focuses on the political motivations for Smitherman's plan, Goldsbie looks specifically at the cycling initiatives to see if they hold sway, or a merely paying lip service.
On a lighter note, the hording finally came down last weekend on renovations to the historic John Street Roundhouse near the base of the CN Tower. Spacing's Nicole McIsaac visited the new National Railway Heritage Centre built into and around the roundhouse and the public space surrounding it and profiles some its exciting features, including restored steam locomotives, historic buildings and a miniature railroad.
Katie McKay reports from Halifax on the success of the May edition of the city's Critical Mass Bike ride which for the first time crossed the MacDonald Bridge over the harbour, closing a lane of traffic in the process. The success of the event was not in obstructing motorists, but in strengthening the breadth of the Halifax cycling community.
Spacing contributor and McGill School of Urban Planning researcher, Jacob Larson introduces readers to the issue of integrating cycling into a broader new vision for transportation in North America. Readers are invited to take a survey on multi-modal connections in the Montreal Region.
On the Lower Main, Alanah Heffez showcases an interesting temporary fix for the unsightliness of the buildings awaiting revised redevelopment plans involving a graffiti bomb by thirty different artists organized by the Corporation de développement urbain du Faubourg Saint-Laurent and the Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles.
June 7th, 2010
Spacing Radio is back for the summer in shorts
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Spacing Radio is back! For the summer we are changing things up a bit and so over the next few months we're going to give you a lot more to listen to, but in shorter doses. Every time we have a story to tell, we'll post it on the blog and put it out on iTunes. Sometimes you'll get one a day, or a few a week. It's a reflection of the season, when most of us ...
June 8th, 2010
Photo of the day: Balcony of the Aga Khan
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Photo taken by Gordon D. Bonnar during this past weekend's Doors Open tour of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, on Sussex Drive"][/caption]
June 9th, 2010
Light rail funding: now the real wait begins
By Peter Raaymakers // No Comments
Editor's note: Peter Raaymakers is the executive director of the Public Transit in Ottawa portal (TransitOttawa.ca), and tries to encourage constructive discussion on transit in the city on that site. He is also the managing editor of the Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa, the community-reviewed journal on pressing transit issues in the city.
The City of Ottawa has been anxiously waiting for months to hear what John Baird announced yesterday: A federal pledge to share the costs of the city's light-rail transit plan. Not a full share of the cost, mind you; ...
World Wide Wednesday: The World Cup, bike gadgets, and the fastest train in the world
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• The BP oil spill, which continues to wreak havoc on the United States' Gulf Coast, is just one more reminder of the perils ...
June 10th, 2010
Surface parking targeted in design plan for Centretown
By Evan Thornton // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="An all-too-common Centretown streetscape"][/caption]
They're ugly when full, desolate when empty, and they promote unsustainable commuter practices. Unfortunately, surface parking lots disfigure the streetscape all over Centretown, tearing large holes in the urban fabric and making the built form of Canada's capital city often resemble a small town in the middle of the prairies.
So it's no surprise that the team charged with delivering a cohesive Community Design Plan for Mid-Centretown have parking lots firmly in their sights as they begin the planning process that will make the area between Kent and Elgin ready to receive its share of the 10,000 extra residents Centretown is expected to attract by 2031.
The .pdf of the slides the planning team presented to a Community Open House held this week is available on the planning team's blog site or you can click here for a direct download. It's a fascinating document, and one of the most telling visuals in the slide deck is the one reproduced below.
Caring about Carling
By Eric Darwin // 1 Comment
Editor's note: this post originally appeared on the author's own West Side Action blog.
Last night was the first Public Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting for the Carling Avenue reconstruction project from the O-Train to Bronson Avenue. Scheduled for 2011, its for a complete rebuild of the street: new sewers, water mains, dozens of cable and gas pipes, curbs, sidewalks, lighting...everything.
The handout emphasized the following priorities in this order: pedestrian, cycling, transit, vehicle. Of course, the the Technical Adisory Committee (TAC) had first whack at the project and they specified two through lanes in each direction, a bus lane, a cycling lane,very generous turn lanes, etc etc all of which exceeds the available right of way. Now, which elements do we guess might get dropped? No points for the correct answer: car lanes, bus lane, bike lane if room, "2m sidewalk (where feasible)". So much for ped priority. And for streetscaping ... to be added in at the end on the leftover spaces.
So, I spent the evening in pleasant dialogue with the city planner and his consultants, educating them as to local pedestrian desire lines, questioning them on traffic volume assumptions, and suggesting the ideal Carling-Avenue-according-to-Eric plan.
June 12th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Taxi's can be unique and identifying feature of a city that play an important part in the street-scape. As Montreal moves towards implementing its bylaw allowing advertisements on Taxis, Alanah Heffez reports on efforts to create an attractive design promoting the city. The new bylaw is also inspiring some grumbling amongst taxi drivers who report some cabs with the new signs have been mistake for pizza delivery cars.
Spacing Montreal is inviting readers to take part in its first ever reader survey of favourite parts of the city. Categories focus around civic initiatives, public personalities and hidden corners of the urban fabric.
Spacing editor Sean Micallef generated a great discussion this week about taking the cycling movement to the next level in Toronto. In an appeal to cyclists, Micallef advocates that riders acknowledge the political nature of everything they do and that accordingly they must approaching sharing the roadways as part of a sensible dialogue with drivers. Is there an onus on cyclists to promote better behaviour amongst fellow riders?
Major changes are coming to Toronto's iconic St Lawrence Market as the winning design was announced this week for the redevelopment of the 1960's era north market building. Spacing's Nicole McIssac covers the announcement and showcases the exciting new plan.
As part of an always great events series, Veronica Simmonds profiles World Naked Bike day and public consultation on the Halifax Central Library.
The Atlantic Snapshots feature this week focused on another distinctly Atlantic scene, this time in Saint John.
June 15th, 2010
Ottawa’s election: still no narrative
By Ian Capstick // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="510" caption="Watching paint dry: a better story than our mayor's race?"][/caption]
At just over 130 days away from the ballot and it’s barely registered to most in the city that an election is around the corner.
Sure, incumbents are slowly rolling out sleepy reelection campaigns. A few upstarts are getting their cars wrapped and shiny new social media profiles in order.
But, the mayors race only seems busy because Jim Watson keeps an inhuman pace. A long standing Ottawa joke is that Watson will attend the opening ofan envelope. It follows that if Watson is the hare, the Alex Cullen team is currently the tortoise. A sleeping tortoise. Which, I suppose is fair considering one of them actually has a full time job right now.
f you missed what passes for bluster in the 2010 election: Watson is fretting about costs on the LRT project. O’Brien called him a “little old lady” on CFRA. The media failed to really engage in the misogynistic comment or the issue at hand. Plus ca change.
June 16th, 2010
Photos of a landmark withered away: 50 years of Lansdowne inertia
By Marie-Judith Jean-Louis // No Comments
Editor's note: The following post first appeared in Marie-Judith Jean-Louis's Modern Ottawa (MOOT) blog. Passionate about modern and innovative design, Marie-Judith is Ottawa-based interior designer and owner of M2JL STUDIO | modern interiors. In addition to MOOT, she writes regular blogs for M2JL STUDIO and occasionally writes for the Ottawa Citizen. She teaches decorating classes at La Cité Collégiale.
There's a lot of debate going on about the future of Lansdowne Park. A couple days ago, I heard a conversation on the radio about the future plans for Lansdowne and the new proposed designs. The hosts were arguing as to whether or not anything would eventually happen. Apparently, debates about Lansdowne have been going on since the 1980s.
Proposed subway stations get platform preview
By Spacing Ottawa // 2 Comments
Public Transit in Ottawa's Peter Raaymakers has previewed the four main types of station platform for Ottawa's proposed new subway. The artist's conceptions were recently displayed for public inspection at the main library on Metcalfe Street. Raaymakers comes out in favour of the "Centre Platform" option shown above; for images of the other three designs, along with useful commentary on the process, check the PTIO post here.
June 18th, 2010
Headlines: The week in review
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="City Centre Building: "surely one of the ugliest buildings in town" ('Empty excuses for an empty lot', below)"][/caption]
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CITY HALL
Mayor to reveal election plans June 29 (Ottawa Citizen)
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DEVELOPERS
Eco-friendly condo to be non-smoking (Canwest News )
Empty excuses for an empty lot (Ottawa Citizen)
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HISTORICAL/TOURISM
"It was a seedy and shockingly violent town" (Montreal Gazette)
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LANSDOWNE
Public-private partnership not best for Ottawa (Metro Ottawa )
Park plans worry Mayfair (Ottawa Citizen)
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Photo by Justin Van Leeuwen
June 19th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
From the Rock, Andrew Harvey writes about the cycling culture in Canada's eastern most city: St John's. In a city, where cycling is currently a character building endeavour, the city hall is pushing forward with a scaled back, yet still promising bike lane infrastructure plan.
In light of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission's new campaign to get people telling stories of their experiences downtown, Rachel Carolin Derrah writes an excellent piece discussing just what kind of collective story the city is telling about the needs of its downtown for the future.
Citizens targeted by a CP Rail security blitz on a well trafficked informal rail crossing between the Mile End and Petite Patrie neighbourhoods are fighting back with a protest and petition. While the petition is calling for a formalized level crossing in the area, many are content with the status quo, minus the $150 fines.
In the year 2000 the Quebec Government tasked the municipalities of Greater Montreal to create a coherent land-use strategy for the region, a project that sat in stalemate throughout the decade. In a new bill passed recently, the Province has sought compromise by lowering expectations and extending the deadline further. Alanah Heffez discusses the troubles and promises of the new move.
John Lorinc used his column this week to explore a different aspect of the transit question. Focusing on the issue of Car Sharing, Lorinc criticizes Toronto's sluggish progress thus far. He also illustrates the improvements that candidates should be promising to bring Toronto in line with other North American cities and recognize car sharing as the cost-effective transportation solution that it is.
Spacing editor Shawn Micallef launched a new feature this week profiling the work of students from his third year class at the Ontario College of Art and Design. By posting the work on Spacing, Micallef hopes that Spacing readers will challenge the student's and put their ideas to the test.
June 21st, 2010
Street names: the stories behind the signs
By Dwight Williams // 3 Comments
Anecdote, urban legend, sometimes even myth: we don't usually associate such descriptors with the street map of our city, but there is a story behind each and every street name we encounter in our daily navigations.
And with over seven thousand of them now in use, there is a rich store of narrative to be revealed by exploring the history behind Ottawa's street names. They are a unique insight into what the builders of our city held most dear, and a lens through which we can see how our civic culture has ...
June 22nd, 2010
Opinion: Bits and pieces tactic masks the real goal of Landsowne plans
By Tim Lash // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Bank and Holmwood corner as seen in OSEG proposal"][/caption]
Editor's note: The following opinion piece by Tim Lash takes the form of an open letter to decision-makers and the general public in advance of the June 28 council vote on the OSEG proposal for the renewal of Lansdowne Park.
re: Visual Resources for Civic Lansdowne Decisions, and a Request
Dear Ottawa residents, councilors and mayoral candidates,
OSEG and City staff have split up their design and publicity about Lansdowne's future into separate parts: (1) the major part faced by Bank and Holmwood that would be given to OSEG for private development, (2) the stadium and Ottawa Civic Centre, (3) the remaining public space near the canal (which might include an "overlap" area north of the Aberdeen Pavilion).
The parts have been put forward out of sequence, partially, with shifting goal-posts and assumptions. The split hides the significance and impact of what would be given over to private development. It would be wrong to make a legal commitment on this basis. Please don’t.
To be right, Lansdowne has to be shown whole – what it is now, and what’s proposed. Only so can everyone concerned
• consult honestly and make civic decisions that are good socially, economically and environmentally
• plan and design coherently so objectives for Lansdowne Park are met in reality, and won't cancel each other out, or let one subvert another, and
• achieve a place that works with people’s surrounding activities, places, and facilities.
June 23rd, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Flip bridges, sewer diving, and the death of starchitecture
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• In Hong Kong they drive on the left side of the road, in mainland China on the right. This simple difference creates an complicated engineering dilemma. How do you ...
Opinion: Renaming Wellington Street would be an act of historical amnesia
By Immanuel Giulea // 6 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="328" caption="Should Ottawans know who this man is?"][/caption]
Editor's note: Immanuel Giulea is the Founder and Executive Director of the Société Macdonald-Cartier Society.
Ottawa’s civic holiday in August is known as Colonel By Day. City Council reaffirmed that as recently as June 9--a decision that underlines the intimate connection between the City of Ottawa and its founder Lieutenant-Colonel John By.
In recent weeks, Bob Plamondon has created some publicity around the idea of renaming our venerable and historic Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill. Those in favour of renaming the street argue that the Duke of Wellington never set foot in North America and had no connection to the city. Instead of honouring a relatively unknown figure, they argue, why not pay tribute to our first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald?
June 25th, 2010
Headlines: The week in review
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1024" caption="Earthquake evacuees on Carling Avenue"][/caption]
June 29th, 2010
Lansdowne vote: dark day, or a new dawn?
By Evan Thornton // 5 Comments
In a 15-9 vote last night Ottawa City Council approved the Lansdowne Live partnership. While Spacing Ottawa took no position on the redevelopment — our contributors and commenters were split on the issue — over the course of the debate and the public consultation process we ran strong arguments both in favour and opposed to the OSEG proposal, starting with an impassioned "pro" editorial on our very first day from Alain Miguelez, who called it a key city-building project and argued that:
There should be more people at Lansdowne. There should be more ...
June 30th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Transit maps, subway stations, and monorails
By Kat Snukal // No Comments
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.
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• Should private corporations be allowed to purchase the naming rights of public subway stations? The Transit Politic Blog muses on the answer as the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation ...
July 2nd, 2010
The meeting of the mega-projects: A tunnel for Bank Street
By Dwight Williams // 16 Comments
Editor's note: Many commentators have noted that the decision by Mayor O'Brien to run again in this fall's municipal elections means that he can campaign by claiming two significant achievements: spearheading the decision to build an East-West LRT that includes a downtown tunnel, and backing the proposal to redevelop Lansdowne Park. So far, the two major projects have been presented as "stand alone"; here Spacing Ottawa contributor Dwight Williams suggests a way to link them.
In the months since the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) brought forth their proposal for redeveloping Lansdowne Park, ...
July 3rd, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
In Halifax, Katie McKay shows how the public space of the Halifax Common was recently utilized to host the largest Pow Wow ever held in Atlantic Canada.
Rachel Carolin Derrah profiles the Neighbourhood Earth Project launching this summer in parks throughout the North End of Halifax. The project aims to educate about local landscapes and urban ecology.
Alanah Heffez talks to skateboarders in Montreal's Peace park about their perspective on the uses of public space and the failure of the city to address the needs of a significant and active community.
Devin Alfaro talks about famous urban thinker Jane Jacob's lesser publicized opinions on the issue of Quebec sovereignty. Contrary to what you may expect, Jacobs considered sovereignty a practical idea when viewed objectively.
As politicians continue to ignore demands for an independent inquiry into the failures of the police at last weekend's G20 Summit, Spacing played host to a number of attempts to bring some sense about how the legacy of the G20 weekend will forever change Toronto. Jonathon Goldsbie is scathingly critical of Mayor Miller's complicit response. Matt Blackett discussed the most important questions to be asking in the wake of the incidents. Dale Duncan reflects on the need to question police tactics on large event crowd control. Emma Feltes talks about how police used features of the public space against the populace.
In the immediate aftermath of the weekend, Spacing also featured excellent reports and unique perspectives on what happened on the city's streets. Matt Blackett highlights some of the most powerful footage of the protests while Nicole McIsaac shared observations from a weekend amongst the protests, and reported on the mood of the street following the weekend.
July 5th, 2010
Revisiting the front porch
By Spacing Ottawa // 7 Comments
In many neighbourhoods in Ottawa, front porches seem like holdovers from another age. They are so rarely used, it's almost as if residents are now embarrassed to be seen on them. Their long decline as a social space may have started as far back as the 1950s; the above video is from a Disney picture in 1963 and seems to be hearkening back to an era the filmmakers felt was already slipping away.
Do you have a front porch? Is it a welcoming space to ...
July 6th, 2010
Good will on our streets: The Art of Swap
By Spacing Ottawa // 3 Comments
A few years ago little wooden boxes started appearing, nailed to telephone poles across Ottawa. Inscribed with the motto "Take something - Leave something" the cheerful little cubes – always whimsically decorated – were seen by thousands of Ottawans every day. They were a mystery to some, a source of delight to others, and in time new "Swap Box spottings" became a coffee-shop topic throughout the urban core, and a point of reference in the local blogoshere.
Probably no blog celebrated the Swap Box phenomena more than the excellent Knitnut, by Zoom. In fact, clues as to new locations of Swap Boxes were sometimes left as comments below KnitNut posts.
There aren't as many swap boxes as there used to be; rain and wind have taken their toll, as have vandalism, bylaw enforcement, and souvenir hunting.
July 7th, 2010
Future of interprovincial transit looking good – on paper
By Peter Raaymakers // 3 Comments
Editor's note: The following post originally appeared in Public Transit in Ottawa; it is published here by the author's consent.
On Tuesday evening, I stopped in to the public consultation on the National Capital Commission (NCC)-led interprovincial transit study. Attended by about 30-40 people (at least when I was there, from 6-7 p.m.), the consultation represents the fourth step in the overall process, the results of which will help the strategy team come up with a recommendation for integration of the national capital region's transit infrastructure--in short, better connecting Gatineau with Ottawa through public transit.
July 9th, 2010
Focus on food hurting City’s vision for farmers’ markets
By Emily Sinclair // 1 Comment
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Last month’s unseasonably warm weather has had me looking forward the 2010 farmers’ market season. While cautious in my own gardening habits – I did not plant early lettuce, beans, peas, radishes etc… - I have been patiently waiting for the arrival of fresh spring vegetables after a winter’s worth of rather tired greens, canned tomatoes and heavy root veggies. A great thing about Ottawa is that many neighbourhoods within the City’s urban core are well-served by farmers’ markets (Parkdale/West Wellington, Mainstreet/Old Ottawa South, the Glebe). These markets offer opportunities to buy fresh produce, often grown by people within the Ottawa valley. However, recent debate over the “value” of one of the City’s markets – the Ottawa’s Farmers’ Market located in Parking Lot #4 of Lansdowne Park – raises some questions about just exactly how the City sees / understands the role of the farmer’s market in the modern city. Specifically, recent staff reports and Council decisions heavily emphasize the economic role of the farmers’ market rather than broadly interpreting the market as a public good.
July 10th, 2010
Has the O-Train made its mark?
By Evan Thornton // No Comments
In the midst of the ongoing debate about the future of Light Rail Transit it Ottawa it can be easy to forget that we've now had LRT rolling through our city for nine years thanks to the O-Train "pilot project" launched along an old CP rail corridor in 2001.
That's getting a little long in the tooth for a test run, which seems to be why the City has announced a 5-week haitus in service this summer so that "lifecycle maintenance" can be carried out to carriages and track. The shut-down starts this Monday, the 12th, and the train will be replaced with a special service for the duration.
As a pilot project running along a largely out-of-sight length of track with limited integration with the rest of the transit system, the O-Train has been derided as the "train to nowhere". Yet when Carleton U is in session -- and that is pretty much year around nowadays -- the ridership is up around 10,000 per day, twice what the estimates projected.
Spacing Saturday
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Veronica Simmonds profiles a fascinating public space art project taking place this month in the Halifax Common. The Common: For as Long as You Have So Far takes its participants on a personal journey through the natural history of the area using a fictional story about one's ancestors and future decedents.
Steve Bedard reports from Halifax on the troubles facing a proposal to build new infrastructure for active transportation on a short stretch of Herring Cove Road. As usual, the opposition is coming from local businesses who view the plan as potentially harmful to their business.
Despite being a wonderfully vibrant and lively area at all times of day, Downtown Montreal is a place lacking in the sense of community amongst its residents found in many other parts of the city. Devin Alfaro reports on the Quartier en mouvement street festival, a coordinated effort to change the change the situation by hosting a block party on a closed off street during select days in July.
Results are now being posted for the Montreal Top Spots Survey which asked Spacing readers about their favourite things in Montreal. This week Spacing published the results for the best of the city and for best of municipal politics.
While the year 2010 hasn't left us with the moon bases we were once promised, at least we are finally starting to make progress on Jetson's style Personal Rapid Transit. Adrian Lightstone continues the Ideas For Toronto series by looking at a PRT pilot project which is about to begin in Stockholm, Sweden and points to how the transit mode could become an efficient and feasible feeder for higher orders of transit. It all begs the question of where this could work in Canadian cities.
As Toronto moves forward from the G20 summit, tempers and emotions are cooling enough so that practical questions can move to the forefront. In his weekly column, John Lorinc creates a list of 1o questions a G20 inquiry should address. With his characteristic pragmatism, Lorinc focuses on issues of how the police policy was established, who was behind it, and what grounds it was established.
July 13th, 2010
The strategist and the policy wonk – at last a contest for both
By Vicky Smallman // 2 Comments
What a difference a few weeks make. It seems we have a mayoral race.
It wasn't much of a surprise when Mayor Larry O'Brien announced his intention to seek re-election. With the passage of Lansdowne Live, he likely concluded he had accomplished enough to run on his record. Sure enough, that was the focus of his re-election announcement (as awkward as it was). O'Brien declared that he wants the election to be about leadership, which he says is about “getting things done”. “We've finally gotten over the constipation of amalgamation”, he said.
It's an odd statement to make for a mayor who leads a fractured council that often split along urban/suburban/rural lines, that has flip-flopped on multiple decisions, that cost taxpayers millions by canceling the former light rail contract, and that unnecessarily prolonged a bus strike. Yet when it came to budget time, the council seemed to be able to get things done in spite of the Mayor. But is it a more functional body than when Larry O'Brien took office? Hardly. And as others have pointed out, O'Brien is quick to claim the credit for projects that were started well before his time or which have been spearheaded by someone else. And as for those voters who have been paying closer attention, he is counting on a certain number of them overlooking the flaws, and focusing instead on the promises he has kept.
July 16th, 2010
Street Names: Wellington, ByWard and By
By Dwight Williams // 3 Comments
In recent weeks, we've witnessed a debate over whether or not one of the central streets of the downtown core should be renamed. As a result of that debate, we've also gotten a civic history lesson or two on the founding of Ottawa.
In truth, the names of Wellington and By should be forever linked in the minds of Ottawans for one reason: the city as we know it today could not exist without either of them.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="194" caption="Source: Wikipedia Commons"][/caption]...
July 20th, 2010
Vacant Lot wanted
By Spacing Ottawa // 5 Comments
"Hyperallergina" is an artist from Montréal who has obtained a small grant to work with a vacant lot in Ottawa to try to give it more visual appeal. The grant came from the Awesome Ottawa Foundation, and though we are not talking about a lot of money – the foundation has as its motto "Forwarding the interest of Awesome in the universe, $1,000 at a time." – we think it is a worthy cause, and look forward to following the progress of Awesome as it disburses its modest but joyful awards through the city. Here is Hyperallergina in her ...
PODCAST: Listen to Spacing’s 5-part series on G20
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
It has been over three weeks since the G20 Summit left Toronto but the actions of protesters and police are still lingering.
Spacing Radio's podcast team was on the streets during the tumultuous weekend recording sounds and reactions to the ongoing events. Our contributors have also sat down politicians, journalists, and human rights advocates to discuss the complex issues of policing and protesting an international summit. You can also read the posts by Spacing Toronto's writers for more ...
July 21st, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: The US edition (plus parking)
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• The hull of ship from the 1700s was found last week at the World Trade Centre site in Manhattan, reports CNN. Archaeologists suspect that the ship was sunk to retain and add precious land area to the island.
• Looking for a recession proof industry? The Globe and Mail reports that parking lots continue to pull in record earnings in Canadian cities. With supply limited by increasing real estate development in our downtown cores, the price of parking has increased 233 per cent in Calgary and 130 per cent in Toronto over the past ten years. While some bemoan the dent this has made in their pocket book, Spacing's Shawn Micallef calls this the "universal price of great urbanism" .
• As New York City cracks down on illegal advertisements, Treehugger reports that some of the city's guerilla gardeners are "turning billboard blight into pop-up planters".
July 22nd, 2010
SUMMER SHORTS PODCAST: Riding “the Clockwork Orange”
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
LISTEN TO TODAY'S SPACING RADIO PODCAST
Sometimes exploring a city means just shutting your eyes and listening. In this soundscape, Spacing producer Mieke Anderson takes you underground into the Glasgow subway system.
Affectionately known as "the Clockwork Orange" because of its orange subway cars and circular route, Glasgow's underground dates back to 1896 making it the third oldest in the world. Recently, the city was considering shutting down parts of the system ...
July 23rd, 2010
Winnipeg: the long slow victory of the Exchange District
By Evan Thornton // 4 Comments
July 24th, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
What does your choice of favourite buildings say about your personality? Continuing to digest the results from the reader survey of the best of Montreal, Spacing contributor Justin Boulanger speculates about the personal traits of the readers of who selected the top three favourite buildings and laments that the Sci-Fi nerds were not organized enough to get Olympic Stadium onto the podium.
In a landmark public space ruling the Quebec Court of Appeal ruled this week that the City of Montreal's anti-postering bylaw is unconstitutional. Christopher DeWolf reports on the story of how the law was challenged and speculates what the city will do to accommodate postering in the future. The post also includes a fantastic gallery of posters from around the city.
As part of the Ideas for Toronto series Adrian Lightstone brings up the issue of using referendums to gauge public support for new revenue tools for transit funding. Citing that referendums having fallen out of style in Canada, Lighstone points out they are frequently used in American cities and other places around the world and have even been used in Toronto.
Mayoral Candidate George Smitherman walked Eglinton Ave all the way across Toronto this week suggesting his interest in urban walkability. Spacing's Todd Harrison caught with him during part of his walk for a discussion about how he would promote walkability as Mayor and put the discussion on Spacing Radio.
On the transit file, the weekly Monday Musings column this week generated discussion on how the proposed service cuts to bus routes around Halifax will affect the city. Additionally, Lauren Oostveen delves into the Halifax archives to look at the city's public transit history.
Spacing Atlantic is launching a photo contest challenging readers to encapsulate their city in a single photograph. Read more about the specific criteria and how to enter.
July 27th, 2010
Street Names: Works of Fiction
By Dwight Williams // 3 Comments
The above photo was taken at a street corner in the far eastern reaches of Orléans; an obscure intersection, but of course its pop-culture reference is anything but. Yes, it's that Mulder & Scully, the duo from The X-Files. The story of how these two nondescript suburban thoroughfares got their televisual nomenclature has been told elsewhere but their existence does raise the question – are there other Ottawa streets named after fictional characters?
Well, the fact is that the practice of naming Ottawa streets for famous fictional characters has been going on, albeit sporadically, since as far back as 1899.
This was borne out in the pages of Ottawa Past and Present by one A.H.D. Ross, published back in 1927. In Volume II of that work, there is a list of the streets and parks running ten pages in total. In those ten pages are at least three examples that predate Mulder and Scully.
July 28th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Maps, Trains, Trikes and Three Million in the A40
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
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• Time's Michael Grunwald took the train ride from Miami to Orlando to consider the Obama administration's $8 billion investment in high speed rail. The US President aims to create 13 national high speed rail corridors to relieve road and air congestion, reduce carbon emissions and highway deaths, create jobs and jump-start the domestic manufacturing industry. The stimulus funding is a great first step but at 1/8 of last year's spending on highways, there is much more work to be done.
• The New York Times reports on the growing trend of cargo-hauling tricycles in New York City. The bespoke "industrial trikes" transform bikes from personal transportation devices to child-carrying, grocery-hauling complete car alternatives. Users even reported a positive change in their interactions with cars and trucks when using the device.
July 29th, 2010
Gender and the City: parity still eludes us
By Vicky Smallman // 6 Comments
Apparently there are a record number of candidates running for municipal council this year. For those looking for some alternatives to the status quo, this is good news. Only one candidate is running unopposed, and several incumbents are retiring – so no matter what, we'll see new faces on council this year. And it's good for our local democracy to have a lot of people show their interest in serving their community.
In the coming months, we'll have a chance to look at the ward races in detail. Folks are still launching campaigns, so the field is shifting. I'm reluctant to step in and start analyzing each race at this point.
But as someone who has a keen interest in seeing more women in elected office, I couldn't resist doing a little calculation. According to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, women make up 13.9 per cent of mayors and 23 per cent of councilors – pretty much on par with other levels of government, and contributing to Canada's dismal international rating for women's participation in politics. FCM wants to raise Canada's average to 30%, and have been running campaign schools and workshops across the country for a few years now. Local councilors Marianne Wilkinson and Jan Harder held a campaign school for women here, which from all reports was well attended.
July 30th, 2010
Headlines: The week in review
By Evan Thornton // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Landfill in Los Angeles: next stop for Ottawa waste technology?"][/caption]
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CITY LIVING
Gen Y trading suburban space for urban convenience (Ottawa Citizen)
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ENVIRONMENT
Moodie Drive Landfill --Plasco lands $110M cash infusion (Ottawa Citizen)
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MUNICIPAL ELECTION
Record number of candidates for Ottawa vote (CBC Ottawa )
Moment Doucet Campaign Caught Fire (Ottawa Citizen)
2010 election will be Ottawa's most accessible (EMC Ottawa )
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PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
Pedestrians, cyclist reported on 416, 417(Ottawa Citizen)
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PUBLIC ART
New Barrhaven transit station will boast public art, on the sheep(Ottawa ...
July 31st, 2010
Spacing Saturday
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
As part of a continuing look at unbuilt projects across Halifax Dustin Valen profiles and examines Thomas Evans recent thesis proposal Meta-Library: A Public Platform for Information Exchange.
Katie McKay profiles the Making Tracks locomotive related art project that took place this week at the Halifax Via Rail station.
Cedric Sam revisits the history of the Plaza Swatow site in Montreal's Quartier Chinois as the building was announced and built between 2007 and 2009. (article in French)
Emile Thomas debates whether or not to renew his membership in Montreal's Bixi bike sharing program and uses the opportunity to reflect on Bixi's merits. (article in French)
Andrew Walsh and Mieke Anderson present another Spacing Radio summer short this week featuring Gentrification: The Game! by artist collective Atmosphere Industries.
If you haven't seen Alden Cudanin's strike Before & After photos of the city yet, this weeks work: A 72 Year Crossing at Yonge and Bloor is definitely a great place to start.
August 3rd, 2010
The Resurgence of the Front Porch
By Erin O’Connell // 3 Comments
Erin O’Connell is an urban planner who has worked in both the private and public sectors. She enjoys thinking about urban design, cycling to work, and wandering around her local hood.
Let’s assume that most people enjoy interacting with their neighbours, and more generally, that people enjoy watching other people. Yes, there are some people who prefer to live without interaction with their immediate community (but perhaps interact with their on-line communities) but, for most people, spontaneous daily interaction is one of the joys of living in a neighbourhood.
The last house we lived in had a front porch. It wasn’t exactly functional; its stairs were oriented towards the side of the dwelling, it served as the entrance for two separate units, and it was the storage area for a several pairs of recycling bins. But once in a while I’d find myself sitting out there on the steps watching the passers-by and waving at the others doing the same on the street. Not a lot of thought was given to this particular part of the house. Last year we moved to a new place, where there are grand renovation plans down the line, but currently no front porch. Well, to clarify, there is a small landing area between the ground and the front door, but not enough room to perch a chair or tables or do anything except enter and exit the house. In the all-too-common "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality, I can’t help but look around to my neighbours to see how they have modified their homes over the years and note the resulting patterns of use.
August 4th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Bridges, Straddling Buses, Superhighways, Navigation
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
• The ten-lane I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota is being called the safest bridge in America. The bridge which replaces a structure that collapsed into the Mississippi River in 2007 killing 13 people, is bright white with stylish curved piers. But as CNN reports, its the 323 high technology sensors within the structure that set the bridge apart. The $1 million devices record corrosion, stress, bridge movement and security data. With such a huge price tag, some wonder whether the money might be spent on older bridges more likely to collapse.
• Those of you spending summer days exploring the city may enjoy this piece in the New York Times about navigating the urban jungle. Gooley and MacDonald offer some creative wayfinding techniques for the urban wilds.
August 5th, 2010
Photowalking the city: Five questions for Justin Van Leeuwen
By Evan Thornton // No Comments
August 6th, 2010
PODCAST: St Mary-le-Bow’s bells in London, England
By Matthew Blackett // 1 Comment
LISTEN TO TODAY'S SUMMER SHORT 017 ON SPACING RADIO
You know when you're exploring a city for the first time and you turn a corner only to stumble upon something completely unexpected?
This is what happened to Spacing producer Mieke Anderson on a recent trip to London, England. Initially, it was only a faint sound barely within earshot. Then suddenly she was face-to-face with the St Mary-le-Bow Church and consumed by the ringing of its famous bells. Wandering the streets of London you'll still hear ...
August 7th, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Photowalking, front porches and books
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Spacing Atlantic editor Emma Feltes revisits her article from Spacing's 18th issue, 'Oh, The Spectacle' on the newly developed Seaport Farmers' Market building in Halifax.
Émile Thomas lists the top five books about urban spaces. Including his own recaps of why they're an important read.
Spacing's publisher, Matthew Blackett, starts a discussion about the usability of subway maps. In Toronto the map is simple, because there are only 69 stations compared to New York's 486. Which is why graphic designer Eddie Jabbour wants to redesign New Yorks map — to make it less intimidating.
John Lorinc compiled a pros and cons list for both the Presto smartcard and open fare payment systems that are being proposed as fare alternatives for the TTC.
August 9th, 2010
San Francisco’s plan to deal with parking
By Matthew Blackett // 1 Comment
SFpark Overview from SFpark on Vimeo.
I know I'm stating the obvious when I say this: parking a vehicle downtown, in Ottawa or any city, can be a challenge if not entirely frustrating. But the parking policies of a city go a long way in determining how a city is experienced at street level. For instance, the city of Prince George, BC has nearly 50% of its entire downtown area covered in parking lots. The downtown of many Canadian cities ...
August 10th, 2010
Storefront banking in retreat: a new kind of desert on the horizon
By Dwight Williams // 4 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="No loitering, no smoking, no banking "][/caption]
On Friday July 23, 2010, a signal change happened at the Fallingbrook Mall in Orléans: the local branch of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce - CIBC - closed its doors for the last time.
Much of the furniture, the last of the files, and most of the signage had been moved out to other branches over the course of the previous few weeks. The final bits of equipment were moved out in rented vans the same evening the branch closed.
CIBC provided several months' warning of this change to any and all willing to pay attention. To be sure, many of their customers at that branch will likely make use of the other branches further away from that mall. Many will also make use of the online services on offer, either supplanting or in addition to visiting those other branches. For these customers, it will be more or less business as usual with a minimum of discomfort or disruption. Some might not even feel any pain at all, and consider the change a "gain".
August 11th, 2010
Days are numbered for the express bus: Candidate Cullen defends hub-and-spoke
By Peter Raaymakers // No Comments
Editor's note: The following is cross-posted from Spacing Ottawa contributor Peter Raaymakers' site, Public Transit in Ottawa. For this fall's municipal vote, Peter is maintaining an Election Hub on public transit on the PTIO site.
Over the course of the 2010 Mayoral Election campaign, Public Transit in Ottawa will be sitting down with as many mayoral candidates as are available, discussing their platforms and thoughts on transit in this city, and what they hope to achieve during their mandate, if elected mayor.
Something which all transit planners are concerned with are transfers: The conventional thinking is that more transfers = less riders, because riders don't want to get off one bus and have to wait for the next one. That speaks to the success of OC Transpo's express routes, where many suburbanites can take one bus from just about their front door to their office.
With Ottawa's current light-rail plan, though, that's going to change. Transferring from bus to train will be a reality. But it's a reality already, and mayoral candidate Alex Cullen thinks we're going to see even more of it as our transit system continues to grow.
August 13th, 2010
Making the grade for bikes: how much separation is enough?
By Evan Thornton // 7 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Hintonburg contraflow: a preview of Centretown East-West cycle lane?"][/caption]
The other day I came across this odd length of one-way street in Hintonburg. It's a short block joining Armstrong to Wellington Street West but it has a "contraflow" lane for bicycles, meaning that while cars on this block drive north, cyclists ride south. The cycle lane features two small cement islands at the top and bottom of the street with a ladder pattern of yellow paint running between them.
While such a feature was new to me, Kathryn Hunt of the Incidental Cyclist blog pointed out that a similar contraflow lane has operated in Old Ottawa South for several years, beginning at the corner of Bank and Cameron and running west toward Carleton U.
August 17th, 2010
Photo of the day: World of Maps
By Spacing Ottawa // 3 Comments
photo by Justin Van Leeuwen
August 18th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Where in the world?
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
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• A report released Monday by the New York City Department of Transportation paints a fascinating picture of pedestrian safety. The study examined over 7000 crashes between 2002 and 2006 resulting in death or serious injury and yields some startling statistics. "Jaywalkers were involved in fewer collisions than their law-abiding counterparts who waited for the “walk” sign, though they were likelier to be killed or seriously hurt by the collision." "80 percent of city accidents that resulted in a pedestrian’s death or serious injury, a male driver was behind the wheel." "[L]eft-hand turns were three times as likely to cause a deadly crash as right-hand turns." "[T]hree-quarters of the crashes occurred [at intersections". As the New York Times reports, the study is providing a quantitative basis for the city to continue its program of re-engineering the street grid.
• Portland, Oregon is the proud owner of new and improved bike wayfinding signs. The green signs feature distances and directions and travel times to popular destinations. Residents can thank a $1 million federal stimulus grant for the improvement, says Bikeportland.org
August 20th, 2010
Mapping Ottawa’s cycling hazards – an interview with Alex deVries
By Evan Thornton // 2 Comments
This past week the City launched a "Cycling Safety Evaluation Project". A major component of the project is an online survey that asks cyclists to identify "the most hazardous intersections they encounter" on the streets of Ottawa. It's a much-needed and long-overdue initiative, so it's no surprise that news of it spread quickly through social media networks; in fact one well-know cyclist-blogger has already completed the survey and posted her reaction to it.
But frustration with the state of Ottawa's often-hazardous cycling infrastructure has already led a local cyclist to launch a similar online exercise. The excellent Ottawa Biking Problems has detailed reports from 80 of the region's most hazardous cycling trouble spots, mapped out from Hull in the north to Manotick in the south, and Blackburn Hamlet in the east to March Road in the west.
Alex deVries is the man behind OBP, and this week he spoke with us about his experiences as an Ottawa cyclist and the cycling community's reaction to his site.
August 23rd, 2010
Photo of the day: Late Train
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
photo by Érinn Cunningham
August 24th, 2010
Sacred space, secular use: downtown churches turn to the arts
By Kate Wetherow // 3 Comments
This summer Chamberfest once again highlighted churches as fantastic downtown arts venues.
Re-imagining or re-purposing “the church” is happening a lot more these days.
The Sunday Event
With fewer parishioners spending Sundays at churches, especially in downtown areas, beautiful old church buildings are being forced to diversify or dissolve.
There is a migration of well-established congregations purchasing cheaper property in the suburbs and following families out of the city, such as the Metropolitan Bible Church formerly on Bank and Gladstone Street (shortly to be a new condo block).
Churches are expensive. They rely on funds from Sunday collections and fundraisers to support their operations. Downtown property taxes and older buildings are a strain and increasingly challenging to maintain.
While some are selling off their parking lots to make ends meet, other parishes are finding new uses for their spaces and attracting new audiences, beyond Sunday’s main event.
August 25th, 2010
The Dog Days of Summer Campaign
By Vicky Smallman // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="O'Brien and Doucet get the message. But what about Cleo?"][/caption]
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.
World Wide Wednesday: Mobile Food, Noisy Hybrids, Fighting for the Empire, Moscow Traffic
By Hilary Best // No Comments
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-hyVzTVDLg[/youtube]
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.
August 26th, 2010
Vintage Ottawa
By Spacing Ottawa // 7 Comments
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 ...
August 27th, 2010
Walking the west: self-guided heritage tour of Hintonburg
By Evan Thornton // 1 Comment
August 30th, 2010
Photo farewell to Super Ex
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
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.
August 31st, 2010
Should “greening” Lansdowne mean paving the Greenbelt?
By Spacing Ottawa // 6 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Top right of image shows the 28 acres of forest to be paved over"][/caption]
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.
September 1st, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Hotspots – Tokyo, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Copenhagen
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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 ...
September 3rd, 2010
Mayor of Ottawa delights American game show audience
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
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."
September 8th, 2010
Run, don’t walk – 28 seconds in Cairo
By Evan Thornton // No Comments
Thanks to our friends at the Regina Urban Ecology blog for spotting this one. Language warning for the commentary.
World Wide Wednesday: Say no to free parking, hawks and baggy pants
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Streetsblog NYC features a response from Donald Shoup (UCLA professor and author of The High Cost of Free Parking) to Randal O'Toole (Senior Fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute) about his misconceptions of the role of government intervention in parking. Shoup makes a number of interesting points - notably that mandatory parking minimums often force developers to provide more parking spaces than they would voluntarily provide in a free market setting. "Off-street parking requirements," he writes, "thus change the way we build our cities, the way we travel, and how much energy we consume."
• The New York Times offers up an overview of the envelope-pushing changes to Broadway Ave and a window into its past. Incremental changes to the famous street have increased public space, improved cycling and pedestrian safety and decreased travel times. The changes have overcome some of the challenges intrinsic to the diagonal formation of the street, a relic of an 1815 agreement to bend Broadway in order to save midtown orchards.
Doucet’s transit plan: mind the gaps
By Eric Darwin // 7 Comments
Editor's note: This week mayoral candidate Clive Doucet renewed the debate around the future of Ottawa transit by announcing a plan that would use Carling Avenue as the western leg of a surface LRT system.
The following is a cross-posting from West Side Action in which transit activist Eric Darwin responds to the plan; Eric notes that if and when other candidates reveal their visions for transit, he looks forward to examining them in similar detail.
I’ve skimmed over the Clive Doucet for Mayor position paper entitled “On the right track”. While I enjoyed reading Doucet’s transportation platform, I don’t think it is the right track at all.
Plank 1. LRT in Four Years: the paper starts with a great headline. It seems to promise we’ll we riding LRT trains within his first term. This is great marketing, making hay on the current plan’s long time horizon (riding DOTT in 2019). Except … the 2019 date is very conservative, filled with slop room in the planning and construction process. I think the current DOTT plan could be up in running by July 1 of our sesquicentennial in 2017, all the way from Lincoln Fields to Blair, which isn’t much beyond the four-year date alluded to by Doucet Four years from Nov. 2010 would be 2014-15. I say 2015 because Doucet cannot by himself get his plan going on day one, should he be elected. So we could have the current plan by 2017, vs. his much more modest plan for 2014. Which system will last a century or more?
September 9th, 2010
The day they blew the south side up
By Evan Thornton // 1 Comment
Spacing Ottawa was launched a year after this demolition took place, so we couldn't link to this video when it was first uploaded -- but we were reminded of it by Citizen writer Ken Gray's recent link to Doucet's video effort, looking back at what the Lansdowne used to be like for generations of Ottawans.
Clive Doucet knows how to make a good video; this one has a personal and nostalgic tone before honing in on a serious message.
The video above though? It's just blowing ...
September 11th, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Hurricane Earl, Bridging Bixi and Transit Plans
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
As Hurricane Earl lashed the East Coast last week, Earth Sciences Professor and Spacing photo contributer Lawrence Plug documented life in Halifax as the storm passed over the city.
Veronica Simmonds reports on the Commons Dance Party, an event intended to celebrate the commons as a free public space at the end of summer.
Alanah Heffez tells the story her neighbourhood's push to get the Bixi bike sharing program introduced to its of the part of the city and the ensuing bureaucratic tangle.
Devin Alfaro reports on the Montreal Urban Ecology Centre's upcoming Car-Free Neighbourhoods Week which aims to expose Montrealers to some of the car-free urban design experiments being tested in Europe.
Ryan Bolton and Spacing Votes follow the increasing post labour day pace of the municipal election, covering both the new feel of the election in the Fall and the release of front-runner Rob Ford's transit plan.
Shawn Micallef continues his Toronto Flaneur series at the Toronto Zoo and explores its history, sense of place and role within the city.
September 13th, 2010
Ottawa’s Alphabet Village
By Dwight Williams // 5 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Created with Google Earth"][/caption]
This started out as another one of the “Street Names” stories.
Once my digging began, though, it turned into a story about a neighbourhood that most people in Ottawa can't place. Its history is little-known.
Where do you find this district? Well, just to the east of the train station, branching off of Tremblay Road, are two sets of side-streets. Uniquely for Ottawa, they are alphabetized.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="363" caption="Source: Author's files - used with permission"][/caption]
There is Avenue K and Avenue L, then the interruption of Belfast Road, followed by Avenues N through U.
The omissions will be explained as we go along.
This kind of nomenclature is not unique among Canadian cities. Saskatoon has had such street names since the 1880s. Ottawa’s “alphabet village” came along some two decades later, or so we’re told by the maps we have from those days.
September 14th, 2010
How to influence the Ottawa election
By Ian Capstick // 2 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption=""Two for the mayor's debate, please" ( fortunately, plans to charge $10 for last night's mayor's debate were dropped )"][/caption]
If the performances at the opening mayoral debate are any indication, Ottawa voters may be left scratching their heads in confusion this election season. The two so-called front runners used the opportunity to cajole and verbally headlock each other, while the other candidates sputtered and grasped at the remaining time.
Media reports on the debate focused on the few moments of true debate between Jim Watson and incumbent Larry O’Brien, with brief mentions of how the oldest candidate in the race stormed out of the very hall that is named after him.
Andrew Haydon, about twenty years from his first retirement from politics and well past his political prime, guaranteed himself media coverage with a last-minute entry into the race. Then he earned only a little more through a dramatic storm-out after failing to attract significant interest from the audience and then refusing to continue debating (but not before returning to the mic to denounce the debate).
September 15th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Slow down
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Grist celebrates artists in Santa Rosa, CA, this week. Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector made use of the city's 1% for art law, which requires corporations doing major construction to fund public art projects, to build "Cyclisk" - a six storey sculpture made out of 340 bicycles and weighing in at 10,000 pounds.
• The Active Transportation Alliance reports on a new traffic calming device in West Vancouver, BC. A realistic stenciled image of a child chasing a ball has garnered controversy as a potential distraction.
September 16th, 2010
Urban Forum fall series announced
By Evan Thornton // No Comments
This was just sent to us by the organizers of the excellent Urban Forum series:
Trees and Suburban Houses:
Roots and Foundations – the underground conflict
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010 | 7pm
Champlain Room, Ottawa City Hall
with James Urban, FASLA
As we struggle to preserve Ottawa’s urban forest a new challenge has arisen to the planting of trees in developing areas of the city. Has marine clay soil left behind by Lake Champlain created a conflict between the stability of house foundations and the trees that grace our streets?
James Urban is a Landscape Architect who has worked for ...
September 17th, 2010
Photo of the day
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Ottawa Rowing Club"][/caption]
photo by Anthony Easton
September 18th, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Joe Beef, Election Influence and Alphabet Soup
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
In an open letter to mayoral candidate George Smitherman, Shawn Micallef implores the candidate to change the character of the campaign by switching from being a Tie Domi to a Wendel Clark.
Congratulations to the Spacing Editors! This week Spacing was awarded the 2010 Jane Jacobs Prize.
Alanah Heffez takes a look back into the history of Montreal through the historical character of Joe Beef and his raucous canteen in the 19th century port district. The story is a fascinating and honest look into lower class in Canadian cities at the time.
The borough of Plateau-Mont Royal announced this week that it will follow on its bylaw to ban bill boards becoming the first part of Montreal to do so. Alanah Heffez explores the history of such movements to speculate on whether the law will be upheld.
Emma Feltes is on the road in Western Canada and takes some time to celebrate Canadian cycling infrastructure victories there.
September 20th, 2010
Would big government be better for Ottawa?
By Evan Thornton // 6 Comments
Editor's note: Spacing Ottawa reader Adam Bentley send this to us in the form of a letter to the editor. Discussion around reducing the size of city council is an election topic not just in Ottawa but in other Ontario cities as well, but the idea of radically expanding the size of our City's governing body isn't one we had come across before. Here's how Adam says it could be done:
September 22nd, 2010
The best of the West: cycling infrastructure
By Emma Feltes // No Comments
Editor's note: this post originally appeared in Spacing Atlantic. The author makes several comparisons to cycling infrastructure in Halifax, but her observations will be familiar to Ottawa cyclists as well.
WESTERN CANADA - Most references to superior cycling infrastructure tend to default to the Netherlands, Portland, and — largely thanks to Gil and Enrique Penalosa — occasionally Colombia. While international models like these provide enough cyclist envy to fuel tense debates in a lagging city like Halifax, I have sometimes wondered why — outside of Montreal's Bixi program — comparatively little celebration is made of Canadian cities' own cycling victories... however small they might seem.
In the last three months I've been traveling Western Canada, my limitations as a non-driver have fluctuated between debilitating and a non-issue. Surprisingly, however, this fluctuation does not always correspond to city size. In even the most unexpected places, I've discovered bike-friendly features (albeit sometimes minute) that we'd benefit from across the country. Here's a smattering of simple solutions we might learn from the West.
World Wide Wednesday: Traffic Jams, New York, Maps and Speed Humps
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• From the innovative efforts of PlaNYC to the remarkable pedestrianization of Times Square, urbanites from around the world marvel at the New York's ability to plan and execute ambitious and exciting projects. How do they do it? Katharine Jose at Capital New York attributes much recent success to Jan Gehl. This article profiles his approach and recent work. "A good city is like a good party, you stay for longer than you plan.”
• Crain's New York reports on the latest must-have for New York apartment seekers: bike storage. With the number of commuter cyclists increasing 79% over the past three years, landlords find themselves charging fees for the space to keep up with demand.
September 24th, 2010
The Wellington Marbles
By Spacing Ottawa // 7 Comments
Spacing Ottawa photo contributor Justin Van Leeuwen was on hand this week as the City installed 18 sculptures along Wellington Street West, from Garland in the east to Island Park in the west. The sculptures –- each a playful re-imagining of a fire hydrant –- are the work of artists Marcus Kucey-Jones and Ryan Lotecki, and tomorrow (September 25th) the pair will be leading a walking tour of the installation route, mustering at 1.00 in the lobby of GCTC, 1233 Wellington Street West. To register send an email to publicartprogram@ottawa.ca or call 613 244-4261.
The funding for the ...
September 25th, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Big Government, Urban Farming and the $100 Million Question
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
In a new weekly Farm Friday feature, Lizzy Hill profiles the Small Plot Intensive Farming techniques of the innovative Lake City Farm project which grows greens on the lands of people who sign up.
Spacing's Emma Feltes asks the $100 million question about whether or not the proposed the convention center is the right move for downtown Halifax.
Alanah Heffez continues her fascinating look into the colourful historic character Joe Beef and his 19th century tavern; this week focusing on the role Beef played in the community.
Through a bit of Urban Exploring Alanah Heffez discovers a seemingly secret staircase leading up towards the mountain in Outremount.
As Rob Ford continues to pull ahead in the polls, Spacing Votes this week offered two competing visions of what the progressive side should do. On one hand John Lorinc argues that Pantalone would be best to fall on his sword and bow out of the race. On the other, former Miller campaign communications director Andrea Addario argues that Pantalone is the only viable alternative as Smitherman has already boxed himself out.
Spacing's Dylan Reid sparked infrastructure debate this week with two posts. The first dealing with how commuters actually get downtown, a response to Rossi's underground highway proposal. The second deals with a interesting new initiative on University Ave to raise pedestrian crosswalks, avoiding puddling in the winter.
September 27th, 2010
Photo of the day
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Canadian Museum of Civilization"][/caption]
Photo by Sookie
September 28th, 2010
Looking for the ideas behind the sniping
By Vicky Smallman // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Meanwhile, has Larry O'Brien stumbled onto a key demographic?"][/caption]
Someone asked me today when I was going to stop being so polite during my weekly municipal pundit gig on CBC's Ottawa Morning. I guess I have been pretty reserved in my election commentary so far. Although I believe I did refer to one campaign tactic as “lame” last week (that would be this, which sparked this equally odd response from O'Brien).
I don't know. I guess it's just hard to find the ideas behind all the sniping. And it's gotta be rough for Doucet, Haydon and other Mayoral candidates to get their words in edgewise if the coverage focuses on bizarre barbs traded by the front-runners. It was all feeling so... underwhelming.
September 29th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Union Square, Poop Power, Density and Urban Magnetism
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Streetsblog questions the conventional planning wisdom that successful transit depends on density. Using the counterintuitive example of the comparatively dense Las Vegas with Vancouver, Jarrett Walker discusses the importance of how we measure density and the role for transit-supportive ...
October 1st, 2010
Non-profit Beaver Barracks a model for sustainable housing
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
The Beaver Barracks project at Catherine and Metcalfe is nearing completion and its developer, the non-profit Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation, is starting to spread the word about the features the newly developed site is offering the community. Sylvie Trottier is the "Green Animator" in their communications department and she has been guest blogging on various Ottawa urbanist sites talking about the project.
We asked her to submit something to Spacing Ottawa concentrating on the sustainability features of the new Beaver Barracks. She sent us the following:
Taxes, transportation, poverty, the environment – with the municipal election looming, discussions over what kinds of ...
October 2nd, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Beaver Barracks, Electoral Reform and Hybrid Taxi
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Lauren Oostveen dives into the vaults of the Nova Scotia Archives to find some fantastic images of Nova Scotia in the early 1960s.
Matt Neville continues the fanstastic [Re]presenting Halifax series which aims to explore the city through visual exploration. This time the focus on built form and open space.
The Joe Beef series concluded this week with the story of Beef's death, populist funeral and contested legacy.
Hilary Best reports on the growing on the growing movement for municipal election reform with some fascinating ideas tried elsewhere in the world that could improve dismally low voter turnout rates and overly high incumbency success rates.
In 2007 Toronto began an plan to convert all of its taxis to hybrid technology by 2015; to date it the city only has 40 hybrid taxis. Adrian Lightstone reports on the progress and impediments of greening a taxi fleet.
October 4th, 2010
Photo of the Day – Chinatown arch
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
photo by Justin Van Leeuwen
October 5th, 2010
Tonight: Liveblogging “Debate 2.0″
By Spacing Ottawa // 3 Comments
Debate 2.0: Envisioning Ottawa’s Future
Tonight at 9.00 P.M. is the mayoral debate we've been waiting for here at Spacing Ottawa.
Leveraging the interactivity of social media and focusing on youth and the arts, it will be hosted by the versatile bloggers from Apartment 613. Here's a snippet from their description of the event:
Apartment613 and the Institute On Governance are doing their small part to put the municipality to the forefront by organizing a mayoral candidates’ debate, set to take place on Tuesday, October 5th at 8 p.m at the National Arts ...
October 6th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: No Ridiculous Car Trips
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• In Malmo, Sweden, a witty cycling campaign is getting real results. Now four-years old, "No Ridiculous Car Trips" capitalized on the unfortunate reality that 50% of all trips under 5 km in the city were taken by car. Recognizing this ridiculous waste (and enormous potential), a group of dedicated citizens combined installation art, story telling and incentives to get people to re-consider their modal choices. Copenhagenize has a delightful short film profiling the campaign.
• In London, England, the choice to take transit is now back on the table as Underground employees are return to work following a 24-hour strike. According to the BBC, the strike was prompted by job cuts and several more disruptions are planned for November if the dispute remains unresolved.
October 7th, 2010
“Young men in spandex”: cycling stereotype dies hard
By Kathryn Hunt // 2 Comments
Editor's note: The following piece originally appeared in the author's own blog,"The Incidental Cyclist"
Somehow, even though I know it's been a growing focus for the local media, I'm still pleasantly surprised when I hear a story on cycling pop up on the radio or in the paper. Hey, I think, they're talking about me! Which is what I thought when I heard Kathleen Petty talking to an urban planning expert from Copenhagen this week on CBC's Ottawa Morning about bike facilities in the city.
Not that either of them said much that I didn't already know. "Your bike paths are beautiful," said the woman from Copenhagen, "but crossing the Portage Bridge was the scariest thing I've done in my life." There was the usual conversation about how healthy biking is - every dollar spent on cycling infrastructure gains back something like $1.80 in saved health care expenses, or so they claim - and how good for the city, with businesses along bike routes gaining something like 10% profits (tell that to the Somerset Street BIA, who put the kibosh on the proposed test route that would have run east/west along Somerset.)
October 9th, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Community Boards, Sharrows and Spandex
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Vicky Simmonds reports on citizens taking bike infrastructure into their own hands by painting their own sharrows on the streets of Halifax, following the guidelines of the Urban Repair Squad movement.
Emma Feltes profiles the 'City Mail' project in Halifax, a creative new initiative that aims to challenge the way participants think about landmarks and the flows of people through the community.
From the archives, Alanah Heffez showcases an incredible 1897 bicycle map of Montreal. Covering the entire island and surrounding region, the map is a fascinating look not only into cycling in the 19th century but also how 20th century planning altered the city.
Alanah Heffez profiles a fascinating alleyway art installation featuring turn of the century photographs displayed in the places from which they were taken. The somewhat neglected alleyway setting provides for a unique link to the past as it has avoided renovations that have altered the street front.
Two posts touched on the need for new approach to planning in the city this week. Dale Duncan talks about the need for voters to ask candidates how they will engage citizens in the planning process. John Lorinc talks about a recent proposal by Paul Bedford to implement New York style community boards.
Nadia Halim recounts the adventure of a recent Thursday night psychogeographic walk in Toronto. The tale comes complete with quick sand, celeb sightings, and of course: lesbian Wiccan poetry readings.
October 12th, 2010
Transit culture at last! O-Train inspires monster dog
By Evan Thornton // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Foot-long chili dog "][/caption]
The Hintonburger on Wellington Street West has a penchant for using otherwise under-appreciated local references in its marketing. There is the way its sandwiches are named after obscure local streets (try the Armstrong Burger!), its practice of publicizing the much-reviled #2 bus as the best way to find the joint, and then of course the name of the restaurant itself. Why didn't anyone think of that before?
But they may have topped themselves with their latest menu innovation, launched this last weekend. It's a grilled chili dog of ...
October 13th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Las Vegas seeks new motto
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• FOLLOW UP: For those looking for a little more on the Shweeb, CNN offers up a more extensive report on Google's $1 million investment in the new transportation technology. As to why the web giant is investing ...
October 14th, 2010
Misty eyes, phone bots, modest promises – it’s character time in the mayor’s race
By Vicky Smallman // 5 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Calling frenzy - phone bots, circa 1914"][/caption]
Today -- October 14 -- is the last advance poll before election. The pace is hopping! Debates, fundraisers, doorknocking, phone calls, coffee parties, community events – campaigns are working hard to generate momentum, solidify support and shift the undecided. They'll be encouraging volunteers and firm supporters to vote early, then starting to gear up for election day.
As I write this, half of my twitter feed seems to have received an automated survey call from Larry O'Brien. Last night I got a similar call – not a survey but a plug for his latest campaign video.
Ah, the campaign video. No one actually seems to be spending the cash to put them on TV these days, but you can get a lot of mileage by spreading links to video on social media. Or, in Larry's case, by getting lots of coverage in traditional media for blasting your opponent with an attack ad.
October 15th, 2010
Guerrilla takeover planned for today
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
.
Anytime after 3.00 this afternoon, the War Memorial, Parliament Hill and the Byword Market are the locations likely to be infiltrated by a band of urban warriors dedicated to animating public space with their preferred weapons of choice - the human voice.
Yes it is the "guerrilla poetry" program of the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word - a rotating national event that has come to Ottawa for only the second time.
As public art goes, guerrilla poetry -- where impromptu spoken word events quickly take over a street-corner or a well-known gathering spot -- has to to be one of the simplest (if ephemeral) ways to animate public space. It does take a certain kind of courage though, and we were keen to talk with a practitioner to find out just what goes into the making of guerrilla poet. We spoke with with Danielle Gregoire, whose work can be seen in the video on top this post.
October 16th, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Election Clutter, Transit Culture and a lack of Politicians
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Devin Alfro highlights the pluses and minuses of the newly restored Marché Saint-Jacques. While definitely positive that building has been restored from municipal offices back to its original function, there are questions of how the new market fits into the existing neighbourhood.
Émile Thomas gives an excellent profile of the Verdun neighbourhood; a bridge between many aspects of the city and a home to the most enlightened hipsters.
John Lorinc delves into the long and tumultuous history between George Smitherman and David Miller and speculates on how this affected Miller's Pantalone endorsement and what would have happened had someone with a similar resume run in place of Smitherman.
As opposed to many of its suburbs which are littered with campaign signs, Toronto has very tight rules regulating when and where candidates can put up signs. Sean Marshall looks at Toronto's regulations and at the merits of the practice in general.
Joshua Biggley reports on the troubling electoral climate in Charlottetown, where only seven of the ten wards even have challengers running and speculates on the troubles democratic stagnation could cause the city.
Veronica Simmonds profiles Halifax Housing week which aims to celebrate successes and highlight needs of homelessness in Halifax.
October 18th, 2010
Photo of the day: Ninety-Five
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Photo by Justin Van Leeuwen
October 20th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Meters, TOD, Cranes and Floating Orbs of Light
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Slate offers a history of a ubiquitous piece of street furniture: the parking meter. The article traces the meter back to its roots in Oklahoma City and questions the move towards privatization of city parking. Privatization deals, such as the one recently undertaken in Chicago, argues planner Aaron Renn, assign a "property right interest in the biggest component of public space in the city to a private monopoly that doesn't have the public's best interests at heart."
• Does transit oriented development require a certification system? Bloggers at Liveable Bay and Straight Outta Suburbia think so, according to Streetsblog NYC. The term, which has been influential in defining and supporting the development of walkable, cyclable, accessible urban environments risks dilution without measurable standards. But what exactly does transit oriented development mean?
October 21st, 2010
“Notify of follow-up comments” now available by email
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
October 22nd, 2010
Street Names: Macdonald and Cartier
By Dwight Williams // No Comments
We started this series covering Wellington and By. Among the other figures of historic influence over the history of Ottawa are, of course, the Prime Ministers of Canada and several of their more influential allies.
Sandwiched between Elgin Street and the Rideau Canal for over 125 years are salutes to the first of the post-Confederation PMs, Sir John A Macdonald himself, and his chief ally from the francophone side of the aisle, George-Étienne Cartier. Built at some point around 1877 or 1878, with Cartier Street as an offshoot of Cartier Square -- ...
October 23rd, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Silo No. 5, Baldwin Street and Walkshops
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Alanah Heffez takes readers along for a tour of Silo Number 5, the enormous abandoned grain elevator along the waterfront in the Port of Montreal. The site has been bought from the Port Authority of Montreal by the Canada Lands Company. While the CLC has big plans for the incredible site, it also faces many challenges.
Émele Thomas takes a look at Montréal's movement to re-embrace the St Lawrence River by examining the essential role the river plays to Quebec and analyzing the current as well as future situation of the waterfront in Montréal itself.
Spacing is co-hosting a walking tour and workshop at the 4 Days Better City Lab event in Halifax, and invites readers to take a closer look at the event and some of the amazing things that have happened so far.
Careful to avoid giving any direct endorsement, Spacing Editor Matthew Blackett makes an appeal to voters on the eve of the election to fully consider the power that the Mayor has and what someone could do with those powers.
As part of the ongoing Street Stories series, Eric Mutrie takes a look at Baldwin Street, a place that's hard to find but easy to love, and examines both the history of the street and what makes it so successful today.
October 25th, 2010
That vision thing
By Vicky Smallman // 3 Comments
Editor's note: Today is municipal election day across Ontario. In Ottawa, you can enter your address in this polling station finder to find out where you vote; the polls are open from 10 a.m until 8 p.m. You'll need to bring a piece of ID with you that has your street address on it; the list of acceptable ID types is here.
From 8.00 until 9.00 this morning, Spacing Ottawa columnist Vicky Smallman will be teaming with Walter Robinson and host Alistair Steele to provide election day commentary on CBC Radio, 91.5 on your FM dial. Vicky and Walter will also be appearing on CBC TV from 9 to 10 in the evening, hosted by Lucy Van Oldenbarneveld.
It's all over but the voting.
It's all over but the voting.
As I write this piece, I'm watching a documentary on the urban planning success that is Portland. Now there is a city with some vision - about the links between urban planning, sustainable growth, quality of life, and smart transportation. I think we need to give our councillors, our city staff, our mayor – whoever they are – permission to bring a little Portland thinking to Ottawa. They don't do it because they think we won't buy it. I've heard it time and time again when raising ideas:
Hub and spoke? “People don't like to transfer”.
Crosswalks with pedestrian signals? “People won't stop”.
Segregated bike lanes? “Business won't go for it”.
And so on.
Meanwhile, we get mediocre development, a haphazard transit plan, a disregarded official plan, aging infrastructure, inadequate parks and recreation, overstretched social services, a divided council and an overworked city staff.
Election liveblog with Ian Capstick and Apartment 613
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Check this space after 8 P.M to see live results from the Rogers 22 Election night blogging team, made up of writers from Apartment 613 and Ian Capstick's Media Style.
Rogers22 Election Night Blog :: Powered by Producers and Writers from Apt 613 & MediaStyle
October 27th, 2010
Rebranding Ottawa
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Amsterdam Logo from CitID collection"][/caption]
World Wide Wednesday: Bike Sharing, Libraries, Posters and City ag
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• While functional bike sharing systems are in the works for many cities, project execution can sometimes be a challenge. The New American City profiles Social Bicycle System (SoBi), a project founded by former NYC Department of Transportation bicycle planner, Ryan Rzepecki. SoBi uses secure lockboxes that can be added to any bicycle (and secured to any standard lock), along with enabling software which uses GPS and mobile phones. The system, being piloted in New York this fall, promises to reduce the cost of implementing a bike sharing system and creating opportunities for grassroots bike sharing systems to develop.
• Having fun isn't hard when you've got a library card. And in St. Paul, Minnesota, you don't even need the card, according to the Wall Street Journal. In a time when library budgets are often the first to be slashed, unmanned robo-libraries are popping up in all sorts of unusual locations (strip malls, parking lots, city hall). For folks looking for out of the way books in New York City, the New York Times recommends the Terence Cardinal Cooke-Cathedral branch of the public library system located just outside the turnstile entrance to the No. 6 train on the northwest corner of Lexington Avenue and 50th Street.
October 28th, 2010
The abuse and neglect of Somerset House
By Dwight Williams // 6 Comments
[flickr mikeygottawa 72157625047890029]
Editor's note: The above photoset is by Mike Gerike, who tells the story of how it came together here.
Somerset House goes back a long way.
Somerset House goes back a long way.
Located at the southeast corner of Bank and Somerset, this three-story heritage landmark dates back over a century, to 1897. Sir Wilfrid Laurier was beginning his first term as Prime Minister and Ottawa's mayors were still elected on an annual basis. With that miniature turret marking the northwest corner of the roof facing the intersection, you can't mistake it for anything else in the neighbourhood. In 1935, the place was renamed _- briefly, as far as we can tell -- the Ritz Hotel.
My personal relationship to the building was fleeting, though friendly: on two or three occasions, either co-workers at one of my day jobs of the moment or friendly acquaintances would invite me to join them for one social gathering or another at the ground-floor tavern, the Lockmaster. The food, standard pub grub as it was, was okay and competition at the pool tables provided its own entertainment as well. From the early 90s its cellar bar was known as the Duke of Somerset pub, and it was the home of boisterous and well-remembered "Celtic Sunday" music sessions. After the 1998 World Cup "The Duke" became the unofficial headquarters of the UK expat community who gathered to watch satellite broadcasts of English soccer matches; for a big qualifying match it was standing room only. Billy Bragg famously watched England vs. Macedonia there in 2002 and worked the experience into a song intro at Barrymore's that same night.
October 30th, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Election Schadenfreude, Inspiring Logos and Smelly Photos
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
They say that smell is the strongest sense tied to memory. Montreal artist Alexandre Cv has taken this up and launched the Smells in the City Photo contest challenging participants to capture the city through smells that help define it.
Alanah Heffez uses Toronto's recent electoral misgivings as an opportunity to look back at Montreal's civic administration one year into its term. Through the benefit of hindsight it is obvious that many post-election predictions didn't fully come true.
Spacing co-hosted a walking a tour of Downtown Halifax's 'blank spots' this past weekend and featured two corresponding posts. Emma Feltes recaps the walk and invites readers to join the ideas hub. Matt Nevile continues the [Re]presenting Halifax series with some incredible conceptual maps of Halifax's vacant space.
Joshua Biggley weighs in on the electoral plebiscite facing Charlottetown voters which will determine whether or not the city keeps its ward-based representative system.
Just in case you hadn't heard, Toronto elected a new mayor this week. John Lorinc posted two excellent election week pieces recapping the campaign and questioning that Monday's results really represent a revolution.
Spacing's Dylan Reid returned from a trip to Chicago and reports on the city's unique above ground parking adaptations, a result of its swampy foundations.
November 1st, 2010
Photo of the day: slush-free on Slater
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="592" caption="Bus stops on Slater and Albert rebuilt with sidewalk drains, just in time for slush season"][/caption]
-photo by Dwight Williams
November 2nd, 2010
Ignorance about U-Pass is stoking the controversy
By Peter Raaymakers // 9 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="For transit too? Protesting University of Ottawa students demand lower fees"][/caption]
Editor's note: The following is cross-posted from Spacing Ottawa contributor Peter Raaymakers' site, Public Transit in Ottawa.
It's pretty amazing to think that the City of Ottawa's U-Pass pilot project has become such a hugely divisive issue. The project, for those who use public transit regularly, means a 50 per cent savings for those with a regular student pass (based on an eight-month school year). And since it qualifies for up to and including rural express fares, it means a nearly 60 per cent savings for 'express' students, and a massive nearly 70 per cent discount for 'rural express' students.
The problem, though, arises when considering those students who don't use transit. And maintain that they won't, whether or not they're given a pass. Without an opt-out clause, it means a $290 tuition increase for those students who don't use transit that comes without direct benefit.
November 3rd, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Markets, USBs, airbags for cyclists, water infrastructure
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Last week, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania celebrated the re-opening of Market Square - a pedestrianized market place which will play host to vendors and seating areas in the summer. As Project for Public Spaces reports, it is hoped that Market Square will spur downtown revitalization.
• Open source data reaches new heights with Dead Drop - an anonymous, offline, peer-to-peer file sharing network which uses built infrastructure as the medium for file sharing. Curbs, buildings and walls are injected with USB drives for any curious laptop user to plug into.
• Trust the Swedes to find a way to make cycling safe and stylish. The Incidental Cyclist presents the Hövding - an airbag helmet for cyclist. This USB charged airbag deploys on impact, surrounding the victim's head. Check out the crash test dummy video to see for yourself
Integrated bus trip planners: two solitudes edging closer
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
This just in from the City of Ottawa:
Ottawa – Interprovincial transit travellers can now find their way with just a couple of clicks on their computer or mobile device. OC Transpo and Gatineau’s public transit authority, the Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO), have merged their transit planning databases.
The amalgamation of the OC Transpo Travel Planner with the brand new STO Plani-Bus database will help riders find the route that best meets their needs, saving them time and hassle. The joint, online planner ...
November 4th, 2010
“What you build relates to people” – Arthur Erickson’s addition to the Bank of Canada
By Evan Thornton // 5 Comments
The architect Arthur Erickson died in 2009. Two years before his death, he gave an interview - excerpted in the video above - where he spoke frankly about how he won the commission to design his famous addition to the Bank of Canada building on Wellington Street. Rather than put forward ideas of his own, he told the Governor of the Bank what he didn't like about the plans that had already been drawn up; his criticism was trenchant enough that the Bank asked him ...
November 6th, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Blaming Pedestrians, Arthur Erickson and Happy City
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Alanah Heffez reports on the disturbing new public ad campaign in the Montreal Metro which highlights the dangers pedestrian face in Quebec. While trying to promote safety the ads end up blaming the victim and encouraging the notion that walking is dangerous.
Emile Thomas looks back at the troubled mood in Montreal during the 1995 referendum and speculates on the role that increasing urban and city based identity has had on reducing the importance of the sovereignty question.
Steve Bedard reports from Halifax on the crosstown connector bike route initiative which has gained approval to move on to the stage of public consultation
Andrew Harvey reports on the latest initiative of the Happy City organization in St John's, a unique event in which participants were invited to say whatever they thought was important to the city.
In a post that generated almost a hundred and twenty comments, Spacing attempted to make sense of election results through transit riding, non-driver Rick McGinnis who explains why he chose for Rob Ford.
Eric Mutrie continues the Street Stories with a look at Jameson Ave that profiles the history of a street that has been called a landing strip for immigrants into the city.
November 8th, 2010
Bronson road diet – the video
By Evan Thornton // 2 Comments
The struggle to put Bronson Avenue on a road diet instead of rebuilding it with wider car lanes is ramping up, with a community meeting scheduled for this upcoming Wednesday at the McNabb Centre on Percy at 7.00 PM.
You can plug in to the fight for pedestrian-friendly Bronson at rescuebronson.ca or follow their twitter feed at @rescuebronson; meanwhile for a succinct overview of what is at stake this post from the Dalhousie Community Association is great place to start.
Also, over the weekend the ...
Centretown’s great divide – the reprise
By Evan Thornton // 4 Comments
We ran this video back in June not long after we learned of the City's plans to widen the already dangerous Bronson Avenue ever further. What do we mean by dangerous? The video is an unedited minute of rush hour, shot from the perspective of a pedestrian waiting to cross Bronson at Somerset. Except that, other than the masochist shooting the video, there are no pedestrians; foot traffic knows to avoid Bronson if at all possible.
We think ...
November 9th, 2010
Rush Hour
By Kathryn Hunt // 1 Comment
Editor's note: This post originally appeared on Spacing Ottawa contributor Kathryn Hunt's blog, The Incidental Cyclist
I encountered a bit of a traffic jam on the way to work this morning. I thought they'd all have been gone by now: by the time I need to buy a toque for under the helmet and break out the gloves, I sort of expect the migratory birds to have left. But, apparently, no.
These folks are just one of the road hazards of November. There's their poop - it's gross - and the fact that a bird this size feels no need to flee before an oncoming bike. They just gaze at you sideways, like they're daring you to violate their personal space. But there are other hazards on the roads this time of year. . . for one thing, I also notice more roadkill in the late fall. I'm not sure why: maybe animals like squirrels are slower at this time of year. And it's mostly squirrels. (There are more disgusting things to accidentally roll over with your tires than one of those sad flattened patches of fur in the bike lane, but not many.) But it's also birds - seagulls, mostly, although there are pigeons too.
November 10th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Building British, Sidewalk Slowpokes and Parking Fortunes
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Jonathan Glancey at the Guardian offers an interesting view into the role of architecture in contemporary British life. "Spending on architecture and building (not always the same thing) has fallen in real terms over the past 200 years. Where once buildings were the greatest, proudest and most expensive objects money could buy, today we spend on much else besides. ... For the most part today, we aim to build as cheaply as possible."
• Irritated by sidewalk slowpokes? So is the New West End Company, a group of 600 business owners in the district around Oxford Street in London and they're taking action. As the Wall Street Journal reports, the group plans to separate sidewalk traffic into speed lanes - directing slow movers to walk in a "shopper lane" along store fronts, so that hurried residents and workers can proceed without opposition on the sidewalk's edges.
November 12th, 2010
Tower demolition done right
By Evan Thornton // 1 Comment
The internet was abuzz this week with the video from Ohio of a 275' smokestack demolished with dynamite; it fell the wrong way, scaring a family that had gathered to watch the explosion from a vantage point in what they thought was the safe area.
It put me in mind of the great Fred Dibnah, the English steeplejack that brought down 90 disused mill smokestacks in his career. In densely populated areas he would demolish the giant chimneys one brick at time, climbing up in the morning ...
November 13th, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Green Frosting, Road Widening and Peep Shows
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Jacob Larson analyzes the Quebec government's second attempt at a proposal to rebuild the Turcot Interchange. Larson attempts to cut through the 'green frosting' to comment on the facts of what could be built.
Alanah Heffez takes a look at what is probably the oldest house in the historic neighbourhood of Griffintown. Turns out, the house is so old that reveals the mysterious existence of another neighbourhood which once existed at the site.
Emma Feltes reports on the exciting plans for the Halifax Central Library and on the progressive public consultation process that was used in its planning.
Lauren Oostven continues the Front the Vaults series by exploring the archived history of Gottingen Street and its historic ties to Halifax's German community.
Launching the new Head Space column this week, Luca De Franco interviews Christina Zeidler, head organizer of the YIMBY Festival which aims to promote cooperation between politicians, developers and community groups.
Fred Sztabinksy reflects on what is perhaps the most common peep show on the streets of Toronto: portholes along the sidewalk that allow views of construction sites. Sztabinsky considers why developers include these windows and why we love them so much.
November 15th, 2010
Metcalfe running the wrong way for Padolsky’s lantern
By Evan Thornton // 4 Comments
The controversy around of the city's plans to widen Bronson Avenue seems to naturally lead to discussion of the other arterial routes that cut north through Centretown.
This weekend I heard a local architect talking about Metcalfe Avenue. His first point was that since, like its neighbour O'Connor, Metcalfe is a one-way street, there is very limited interest in creating pedestrian-scale development. If offered a choice, pedestrians will nearly always opt for walking along a traditional two-way street, where lower traffic speeds make for a better mix of cars and people. And since cafes and ...
November 16th, 2010
PODCAST: Saving BIXI, Bronson Avenue, and our parks
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
LISTEN TO THE NEW SPACING RADIO PODCAST!
While some parks are jam-packed with kids, dog walkers and seniors practicing Tai Chi, others are deserted and neglected. Producer Mieke Anderson speaks to David Harvey about his recent study on improving parks.
Also, Spacing Ottawa's Evan Thornton discusses his city's plans to turn back the clock to a time when car was king. And reporter Andrew Walsh addresses the pros and cons of the public bike network, BIXI, with Spacing Montreal's Alanah ...
November 17th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: By Taxi, Bus or Bike
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Detroit has had its fair share of hurdles over the past few years but Time says the winds of change are blowing and they are coming from Mayor Dave Bing's office. In a city that has lost half of its population in the past half-century as well as its key industry, it may be time to cut losses on abandoned neighbourhoods and crumbling infrastructure to focus efforts on the city's core assets. As the prestigious Kresge Foundation fronts a massive planning effort for Detroit's future, Time offers a prescription of density, contiguity, naturalization, urban homesteading and ethnic diversity for Motown.
• While American bikesharing systems generally trail their European counterparts in terms of station density and overall ridership, Streetsblog reports good news out of Minneapolis. The city's Nice Ride system, which launched this summer, topped 100,000 trips in its first five months. Even more hopeful - of the 680 users surveyed, nearly 20 percent used the system instead of driving.
• "An icon of [New York City's] urban landscape, the humble yellow cab is set to undergo an unprecedented face-lift — perhaps the biggest change to the city’s street aesthetic since licensed cabs were required to be painted yellow in 1970," reports the New York Times. The three competing designs offered up by Ford, Nissan and Turkish manufacturer Karsan, are more minivan than sedan.
November 18th, 2010
Watch NFB: Highrise/Out My Window, a 360° interactive documentary about vertical living
By Julie Matlin // No Comments
Editor: Spacing is pleased to announce we're resuming our partnership with the National Film Board of Canada to showcase films and interactive projects from their online screening room. Julie Matlin of the NFB will be occasionally posting films here on Spacing that explore public spaces, Canadian or international cities and anything urban. The NFB is one of Canada's greatest resources. Click here to view their entire online collection. ...
November 19th, 2010
Spacing Ottawa anniversary: Seven things I learned about my city
By Evan Thornton // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="553" caption="Can it really be a year already?"][/caption]
It seems last month, not last year, that we launched Spacing Ottawa with a party at the Cube Gallery on Hamilton. I'll never forget the date; ironically, that's because I hardly remember what happened. I had come down with a horrible once-in-a-decade virus that same morning; I was croaking instead of talking and breaking out into random sweats and dizzy spells. I was so hopped-up on Robitussin DM that if it wasn't for this video I don't think I'd remember one conversation from the entire evening, but I do remember that I met a hundred or so people with elbow bumps instead of handshakes. With streaming nose and eyes, you'd have been crazy to take my hand even if I'd have offered it.
But despite such an inauspicious start to my association with Spacing, I've had a fascinating year as editor of this blog. The best part has been getting to work with the many contributors to our pages; contributors whose interests span so many areas of expertise and who brim with enthusiasm for Ottawa's urban experience.
November 20th, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Tower Renewal, Metcalfe Ave and The Joy of Cycling
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Spacing Ottawa marks the first anniversary of its launch this week
Emile Thomas showcases a rejected Transport for London public service ad about the Joy of Cycling which playfully pays tribute to the illustrated safe sex manual of the 1970's.
Alanah Heffez and Devin Alfro continue the photo du jour series presenting creative and timely photos that showcase Montreal in a unique light.
Crystal Melville reports on the Nova Scotia government's progressive plans to include cyclists and considerations for their safety in the province's Motor Vehicle Act.
Rachel Caroline Derrah reports on the exciting dialogue surrounding what to do with the former Queen Elizabeth High School site in downtown Halifax. The site is being transferred to Capital Health with has mused about making the grounds an urban farm.
Toronto has the second largest number of high rise buildings in North America. That's why the future of David Miller's signature Mayor's Tower Renewal program is so important. Adrian Lightstone reports on a prominent symposium held this week asking where to take the program next.
Jessica Lemieux attending a dinner honouring Charles Sauriol, the father of Toronto Conservation, and left inspired by the attitudes and projects of the award winers.
November 22nd, 2010
Photo of the day
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Looking up on Queen Street"][/caption]
photo by Justin Van Leeuwen
Video: City removes heads from parking meters; exposes bikes to theft
By Editor // 1 Comment
[caption id="attachment_4277" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="They come by night: workers removing a parking meter in Chinatown"][/caption]
Editor's note: this first appeared in author Charles Akben-Marchand's own Images of Centretown blog.
The last couple weeks, the City of Ottawa has been removing parking meters as part of their plan to switch to Pay & Display parking, and convert some parking meters to ring-and-post bike racks. Unfortunately, despite various assurances, there won't be enough racks to replace the lost meters.
Pictured above is a shot of the City workers removing racks on Somerset street at Arthur:
As was ...
November 24th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Winter Cycling, Airport Links and Civic Engagement
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• As the weather turns colder, some are considering turning in their bikes for other transportation options. BikePortland.org urges you to reconsider! With plenty of helpful tips to help you brave the winter on a bicycle, you can keep on rolling into the spring.
• The Next American City offers some insight into the experiences of American cities planning airport-city connections. The article suggests that the best laid plans consider market demand, the ability of the service to reduce emissions and congestion, financial feasibility and the distance from the offsite terminal to the airport. DC's Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is cited as one of the nation's best: with stops connecting the airport to both downtown Washington as well as the much of the region, it is the mode of choice for a quarter of airport passengers.
Orléans roundabout: ready to assist your street-crossing needs
By Spacing Ottawa // 4 Comments
[flickr dwight_ew 72157625461810084]
Flickr photoset used by permission of Dwight Williams
Despite every appearance of still being a work in progress, the much-touted roundabout on St. Joseph Boulevard finally opened to traffic this afternoon.
Ottawa is not known for doing roundabouts especially well, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists. With that in mind, if you are in Orléans and find yourself ready to brave the new intersection sans auto, the City of Ottawa has issued instructions that you might want to memorize before you try anything as complicated as actually crossing the street.
November 26th, 2010
Street names: the entertainers
By Dwight Williams // 4 Comments
Call this a work in progress. Also, expect this category to be revisited. With those two caveats out of the way, we'll begin with this thought:
In one sense, this post is similar to the Works of Fiction instalment. The difference is that these famous names belonged, or belong, in some cases, to real people. The names mostly come from one branch or another of the entertainment industry; they go back almost a century, so they usually ring a bell with a volume that varies with the age of the citizen who reads them on the signpost. In one or two cases we suspect the sound has grown very faint, but in several cases, more than one generation counts a street's namesake as part of their own cultural history.
Take Shatner Gate out in the Hazeldean-Katimavik region of Kanata for instance. Built in the early 1980's, it was almost certainly named for actor William Shatner. His career as an actor began with the CBC, and it took him from his native Montréal to Ottawa, before sending him west to California and from there, of course, to the bridge of the USS Enterprise.
November 27th, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Rebelmayor, Accommodating Pedestrians and the Entertainers
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Alanah Heffez reflects on lessons learned from attending a City consultation on communication with youth; that sometimes the City can forget communication is a two way street.
Who will save Saint-Sauvier Church? Christopher Dewolf reports on a troubling turn of events in the efforts to save historic Saint-Sauveur Church from demolition in order to make way for a new hospital mega-project.
Rachel Caroline reports on an encouraging new trend of public consultation in a city not noted for engagement in the development process. Around 100 people came out a discussion session this week about what to do with the grounds of the old Queen Elizabeth High School.
In response to the HRM by Design recommendations, the City of Halifax held public meetings this week to talk about changes to the downtown road pattern such as removing one way streets.
Shawn Micallef reflects back on the lessons learned from his twitter based reincarnation of rebelmayor William Lyon MacKenzie who acted as a court jester, commenting on the angry nature of the past election.
As winter darkness drives up concerns about pedestrian safety, Matthew Blackett highlighted a great idea to make cross walks more ergonomic and safer at the same time.
November 29th, 2010
The violation of our right to the public realm
By Spacing Ottawa // 2 Comments
No doubt the wording of the above communique from the Police Services Board concerning tomorrow night’s community meeting about racial profiling would be different if it was written today. When that notice was first circulated, its author had no idea the city was about to be outraged by the revelation that a young black woman by the name of Stacy Bonds had been arrested and then detained and assaulted by the Ottawa police for nothing more than the crime of walking down the street. We expect that “chat” will now be a very mild description of the tenor of tomorrow night’s discussion.
The Spacing discourse doesn't usually run to police and justice matters. However, in a week like this last one has been, it would seem pointless to discuss architecture and urban design and streetscape without acknowledging that there are fellow citizens among us who have to think twice before walking at night through the public space we cherish, because, somewhere in the back of their minds, they wonder if they will be the next to be abducted and assaulted -- for that is not too strong a description for what happened to Stacy Bonds -- by the very people our society employs to protect them.
November 30th, 2010
Elgin Street courthouse: a bunker by design, or a viewer’s blinkered vision?
By Evan Thornton // 6 Comments
The Citizen published another installment of a wonderful feature yesterday. It's a historical walking tour of Elgin Street by Ottawa writer Phil Jenkins, and it's a very engaging piece, by equal parts informative, opinionated, funny -- just what we've come to expect of Jenkins over the years. It picks up at Sparks Street, where he left off last week. Working his way south to Lisgar, near the end of the piece he addresses himself to the provincial courthouse at Elgin and Laurier:
Crossing over to the east side of Elgin, it is probably best to run past Fort Court, as it is known, unless your presence is required within. A ghastly building, from which one expects a puff of smoke to emerge every now and then when a traffic offender is incinerated.
Surely this not what justice should look like.
Reading that, I realized that I usually do walk past the the courthouse as quickly as possible, not giving it a second look - which actually takes some doing, as it takes up most of a city block.
LRT: tunnel visions are blogs apart
By Evan Thornton // No Comments
No topic sees Ken Gray's "Bulldog" blog on the Citizen site live up to its name better than his dog-with-a-bone stubbornly relentless critique of the planned tunnel for a downtown LRT. Ken hates the idea of the tunnel; it's too expensive, he says, and the product of a dishonest decision-making process that started with Larry O'Brien's duplicity in canceling the previous plan for a much cheaper LRT - the O-Train. On weeks when other issues are on the back burner, it's usually a fair bet that Gray will return to the tunnel theme in ...
December 1st, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Building Tweets, DIY Safe Streets, Parks & Democracy
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• We'll fight the law for safer streets and sometimes the law will win. Treehugger showcases 8 DIY strategies for working around the system: guerilla gardening, knitting, bike/ped signage, eco-graffiti, parking, dumpster conversion, recycling bin art, and benching.
• From the zany, to the informative, to the creative, to the engaging, to the participatory, Architectural Videos has a 10 minute spot profiling "buildings that twitter".
• The Guardian reports on Ugandans Fred Kyagulanyi and James Sendikwanawa. The two are using plastic waste collected from Kampala's suburbs to produce high quality petroleum fuels suitable for use in a variety of vehicles.
December 2nd, 2010
One for Toronto: Barcelona 1908
By Spacing Ottawa // 3 Comments
There are probably only two kinds of viewers for this video; the ones who think it's one of the most enchanting pieces of film they've ever seen, and others who go "oh, that's nice".
We're firmly in the first camp at Spacing Ottawa; we've watched this video many times, and it never fails to thrill us all over again.
We're dedicating this post in to our friends in Toronto. It looks like they're in for a very trying four years under new mayor Rob Ford, who didn't even ...
December 4th, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Barbertown, Streetcars and Fort Court
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
As Montreal's regional transit operator, the AMT, released a huge set of data showing off its ridership growth, Alanah Heffez delved into the information to investigate a hunch that active transportation was also on the rise.
The Institut de Politiques Alternatives de Montréal made a return to the spotlight by announcing a massive planning and development policy initiative involving government, community groups and citizens called the Citizen's Agora.
Spacing profiles the innovative Four Funds project taking place in Halifax this weekend, participants have 100 minutes and $100 to make their community a better place.
As Mayor Ford began is term this week by throwing a brick into transit investment, Spacing looked back at the Miller years not through the record of the former mayor himself but through what the flowering years he presided over will mean for the city.
Sean Marshall brought back the popular Lost Villages series this week following a long hiatus by touring the historical remnants of Mississauga's Barbertown neighbourhood. Despite long since being surrounded by sprawl the area remains true to its heritage as a mill town.
December 6th, 2010
Winnipeg wishing well
By Evan Thornton // No Comments
It's been six months since we posted about Winnipeg; the last piece about the prairie capital was in high summer when the topic was the city's lovely Exchange District.
The scene is much different now; -20 C is the norm and the frigid nights come early. There is a strange new addition to the Winnipeg streetscape as well; it is the sight of letter carriers trudging through the snow and ice under the moonlight, attempting to finish extra-long routes that are part of a new experiment called "Modern Post". Evidently eleven-hour shifts ...
December 7th, 2010
Mid-Centretown planner — “if projects are not sitting in a city’s 10 year capital plan they are not going to happen”
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
MCT Open House #2
View more presentations from SpacingOttawa.
Landscape Architect George Dark and his Urban Strategies group have been retained by the City to lead a planning process that will have as an end product a Community Design Plan (CDP) for a part of Ottawa they're calling "Mid-Centretown"; it's a ...
December 8th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Forgotten Places, 20 is Plenty, City Wishes
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Spiegel Online profiles the fascinating work of photographer Andreas Muhs. Muhs captures forgotten places from Berlin's broken past. Muhs speaks of the role these "empty" places (predominately in the "death strip" where the Berlin Wall once stood) play in the work of artists, alternative clubs and transient housing. The photographs chronicle a part of Berlin's history which slips away as new development takes hold.
• All hail the "best European city in America"! Metropolis Magazine celebrates plans for Portland, Oregon's Director Park. The city's latest urban space project features an old world style piazza, fountain and cafe. While these features will serve the city well, author Linda Baker notes the challenges of European-style planning in the American context: warning signs on fountains, the impossibility of shared streets and public consultation versus vision.
• 20 is plenty. Or so say a variety of transportation thinkers who endorse 20 miles per hour (roughly 32 km/h) as a life saving speed limit in urban areas. According to the UK Department for Transportation, "if a driver hits a pedestrian at 30 miles per hour, the victim only has a 55 percent chance of surviving. At 20 mph, the pedestrian has a 95 percent chance of survival." This threshold for pedestrian safety also appears to have a negligible impact on urban travel times, reports Streetsblog.
December 9th, 2010
Low-carbon Christmas comes to Parkdale Market
By Heather Yundt // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Photo: Potted trees provide an alternative to cut trees at the Parkdale Market."][/caption]
Every December the great debate sprouts up among environmentally conscious Christmas celebrators: Will it be a mono-cropped, aromatic tree this year? Or a reusable import from China?
The options aren’t so clear-cut.
A 2009 study conducted by a Montreal-based consulting company concluded that an artificial tree would have to be kept for over twenty years in order to have a lesser impact onclimate change than real trees.
Artificial trees with the average six-year life span have three times the impact on climate change and resource depletion than real trees. Natural trees produce 40 per cent less carbon emissions than their artificial counterpart and have the added benefit of sequestering CO2 during their eight to ten year growth period.
The materials used in artificial trees take a toll on the environment. The needles are usually made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a petroleum-derived plastic that contains 2-5% lead, though this is increasingly being replaced by tin. Artificial trees are usually non-recyclable.
December 11th, 2010
Spacing Saturday: Citizen’s Agora, Presto 2.0 and Sustainable Christmas Trees
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Alanah Heffez reports on the outcomes of the Citizen's Agora project, held last weekend, and what it speaks to in terms of the challenges of regional planning.
With winter arriving in force all across Canada, Alanah Heffez gives a few simple tips on how to enjoy the season in the city.
Emma Feltes recaps the results of the 4Funds initiative in which participants were given one hour and $100 to make their community better. The group in Halifax installed a community board to beautify a derelict building and facilitate sharing of ideas, reflections and musings.
The Atlantic Snapshots series continues to showcase striking photography of maritime urban settings. This week the series featured St John and St John's.
On the transit file, Jonathan Goldsbie breaks down Rob Ford's claim that Transit City was never voted on in council by showing the various stages through which it was approved, while John Lorinc explores the issue of how Ford's subway plan would further widen the TTC operating budget problems.
As part of the Head Space series, Spacing interviewed Ernie Wallace, Executive Director of the Presto transit smart card system to talk about Presto 2.0.
December 13th, 2010
How social housing gets to your backyard — and avoids the OMB on the way
By Evan Thornton // 4 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Social Housing in Centretown; photo by Ottawa Community Housing"][/caption]
I was lucky enough to be the audience for last week's edition of the excellent Urban Forum series at City Hall . Those in attendance heard Marni Capp, President of the Canadian Institute of Planners, present the latest resource produced by Affordability and Choice Today (ACT), a program delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
ACT campaigns to create public and affordable shelter in communities across Canada, and to that end they've produced a handbook to help planners and advocates make the case for new social housing developments.
Listing to Capp give an overview to the resource I was struck by how much the arguments against not only social housing, but any kind of residential intensification, end up sounding so familiar, in community after community.
December 14th, 2010
Railways to Pathways: new rural/urban connections
By Heather Yundt // 7 Comments
Railways to PathwaysView more presentations from SpacingOttawa.
The City of Ottawa will complete two rural pathways this spring, improving urban connections to rural areas.
The stone-dust pathways include the Osgoode line, running from the Ottawa International Airport to the village of Osgoode, and the Prescott-Russell line, a 22-kilometre extension to the existing 72-kilometre trail stretching westward from the Quebec border.
Both were originally railway lines. The Osgoode pathway was once a CP line and is now owned by the city. The Prescott-Russell line is under a five-year lease from VIA Rail. VIA has told the city it will eventually reclaim the transit corridor in order to build a high-speed railway between Ottawa and Montreal.
In the rural communities where properties will back onto the pathways, residents are divided over the plans. The city has said that ATVs and motorcycles will not be permitted on the pathways and has held three public meetings to discuss whether or not horses and snowmobiles should also be banned. The village of Osgoode has established a community organization advocating for snowmobile-free paths.
December 15th, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Cycling chat, clusters and Corbusier
By Hilary Best // 1 Comment
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're worried that the left wing pinko badge may make the cycling conversation more difficult, consider Streetsblog's recommendations on how to talk to conservatives about cycling. Author Angie Schmitt offers an important reminder that "bicycling and safer streets aren’t tethered to any particular political ideology".
• Urban regions the world over invest billions in cluster-theory economic development: the idea that with the right ingredients our cities can grow their own Silicon Valley enclaves. Vivek Wadhwa at the The Chronicle of Higher Education questions the traditional recipe for economic growth and focuses instead on risk taking, entrepreneurship skill development, skilled immigrants and freedom of expression.
December 16th, 2010
“Why not potholes?”– Ushahidi ready for Ottawa streets
By Heather Yundt // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="screenshots from the Ushahidi mobile interface"][/caption]
December 19th, 2010
When truth is stranger than fiction: the capital that sits on another nation’s land
By Heather Yundt // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Parliament Hill is included in the 36,000 km2 Algonquin land claim"][/caption]
When I took on the task of writing an update on the Algonquin land claim, I was unaware of the controversy I’d find. Unifying steps toward a “modern-day treaty” agreement? Think again.
The agreed upon fact is that Ottawa and much of Eastern Ontario sits on unceded Algonquin land. For 20 years, Algonquin representatives have negotiated a so-called “modern-day treaty” with the provincial and federal government. The government explains this concept as a treaty “ratified by special legislation protected under the Canadian constitution.”
The land in question is 36,000 km2, which stretches from the southeast of North Bay to Hawkesbury, on the Quebec border. The northern boundary follows the Ottawa River, the southern boundary lies where the Ottawa River watershed ends. It includes all Crown land in this area, including Parliament Hill and the National Capital Commission Greenbelt.
December 20th, 2010
How Did Tramways Make it Through Montreal’s Winters?
By Alanah Heffez // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="501" caption="STM archives: Chasse-neige, construit par la Montreal Street Railway en 1910"][/caption]
Editor's note: Last week's snowstorm combined with the recent positive news about the feasibility of boring a transit tunnel under Ottawa's downtown made this story cross-posted from Spacing Montréal about the difficulty of running streetcars/trams in severe weather seem especially timely to me.
No doubt surface LRT technology will have improved since the days when trams rattled through Montréal, but still, could it be that a downtown tunnel has an "all-season" advantage not normally factored in by its opponents?
Over on Metropolitan News, Andy Riga recently recently put a spotlight on the debate about how tramways would fare the harsh Montreal winters. I've always thought it was a silly question: electric tramways operated in Montreal from the 1892 until 1959. Surely if trams worked over century ago, they would work just as well today, if not better?
So I decided to consult Spacing Montreal's favourite specialist on transit-of-bygone-times, who goes by the name of Cdnlococo, to get the lowdown on how tramways survived the Montreal winter. Below, he describes how juggling snow, ice, and electric trams was no easy task (the text has been re-arranged a bit for length and flow):
Streetcars DID operate successfully in Montreal for many, many winters, but, that's all that were available, and there were hundreds of employees and much expensive specialized equipment at work 24/7 at great cost!
December 22nd, 2010
World Wide Wednesday: Urban Safari, Cyclist Species, City Happy
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• "That's why I bring people here, to show them what politicians do with their money. And to impress girls." The honest Mr. Buissart, quoted this week in the Wall Street Journal, runs an Urban Safari in his downtrodden industrial hometown of Charleroi, Belgium. While locals protest, Buissart shows willing tourists the local slag heap, unused subway stations and the "ugliest streets in the nation". Book quickly, business is robust.
• Who are these cyclists anyway? The Portland Bureau of Transportation has undertaken a demographic study of the species of cyclists (and non-cyclists) in their city to get a better sense of what's needed to increase the modal shift. "Strong and Fearless", "Enthused and Confident", "Interested but Concerned", "No Way No How" - do you fit these categories? On a similar tack, GOOD speaks to Portland's approach to recruiting women and people of colour to cycle and the association between bike infrastructure and gentrification.
December 24th, 2010
Consolation for cloud-cover: Ottawa’s tweet map of the lunar eclipse
By Heather Yundt // No Comments
Monday night's lunar eclipse was the first in centuries to coincide with a solstice.
Much to my disappointment, the cloud cover in Ottawa was too heavy to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon. But I was not alone. Online, Ottawans flocked to Twitter to share their misfortune.
The eclipse exemplifies the idea that new media is contributing to the breakdown of physical boundaries. Twitter united people across North America Monday night through the sharing of excitement, photos and observations of the eclipse. At the same time, the event reaffirmed our connection to the physical geography of our planet. The regions where people could and could not see the eclipse, due to weather or geographical location, were recorded on Twitter. Twitter and other new media are changing the way we perceive place.
Best wishes for the holidays from Spacing Ottawa
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Spacing Ottawa is signing off for a few days to enjoy the season with family and friends, but before we do we'd like to thank our readers and contributors for energizing us with support and encouragement during our first full year of publication. It's been a rewarding time for all of us here, and we're looking forward to another fascinating year of exploring Ottawa's urban landscape in 2011.
photo by Mike Gifford
December 29th, 2010
Revealed: a crack house from the inside
By Spacing Ottawa // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="593" caption="Renovated former "crack house" "][/caption]
For years Hintonburg and Mechanicsville have been working to shake their unwelcome and usually exaggerated association with drugs, prostitution and bikers. But with no grand scheme of "urban renewal" in place to appropriate whole blocks of aging housing stock -- as was done just one neighbourhood over at Lebreton flats half a century ago -- the transformation of the old west end is proceeding at a more human pace, one property at a time.
There are many advocates for the changing neighbourhood, but perhaps no one has ...
January 3rd, 2011
MacKenzie King OC Transpo station: worst public space in Ottawa?
By Evan Thornton // 20 Comments
[flickrslideshow acct_name="ekthornton" id="72157625584286577" width="600"]
A few weeks ago the Ottawa Citizen journalist Maria Cook asked me to submit a few lines for a best-of/worst-of public spaces and buildings end-of-year feature she was putting together. I was pleased to be asked but I misread the email and thought Maria was asking for best and worst, period -- not limited to this past year. She soon put me right, and I submitted something a little more "2010", but meanwhile I still had my notes from the original reply to her. I wanted to give her some "quotables" so I had I given them some colour; rereading them the other day I see they may well have come across like an intemperate rant:
January 5th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Bike Art, Web-City, Streetcars
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• The Pop Up City profiles infrastructure art in Madrid created by Luzinterruptus. The project, Pedaleo Seguro (Safe Biking) created lit bike lanes on three of the city's central streets.
• As part of their 10 Trends for 2010 series, The Pop Up City considers the changing relationship between the web and the urban realm as articulated through wireless technologies, GPS, and the smartphone.
• CEOs for Cities and the Rockefeller Foundation present a fascinating info-graphic entitled: The Future of the Crowd Sourced City
January 6th, 2011
Garden of the Provinces and Territories: Best “least-known” public space in Ottawa?
By Evan Thornton // 12 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="598" caption="Ottawa the lush and tropical getaway: we just have to wait for it "][/caption]
Following up on the previous post, below are my original notes for "best public space in Ottawa" the multi-part piece Maria Cook put together for an end-of-year feature in the Citizen. I say "original notes" because Maria had to remind me that the idea was to be "built in 2010", so in the end I had to submit notes for a different space altogether. (The "Wellington Marbles" sculpture walk, as it happens.)
Of course, I realize the obvious knock for picking the usually-deserted Garden of the Provinces is "well, where's the public then?' The photo above doesn't show too many people lounging by the fountain; neither do these daytime shots of roughly the same part of the park. Still, it is a wonderful little spot, and the deserted feel can even work to its benefit. If you've had a long hard day with too many meetings, the quiet Garden can feel like a meditative space.
January 8th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Ice Bridge, Public Squares and Uptown St John
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Alanah Heffez looks into the colourful history of Montreal to tell the story of seemingly ridiculous ice bridge. The bridge, actually a rail line laid over the frozen St Lawrence River, was a response by disgruntled competitors to the high toll rates on the Victoria Bridge.
Devin Alfro reflects on the recent passing of distinguished Montreal Coucillor Michael Fainstat and the important role he played in bringing greater accountability to city council.
Sean Gillis takes a wonderful nostalgic look at the historic district of Uptown St John. While the area has preserved many of its century old buildings, a variety of changes have still fundamentally changed the character of the neighbourhood.
Crystal Melville profiles the Tilted Landscapes art exhibition in Halifax featuring contemporary painting in a unique venue.
The latest instalment of the No Mean City series presented a fascinating look at the exciting design proposals for a new public square at John and King streets in the heart of the entertainment district.
John Lorinc focused his weekly column this week on pondering the question of when Mayor Rob Ford will have to face the fiscal reality of the city.
January 9th, 2011
Photo of the day: South March Highlands demonstration
By Spacing Ottawa // 4 Comments
[flickrslideshow acct_name="tjfl" id="72157625783394338"]
Some pictures from Saturday's's demonstration in front of the Urbandale Sales Centre in Kanata by supporters of the South March Highlands. More information on the Highlands can be seen here; there is also an online petition campaign to save the Highlands.
photos by TJFL
January 11th, 2011
Too small for a park, too awkward to sell? There’s a Community Design Plan for that.
By Adam Bentley // 4 Comments
South Fairfield Heights CDP
What do you do with public land left over from an infrastructure project that is too awkwardly shaped to subdivide and resell to developers and too small to turn into a community park? Did I mention it sits right next to a freeway and rapid transit corridor? That’s the challenge facing the City of Ottawa with a strip of land about one block from my house that was used to stage the construction of the Western Transitway. Six houses were torn down to make way for the bus corridor. But over a year since the Western Transitway was completed between Pinecrest and Bayshore, the land still sits vacant, covered with weeds and dirt (at least during the summer), with a few bits of construction supplies still lying around near its west side. The community has received no news on any upcoming changes to the site.
January 12th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Bungalows, Stats, Maps and Quiet Train Cars
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Bungalows are the most common type of building in Chicago. The iconic homes, mainly built between 1910 and 1940, offered an accessible first home to many urban families. WBEZ takes a look at the history of the bungalow and considers what type of housing might qualify as its 21st century counterpart.
• Alternet salutes the top 5 smartest policies enacted by American cities in 2010: Denver Public Schools' Spanish-language radio show, Pittsburgh/Allegheny County's new development wage law, New York City's juvenile justice reforms, Austin's transportation bond which targets complete streets and Cleveland's lawsuit against sub-prime mortgage lenders.
January 13th, 2011
The “Grand Dames”: Ottawa’s historic apartment buildings
By Mike Steinhauer // 10 Comments
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The Bytown Museum explores the stories of an evolving city and its residents from its early days as Bytown to present day Ottawa. "Backspacing" is a new monthly feature produced by Museum director Mike Steinhauer and Museum development director Francesco Corsaro.
Ottawa’s downtown isn’t necessarily known for its grand apartment buildings. In fact, many of the structures originate from the 1960’s and 1970’s and often have a less than desirable effect on the city’s landscape.
Dotted throughout the central core, however, one finds several apartment buildings that could be described as grand: The Shefford (300 Cooper Street), Windsor Arms (150 Argyle Road) and The Strathcona (404 Laurier Avenue East). The names of the earlier residents of these buildings would often appear in the Social and Personal Activities section – the precursor to the Ottawa Citizen’s Around Town.
The Shefford, built in 1912 to create apartments for the growing middle class, quickly became a respectable address and boasted spacious rooms, large windows, oak floors, a beautiful marble staircase and ‘continuous attendant elevator service’.
January 14th, 2011
Bring on bi-weekly garbage collection: open letter to City Council
By Spacing Ottawa // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Feeding the Beast: Is once every two weeks enough?"][/caption]
January 15th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Sky Dome, Heritage Apartments, and the Historic Halifax Common
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Chris Erb comments on the striking beauty of a recently published NASA photo of the Montreal region by night.
Guillaume St-Jean continues the Spacing Montreal's ongoing photo series.
Lauren Oostveen continues the From the Vaults series with fascinating look through the rich history of the Halifax Common, first set aside in 1763.
Crystal Melville profiles the community art project Dartmouth's Vision Pavilion.
On a serious note, John Lorinc and Dylan Reid comment on the fiscal policy thus far of the Ford Administration.
On a lighter note, Spacing received a response from Don Cherry himself about the enormously successful Pinko buttons. While Sean Micallef comments on a great time-lapse video of the construction of the Sky Dome.
January 17th, 2011
Photo of the Day: Winter Panorama
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
photo by Gordon Bonnar
January 18th, 2011
Opinion: downtown library vital to entire region
By Dwight Williams // 4 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="325" caption="Who needs a downtown library when you've got the Greely branch?"][/caption]
Last month the Ottawa Citizen ran an opinion piece by Mark Sutcliffe about what he alleges is a lack of a “business case” to justify the construction of a new main branch for the Ottawa Public Library.
Mr. Sutcliffe makes an argument of particular interest to me:
“…it’s hard to imagine people coming in from Kanata and Orléans to use the downtown library when they have perfectly good libraries in their neighbourhoods.”
I admit to living in Orléans. Further, I’ve lived there for a quarter-century now, and cannot remember a time when I didn’t visit the main branch on Laurier West at least once in any given month. The reasons are many and varied, but I still made those trips.
In fact, several of my more recent contributions to Spacing Ottawa could not have been researched as quickly or as well without the help of Brian Silcoff and his colleagues from the Main Branch's Ottawa Room; digging up those back-stories on several of the streets of the city was possible because of their help.
Am I an exceptional case among the regular visitors to the OPL? My impression from chatting with my fellow researchers is that a survey of those using the Main Branch's reference section would turn up a large number of “exceptional cases”, hailing from Orléans, Kanata, South Keys, even from Gatineau.
January 19th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Conversation Cars, Phantom Highways and City Love Songs
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• In response to NJ Transit's Quiet Cars, Alex Marshall at NY Daily News has a proposal: conversation cars. "With a pair of earbuds, we can all have as much solitude as we'd like," he writes. So why not open up some space for chatting with a fellow traveller?
• Nearly every large North American city has a phantom highway: an unbuilt or torn down expressway which influenced the trajectory of development in one way or another. Tom Vanderbilt (Slate) profiles the phantom highways of New York, LA, Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Seoul.
• Pop Up City comments on the digital reincarnation of an old art form: love songs for cities. The article features three beautiful video tributes to Stockholm, Detroit and Toronto.
January 20th, 2011
A facade too far
By Evan Thornton // 9 Comments
[caption id="attachment_4855" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Was it really worth all the work?"][/caption]
Recently the builders of the Central -- a block of condos going in at the corner of Bank and Gladstone --re-installed the preserved facade of the the old Metropolitan Bible Church that they had torn down to make room for their development.
Passers-by gave some feedback to the Citizen reporter covering the re-installation, and reading what they had to say got me thinking about what I'd have told the journalist if asked.
I've been going by the site at lunch hour for months ...
January 22nd, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Façadism, Carbon Neutrality and Holy Mountain
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Julie Matlin continues the Watch NFB series, this week profiling the interactive web project Holy Mountain which aims to explore the spiritual connections between Montrealers and the mountain.
Devin Alfro responds to speculations that Montreal has too many municipal politicians by truly exploring the issue through comparing council sizes in major cities throughout North America and Europe.
Natascia Lypny writes on the debate about the future of the outdoor skating oval in Halifax Common. While the future of the oval has been the subject of a populist appeal, long term considerations have yet to be adressed.
Crystal Melville profiles a public effort to find a solution to oppressive on-street winter parking measures in Halifax's North End neighbourhoods.
Despite Rob Ford's claims of being elected on mandate not to build LRT, a new poll released this week shows that most Torontonians still favour the Transit City plan, Dylan Ried comments on what this could mean for the Mayor's ability to compromise.
Dylan Ried reports on the Project Neutral initiative which is looking to build a template for Canadian neighbourhoods to gain carbon neutrality.
January 24th, 2011
User ratings coming for Ottawa bike routes
By Jamie Stuckless // 5 Comments
Editor's note: With the discussion of the proposed segregated Laurier bike lane in the news, the problem of how to get around Ottawa safely by bicycle is once again under discussion. Solutions coming from the cyclist community itself are also gaining recognition; last summer we posted on Ottawa Biking Problems, a project by Alex De Vries to map out Ottawa's most dangerous biking hazards. In December, Spacing Ottawa's Heather Yundt proposed using the SMS-based Ushahidi system to note the location of cycling risks such as dangerous potholes. The latest ...
January 25th, 2011
Skyscraperpage Forum, and keeping it private from the man
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Above: A digitally-created image of The Shard London Bridge, expected to be completed in 2012. Copyright holder is the Sellar Group.
For 13 years, predating blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, the internationally-known SkyScraper Page has been hosting discussions, posting diagrams, and generally promoting a discussion around not just tall buildings but all aspects of the urban built environment.
Most cities around the world now have their own SkyScraper forum; Ottawa's can be viewed here.
Skyscraper Page readers and contributors were among the "early-adopters" of Spacing Ottawa. Many post to SkyScraper using a nickname; often they are planning ...
January 26th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Streetcars Named Desire
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
This week, reader Spire Skyscraper offers a compendium of articles on new streetcar/light rail projects traversing the US.
• Minneapolis is studying a streetcar revival (Daily Reporter)
• In Dallas (Dallas Observer), Tuscon (KWST) and Tampa (Tampa Business Journal), the revival has funding
• In Portland (Oregon Live) and New Orleans (Daily Comet), the more the merrier
• Charlotte's streetcars will be a year late (Charlotte Business Journal)
January 28th, 2011
Spacing Ottawa’s first Gowalla trip
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Check-in #6 on the Spacing Ottawa walking tour of Hintonburg's Built Heritage"][/caption]
Cribbing madly from John Leaning's "Hintonburg and Mechanicsville: A Narrative History", and the Hintonburg Community Association website we've come up with our first trip designed for users of the Gowalla location-based social network.
The trip is called "Hintonburg's Built Heritage" and it has eleven check-ins including two structures designed by Francis Sullivan, the only Canadian student of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Other highlights include an art-deco tavern, a geological fault line, and something that just came over ...
January 29th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Oval Art, Arena Partnerships and the Urban Plan
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Emile Thomas reflects on the fatigue incurred by touring people around your own city, specially if you are particularly good at doing so and become a type of attraction in your own rite.
Alanah Heffez reflects on the role of the urban plan as a social contract meant to govern use of the shared urban space and how this role has been diminished by ad-hoc application.
Crystal Melville profiles an artist-led event to weave a creative design into the fence surrounding the Canada Games skating oval on the Halifax Common.
In Halifax's Point Pleasant Park, site of the city's best remaining colonial British settlement artifacts, an interactive community art project is underway to recall the area's history and its resilience to natural forces.
In conjunction with No Mean City blog Alex Bozikovik profiles the new 'Neighbourhood Maverick' exhibition at Harbourfront and a Toronto architect's finalist design for new wildlife highway overpasses.
John Lorinc takes a look at the push to build new arenas in Toronto using public private partnerships and questions whether such arrangements could produce the diversity of arena types that the city really needs.
January 31st, 2011
The Art of Architecture: Filling you in on infill
By Apartment613 // 6 Comments
Hintonburg resident Phil Castro writes about the intersection of urban development, architecture, and the artistic impulse. In this post he looks at a subject recently studied by the city: the effects of infill housing. This piece is cross-posted from Apartment 613 with their permission.
At its most basic definition, infill housing is the addition of dwelling units in already existing and established communities. In Ottawa, infill housing typically means the construction of modern homes on vacant, abandoned or seemingly underutilized lots. And as a city, we're currently developing an international reputation for some cutting edge modern infill. The results can be fantastic, but - as many a comment in the blogosphere suggests - beauty is often in the eye of the beholder.
The city has formally stated that infill development proposed within the interior of established neighbourhoods should be designed to complement the area’s pattern of built form and its desirable characteristics. However, according to the city’s website, in the spring of 2010 a number of community associations and individual community members expressed their concerns that recent small-scale infill housing projects were incompatible with the character of the neighbourhood. Moreover, those projects were allegedly contributing negatively to the community. The associations asked what the city could do to prevent this pattern from continuing. As a result, 400 properties were studied during the summer of 2010, the purpose of which was to:
February 1st, 2011
The infill wars: a case study from Old Ottawa South
By Alain Miguelez // 5 Comments
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Images by Old Ottawa South Community Association - first is of 71 Hopewell as it appeared last year; second is a photoshopped image of what it is expected to look like after re-development.
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Spacing Ottawa contributor Alain Miguelez is a planner with the City of Ottawa. In late 2009, the City's Planning Department received an application for site plan control approval to allow three townhouses to be developed in replacement of a small detached home at 71 Hopewell Ave., in Old Ottawa South. Coincidentally, on October 28th 2009 Council approved updates to the Urban Design Guidelines for Low-Medium Density Infill Housing. In the following piece Alain takes us behind the scenes to to find what actually happened with this application - and explains how it was that City staff made the recommendation they did.
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The proposal, at first glance, was one of those dime-a-dozen that we have processed in the past five years. As staff, we weren’t surprised by the front-garage approach – in fact, we were starting to notice how these new garage-front infills were starting to spread in old established neighbourhoods. On some streets there are even consolidated stretches of these. In this case, though, the lot was so narrow that the two edge units couldn’t get a front door facing the street – the front door was accessible by a narrow walkway along the side.
We indicated to the proponent that we wanted to explore other options for parking, entrances and front doors. In our minds, the proposal did not meet the intent of the Design Guidelines, which state throughout its pages (among other things) that front doors, rather than garages, must be the predominant element on facades. In fact, front garages are to be avoided where possible.
February 2nd, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Public (Space, Art, Transit)
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• In Alexandria, GOOD reports that citizens are taking over many functions of municipal government. The Popular Committee for the Protection of Properties and Organization of Traffic is taking care of traffic, clean up, protection and emergency response for fellow citizens.
• Though the role of social media in this week's events in Egypt is well established, Grist celebrates "the streets of Cairo [, Alexandria, Suez etc. as] the medium that has carried the message of the Egyptian people." Author Sarah Goodyear highlights the occupation of Tahrir Square, Cairo's central public space, and movement over the Kasr-al-Nil Bridge as defining moments.
• Artist Alexander Chen used MTA data to create a musical transit map of the New York subway system (GOOD).
February 4th, 2011
Aerial photographer touches down for Urban Forum
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
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The organizers at Urban Forum have sent us notice of their next event:
Wednesday, February 16th 2011
7:00 pm Ottawa City Hall Champlain Room
"In Search of Successful Urbanism"
Alex S. MacLean, international award-winning photographer, author, and pilot, will provide a one-of-a-kind vantage point in the search for successful urbanism through his stunning photography.
Alex has flown his plane over much of the United States documenting the landscape. Trained as an architect at Harvard, he has portrayed the history and ...
February 5th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Infill, Satellites and Confabulation
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
In the winter of 1872 Montreal experienced an energy crisis when rivers, used for shipping wood into the city, froze early. The story speaks volumes about the fragile dependency of cities that continues to this day.
Alanah Heffez profiles Conflaboration; an event in which ordinary people share true, lived stories about their lives and puts out a call to readers to participate in the upcoming gathering themed around neighbourhoods.
Lauren Oostveen presents the history of the Halifax Public Garden accompanied by incredible historic photography throughout the garden's history.
After noticing a decline in winter cycling in recent years a planning student at Dalhousie University is launching a survey intended to more fully understand the barriers that winter cyclists face.
The Headspace series this week interviewed rookie councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon who describes herself as an fiscally responsible environmentalist, firmly in between polarized political discourse.
This week marked the first Spacing Satellite feature, challenging readers to identify arial photography of the city.
February 6th, 2011
Lunar New Year in Chinatown
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
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The Somerset Street Chinatown BIA staged its Lunar New Year celebration this afternoon; the colourful procession snaked Somerset between Bay Street and Preston Avenue.
Flickr contributor Banerixat was there, and his eye-catching slideshow saves the best image for the last -- a great shot of the Chinatown Royal Arch overlooking its first-ever street party.
photos by Banerixat
February 7th, 2011
Gridlock by policy: Canada all alone with no transit strategy
By Peter Raaymakers // 3 Comments
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Cross-posted from Public Transit in Ottawa
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The New Democrat Party of Canada has a long history of making transit-related announcements, a couple recent ones being a couple of bills to protect transit operators, and before that--during the 2008 federal election campaign--a series of funding announcements in major Canadian cities.
Last week, Toronto NDP MP Olivia Chow introduced a National Public Transit Strategy. In a press release, the NDP said Canada was the only OECD member state without one. From the release:
“Canadians deserve ...
February 8th, 2011
Forest defence and civic life – open letter to defenders of Kanata’s Beaver Pond
By Tim Lash // No Comments
Editor's note: Spacing Ottawa contributor Tim Lash has authored the following open letter to the activists and community leaders advocating for Beaver Pond and the South March Highlands:
To:
Anita Utas, artist
Gord Henderson, President, Kanata Beaverbrook Community Association
Steve Hulaj, advocate, Ottawa's Great Forest
Dr. William Commanda, Elder, Algonquins of the Ottawa River Watershed
Julie Comber, PhD candidate, U of Ottawa, Stewardship Plan for the Beaver Pond Forest
Will Amos, Director, Ecojustice Environmental Law Clinic, U of Ottawa
Paul Renaud, South March Highlands-Carp River Conservation Inc
Dear Anita, Steve, Gord, Paul, Chief Commanda, Will, and Julie
I admire your energy in protecting Kanata's ...
Peddling our ounce on Rideau
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="593" caption="Collecting speed data on Kind Edward: photo by http://kingedwardavenue.com/"][/caption]
Apartment 613 has new columnist -- he's the new city councilor for Rideau-Vanier ward, Mathieu Fleury. He introduced himself to readers this week and then touched on the kind of approach he wants to take to the business of the City:
I hope to find proactive and preventative solutions to your problems. My educational background in the health sciences taught me the importance of being preventive. I was once told that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and I ...
February 9th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Suburban War
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Music, film, and (sub)urbanism are set to collide next week in screenings of the short film Scenes from the Suburbs - a collaboration between Arcade Fire and Spike Jonze, which will run from 12-18 February at the Berlinale. (polis)
• A planned joint venture between U.S. retail REIT Tanger Factory Outlet Centers and Canadian RioCan REIT will seek to expand outlet centres into the Canadian market. (RetailTraffic Magazine)
Infill, Part 3: Katherine Hobbs with a crucial difference
By Katherine Hobbs // 7 Comments
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Editor's note: Katherine Hobbs is the City Councilor for Kitchissippi Ward and is a member of the City of Ottawa's Planning Committee. She has authored the following piece as a contribution to our ongoing discussion around the City's "infill development" policies and practices.
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At Planning Committee on Tuesday we approved an infill project at 73 Crichton Street in New Edinburgh (shown above) with my support. At the previous Planning Committee, we also approved an infill project at 71 Hopewell Avenue in Old Ottawa South, that time with my dissent. Why the differing vote?
Both projects were contemporary additions to old streetscapes in established neighbourhoods and both were recommended for approval by city staff in accordance with the zoning by-law, though the latter only reluctantly so. In contrast, they present a study in what works and what doesn’t for small-scale residential infill.
The Hopewell Avenue project was a study in what residents don’t like about infill residential construction. It was suburban contemporary with front garages, side doors and height above the norm for the street. Planning staff recommended approval in spite of it not following the Urban Design Guidelines for Infill development because the project met the requirements of the Zoning By-Law, and an appeal from the developer to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) would have almost certainly been a victory for the developer. It was clear that staff were heartbroken to recommend approval, but their hands were effectively tied.
February 11th, 2011
Next Stop: Gatineau Park Ski Trails
By Kalle Hakala // 1 Comment
If you are an Ottawan, there’s a good chance you have adapted to the inevitability of winter by taking up sports or activities – either the kind that take advantage of the season and its snowy offerings, or those found in the climate-controlled comfort of an indoor gym or pool.
If you don’t have access to a car, most neighbourhoods are fortunate enough to have local outdoor skating rinks or a recreation centre, and of course there is the World’s Largest Skating Rink which bisects the inner part of the city, and is very accessible by public transportation. However, if you are a cross-country skier, you may experience urban claustrophobia unless you are able to bribe a friend into letting you stow away in their car to the trails. But there is a third way -- and believe it or not, it's the bus!
Ottawa is blessed with three publicly-accessible cross-country ski trail networks within 15km from downtown: Stony Swamp, Mooney’s Bay, and the unparalleled Gatineau Park. As I have recently discovered, each can be accessed relatively effortlessly via public transit. And for those that are skeptical of taking ski equipment on the bus, it may be a relief to know that cross-country skis are usually very light, and with a few ties or a ski bag, can be easily transportable. Just bring a small backpack with your boots, water, snack, and a change of shirt (so you don’t get cold on the ride home). Some backpacks even have straps on the site to hold skis and poles.
Watch NFB: Welcome to Pine Point
By Julie Matlin // No Comments
Editor: Spacing is pleased to continue our partnership with the National Film Board of Canada to showcase films and interactive projects from their online screening room. Julie Matlin of the NFB will be occasionally posting films here on Spacing that explore public spaces, Canadian or international cities and anything urban. The NFB is one of Canada's greatest resources. Click here to view their entire online collection. ...
February 12th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Subway Architecture, Cross Country Trails and a National Transit Strategy
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
The Meadowbrook neighbourhood of Montreal is faced with a curious situation; what to do with an excellent development proposal that is poorly situated, doesn't meet the highest hopes but still represents a dramatic tangible enhancement of the status quo?
The Photo du jour series never fails to capture incredible images of the beautiful city of Montreal and is always worth a look.
At the start of the year of the rabbit a new art exhibit in Saint John uses contemporary art and community events to explore perceptions of Orientalism.
Stakeholders in the institutional district of downtown Halifax are launching a series public engagement sessions to determine the next steps of establishing the necessary cycling infrastructure in the area.
Will Alsop unveiled his design for the new Steeles West station on the Spadina subway extension this week. Alex Bozikovic is critical of the design and its failure to give any recognition to the context of the surrounding area.
Dyland Reid looks to the Netherlands for an innovative solution to protecting bikes that must be stored outdoors. In the historic city of Delft, the Dutch are using stylish glass domes to protect bikes from the elements.
February 13th, 2011
Our urban environment is over-fenced
By Erin O’Connell // 8 Comments
[caption id="attachment_5082" align="alignnone" width="580" caption="Charlottetown 3 kms from city centre: nary a fence in sight"][/caption]
Do good fences really make good neighbours?
We’re into the depths of winter and for those of us who love being outside without 14 layers of clothing puttering about in their gardens, spring is just around the corner. The planning profession is well represented in Spacing's readership, so I suspect that many others share my love of lists and ‘projects’ including improvements to outdoor spaces. Now is the time for staring longingly out to the yard/patio/balcony with hands wrapped around a big mug of hot liquid in lieu of the summer time beer.
So what project is being pondered for my own back yard that might hold larger implications, you ask? Well – that project would be fencing. There is a chain link fence that wraps around two lot lines of our rear yard. Not the most attractive feature, although it does have certain advantages such as transparency and durability. I can only assume that the fence was erected as part of a larger project by the former owners that included gates on the other side and enclosed the yard so as to allow the numerous pets to hang around outside. The intent of the fence was to “wall in”.
February 15th, 2011
Photo of the day: YMCA
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
As captured from the top floor of the new Beaver Barracks development, Catherine and Metcalfe.
Image copyright Milan Ilnyckyj. sindark.com.
February 16th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Paris/NYC, Gehry, Arts Funding
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Would New York with Parisian streets still be New York? Planners at Columbia University pose this question with a map and rendering of New York superimposed with the grand boulevards of Paris. (Untapped Cities)
• New Yorkers are welcoming Frank Gehry's latest addition to the city's skyline with trepidation. The Spruce Street project is Gehry's first skyscraper and the tallest luxury residential tower in the city's history. NYT critic Nicolai Ouroussoff says it "epitomize[s] the skyline’s transformation from a symbol of American commerce to a display of individual wealth."
• In Tel Aviv, reports Sustainable City Blog, a member of city council suggests instituting a participatory budgeting process.
February 17th, 2011
Chinatown’s Lucky Eight, with Eric Darwin and Gowalla
By Spacing Ottawa // 4 Comments
The second Spacing Ottawa Gowalla trip went online this week. Drawing heavily on the excellent West Side Action blog by community activist Eric Darwin of the Dalhousie Community Association, the interpretive tour takes the walker past eight Chinatown attractions from the impossible-to-miss splendour of the Royal Chinatown Arch through lesser-known oddities like a Dutch-style woonerf and the so-called "staircase house" built into the rock face of an escarpment, with a few stops for authentic Chinatown refreshments along the way.
Gowalla trips are best enjoyed from a smart phone or mobile device connected ...
February 19th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Over-Fenced, Bike Lane Backlash and Migrations of the Rich
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Spacing Montreal talked a lot about heritage preservation this week. Alanah Heffez discusses how some of the most important victories in heritage preservation come in the form of procedural victories rather than simply preserving postcard settings. On the other hand Guillaume St-Jean posted some striking photography of the demolition of Saint Sauveur Church.
Devin Alfro follows the history of the migrations of Montreal's most prestigious neighbourhoods and the wake of opulent architecture this migration has left in its path.
Crystal Melville used Valentine's Day to collect testimonials from readers about how and where they have found love for and in the city.
Emma Feltes discusses the results of the recently held bikeways forum by four of Halifax's largest institutional land users on how to create better bike infrastructure in the institutional district of the city.
Dylan Reid provides a fascinating look inside the transportation talk that took place at last week's GTA Summit. Discussion ranged from bold ideas on how to empower Metrolinx to expressions of hope for the implementation of the region-wide Presto fare card.
As Toronto struggles with 'war on the car' rhetoric, Jake Schabis reports on similar push back happening to new bike infrastructure all over New York City and that city's different political response.
February 21st, 2011
When every day is a Busman’s Holiday
By Spacing Ottawa // 2 Comments
Peter Raaymakers over at Public Transit in Ottawa makes a great point this morning:
It seems like everyone is talking about the video that's surfaced recently of an OC Transpo operator absolutely ripping in to a rider on his bus, not just laying down some ridiculous personal insults but unleashing some pretty ugly profanity (all within earshot of young kids, no less). Some have come to the defence of the operator in question, including transit commission chair Diane Deans and acting ATU ...
February 23rd, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: River maps, safe streets, city guide
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Artist Daniel Huffman's transit-inspired river maps draw a new link between cities and rivers. "I wanted to create a series of maps that gives people a new way to look at rivers: a much more modern, urban type of portrayal," he writes. (CMYBacon)
• A team of researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health has published a study which compares cyclist safety on separated right of ways and on-street routes, using data from Montreal. Contrary to conventional transportation engineering thinking, the authors conclude that separated right of ways are safer for cyclists. (Bike Portland)
• Looking for an alternative guide to L.A.? A group of local artists have recently released, Scores For the City - an urban guide which highlights important moments in the city's social choreography. (GOOD)
February 24th, 2011
“The Voice” and the very first pattie: Black History Month in Ottawa
By Francesco Corsaro // 1 Comment
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Ottawa has a thriving black community whose history in the region stretches back to before the arrival of Lt. Col. John By. While much is published, there is something to be said about sitting down with someone and listening to their personal story. I met with Thomas Barber, a descendant of Alexander Rogers (b. Kentucky, 1865), to talk about the history of the Barber family which spans from the USA of the late 1800s to Ottawa in the early 20th century. Barber gave an enthusiastic and knowledgeable account as he described the spaces that his family occupied in their daily lives.
Two of Barber’s uncles were respected business owners, and both lived and worked in parts of the city that have seen a great deal of change over time. Barber’s Uncle Jack ran a bicycle business at 135 Nelson Street, out of a modest house which was at the time a neighbourhood gathering spot. Sadly, the house was destroyed and replaced with a parking lot. Uncle Jack’s own home, located at 19 St Joseph Street, met a similar fate — it is now the parking lot for De La Salle High School.
February 25th, 2011
Ottawa online urbanity, unite!
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
Date: Thursday, March 3
Time: 7.30PM-9.00PM
Place: Imperial Food and Beverage, 329 Bank (near Gilmour)
Spacing Ottawa is joining with the talented writers and editors from Apartment 613 and OpenFile Ottawa to host a social evening at Imperial Food and Beverage. It's a perfect opportunity for contributors to -- and readers of -- three of Ottawa's urban-oriented websites to meet up and put some faces to some names.
And to get the evening off on the right foot for one sharp-eyed Spacing Ottawa reader, we promise a free "beverage" (wink-wink) for a first-time commenter (there ...
February 26th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Studentification, Trash Entrepreneurs and Black History Month
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Devin Alfro speaks to the intricate concerns surrounding plans for a second campus of UdeM in Outremont including the concern over Studentificationin the currently affordable areas of the nearby Parc Extension neighbourhood.
Alanah Heffez shares and provides context for some incredible photography she took while flying out of the city on a winter morning.
The Halifax Regional Municipality is looking for a new design for municipal bike racks. Spacing profiles the launch of the design contest.
Spacing Atlantic is home to an ever evolving collection of great photography from across the urban areas of the maritimes. The Atlantic Snapshotsseries continued this week with shots of Saint John and the Confederation Bridge.
Jessica Lemieux takes an interesting look at the issue of trash by highlighting the entrepreneurial activities of dumpster divers in Toronto, their ethical considerations and the interaction of the City in this urban closed cycle activity.
The Head Space feature this week sat down with architect Michael McClelland of E.R.A Architects to discuss the state of heritage preservation efforts in Toronto.
February 28th, 2011
Video: Bay Street, 1988
By Evan Thornton // 3 Comments
What amazes me about this vintage video, shot in Dundonald Park, is just how little the buildings in the background have changed in the ensuing 23 years. I walk past this corner several times a week, and other than the boxy tuna-boat Fords and Chevies cruising along Somerset -- and the old-style "Brewer's Retail" beer-store signage -- this really looks as if it could have been filmed last summer, from one end of the camera's pan to the other. I'd almost swear the plastic playground furniture is still the same, though ...
March 1st, 2011
Bent rims and soaked pedestrians: is there a better way to drain our streets?
By Evan Thornton // 4 Comments
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The above images were posted recently by Kathryn Hunt on her Incidental Cyclist blog. Kathryn is an all-season cyclist and in the winter months she often documents the challenges and hazards of staying on two wheels in the slush and the ice. As thaws come and go, by February a new cycling hazard appears -- the kind of tire-flattening, rim-bending potholes seen in the pictures above.
Looking at them something becomes clear - a hell of a lot of potholes appear in the curb side lane, close in to the sidewalk, near the gutter drains. That's where you would expect the freeze-and-thaw cause of potholes to be at the worst, of course. The cracks nearest the drains fill with water which turns to ice and pries them further apart, the next thaw attracts more meltwater, and the next freeze opens the cracks even wider.
So why do we engineer our streets to drain to the curb, where the potholes are most likely to create serious hazards for cyclists and the puddles they contain are most likely to splash all over pedestrians? Basically, that's what West Side Action's Eric Darwin was asking last fall, with this post:
March 2nd, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Growth, colour-coded buses and library revival
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• WebUrbanist has a series of stunning photos documenting the speed of development in Dubai (pictured above), Shanghai, Bangkok, Panama City, London, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Paris, New York and Shenzhen.
• Buses can be an unwieldy option for unfamiliar transit users; unlike fixed route systems, it can be more difficult to tell where you might end up. Unless you find yourself in Seoul where they are making it easier for bus riders to find their way. Using a colour coded system which differentiates between trunk, feeder, intercity, and circular routes, and route numbers which signify origin and destination, the city improved travel times, held transit modal share steady and decreased the transit operations subsidy by US $421 million. (Re:Place Magazine)
News release: Clive Doucet joins Spacing Ottawa
By Spacing Ottawa // 3 Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Clive Doucet joins Spacing Ottawa as Urban Policy columnist
Ottawa - Ontario- March 2, 2011 - Long-time City Councillor and recent mayoral candidate Clive Doucet has joined Spacing Magazine’s city blogs network as Urban Policy columnist for Spacing Ottawa, (http://spacingottawa.ca) it was announced today by Spacing editor Evan Thornton.
“We are delighted to have an urbanist and writer of Clive’s accomplishment with us at Spacing”, Thornton said. “Our mandate at Spacing is to explore the urban landscape, and as his career has shown, there is no one thinking more clearly and ...
March 4th, 2011
Back to the ’60s: council votes on retro road for southeast commuters
By Sherry McPhail // 11 Comments
[caption id="attachment_5243" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="If you're driving through Alta Vista, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair."][/caption]
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Three plaques went up on Toronto’ s Spadina Avenue last year celebrating the 1971 victory over the never-built Spadina Expressway: a victory over car-centric planning won 40 years ago.
Meanwhile, Ottawa is marking a different milestone. We’re voting on whether to build our commuter expressway: the Alta Vista Transportation Corridor parkway, phase 1.
The phased approach is making it hard for councillors to realize the gravity of their decision. On March 8-10 they will debate and vote on phase 1—the $55 million, 1.2 km AVTC hospital link.
Councillor Hume is calling it a “standard city street.” The map in the budget document shows a simple black line linking Riverside Drive to the General Hospital.
But have a look at the real plan. Note the similarity to the layout of the full parkway through the corridor. The $55 million price tag covers the underpass, bridge and loop necessary for a much bigger road.
March 5th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: The Don Valley, Urban Camping and Versailles
By Marcus Bowman // 1 Comment
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Why don't we go camping in the city? Alanah Heffez posted two articles this week dealing with the idea of urban camping profiling an effort to get campsites established in Montreal and discussing the merits and restrictions on urban campfires.
Joel Thibert is proposing to walk across the entire Montreal region; a 100km trek over the course of a June long weekend and is looking for others to join the expedition.
Spacing profiles the project for Music in New Spaces which aims to expand music to new audiences and its upcoming string of performances in the quasi-public space of VIA Rail stations across the maritimes.
Emma Feltes makes an appeal to those who could lead Jane's Walks around Halifax this May.
With government privatization making news across North America, John Lorinc looks at the Ford Administration's move to bring in outside budget consultants and speculates about their potential role in an outsourcing process.
Jessica Lemieux reflects on a walk through the Don Valley and uses a German friend's confusion about the definition of a ravine to reflect on sense of place and urban conservation in evolving settings.
March 7th, 2011
ERIC DARWIN: Good Neighbours on Snowy Sidewalks
By Eric Darwin // 7 Comments
[caption id="attachment_5274" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Snowblower Samaritans: does your block have one?"][/caption]
Whether or not you enjoy well-plowed winter sidewalks depends on where you live, when you use them, and your neighbours.
Sidewalks get a lot of use in the urban bits of the City. Especially where the road is a grid pattern, pedestrians can get from point A to B directly and easily on a route easily understood.
The City plows the sidewalks in winter. If you are an early riser walking to work or the bus stop, the sidewalk plowing is most noticeable when it hasn't yet been done at 7am. Non-commuters with flexible time are more likely to be satisfied with plowing provided it is done at all.
Neighbours can pitch in, for better or worse. On one side of my street there is a retired resident with a snowblower. He usually makes the first track all the way along the block, as he has done for years.
Ottawa marathon goes urban for visual interest
By Evan Thornton // 8 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="New "more urban" Ottawa marathon course"][/caption]
In a news release today, the people behind Ottawa's race weekend are talking up their new "more urban" routings, rightly sensing that a course through Ottawa's visually appealing main street districts is a lot more interesting for contestants and supporters alike than the usual windswept southbound routing through the Experimental Farm.
The real innovation is the main marathon's sweep west, though Chinatown -- and underneath its magnificent Royal Arch -- through West Wellington and ultimately through Westboro before returning east via the Ottawa River Parkway.
The three ...
March 8th, 2011
Photobooth – urban blog night at the Imperial
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
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Readers and contributors from three Ottawa urbanist websites - Apartment 613, Open File Ottawa, and Spacing Ottawa got together for a social evening at Imperial Food and Beverage on March 3, 2011. Spacing Ottawa photographer Justin Van Leeuwen was there to record the fun.
If you were there and would like a print or a higher-resolution version, you can contact Justin here. Justin also has alternate takes for many of the photos.
March 9th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Trouble in paradise and the beauty of dust
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• A city known for its pervasive car culture, Los Angeles is the proud new owner of a bike plan - and a broken arm may have started it all. While L.A.'s new plan targets bike lanes and bike parking improvements, local experts say it speaks to a cultural shift that will make roads more friendly for all users. Moving forward, cycling advocates will need to address funding issues and bureaucratic heel-dragging to ensure the plan is put into action. (GOOD)
• New York has long been the darling of bike infrastructure advocates. But for all the praise lavished upon NYC's bike infrastructure revolution, there is evidence that its well laid plans may be coming apart at the seams: a lawsuit over the Prospect Park West bike lane and political in-fighting over autocratic decision making.
• Perhaps those making a fuss in New York ought to consider this infographic from the Intelligent Cities Project. By their calculation, if a city can reduce car ownership by 15,000 vehicles, an additional $127,275,000 could stay in the local economy. (Intelligent Cities Project)
March 12th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Grafitti Removal, Autoroute 25 and Pecha Kucha
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Devin Alfaro looks questioningly down the 401 and wonders if a Rob Ford figure could ever be elected in Montreal. While his quick answer is no, he offers many musings about the political differences and similarities between the two cities.
As the new extension of autoroute 25 between Montreal and Laval approaches completion Alanah Heffez looks back on the shortcomings of the process which lead to the prioritization of new highway infrastructure and the future of the lands around the new highway.
How far should planners look into the future? Hugh Pouliot reports from the opening address of the IMAGINE Conference at Dalhousie University where Professor Bruce Tonn considered the merits of planning for the next hundreds to thousands of years.
Crystal Melville profiles some of the dialogue from a Pecha Kucha event in Halifax themed around Architecture's snub of the suburbs and suburban apologists.
Jessica Lemieux takes a look at the Portlands and the complexities of the soil remediation efforts taking place there. The post examines why the process is necessary, how it works and what surprises have been found as the earth is recycled.
Graffiti removal was a theme this week with Dylan Reid comprehensively delving into the issue of how the City should approach an area that has ideological issues for both sides of the political spectrum and subjective questions of what is worth saving. Shawn Micallef responded by showing some graffiti that the Mayor may not want to remove.
March 14th, 2011
Japanese earthquakes – a century of urban devastation
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
The harrowing images coming to us from across the Pacific are heightening the sense of dread felt around the world about the final tally of the death toll in northeastern Japan; at the time of posting authorities were advising the number of people killed by the quake and the subsequent tsunami could well exceed 10,000. The Flickr pool shown above -- which also includeds video clips -- is a real-time digital response to the earthquake, at once a quickly-evolving document of the ...
March 15th, 2011
CLIVE DOUCET: Sprawl-free with no commute – the Whistler advantage
By Clive Doucet // 9 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed inspects the infrastructure"][/caption]
It seems like you’ve landed in paradise when you arrive in Whistler. The road winds along a coastline of staggering beauty with mountain peaks draped like snow capped cathedrals in every direction. I kept wanting to rub my eyes like a child, expecting to wake up in the familiar, calmer landscape of the Ottawa valley. I’ve skied for a long time but never in mountains with the variety of pitches and landscapes as Whistler.
We skied off the mountain top down into Blackcomb glacier where no photograph could capture the magnitude of those towering rock faces and great fields of glistening snow. To be there was as unforgettable, as was the skiing. I was told by a resident that it was the best skiing he’d seen in 41 years - white powder from every peak to valley floor. You could let your skis run for more than four kilometers without stopping on one of the longest runs in the world. After four days of non-stop skiing, I began to wonder if it was possible to be snow drunk so unending, so white and encompassing was the landscape.
March 16th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: All opposed?
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• UPDATE: For more on New York City's bike lane woes, check out: How one New York bike lane could affect the future of cycling worldwide (The Guardian), Battle of the Bike Lanes (The New Yorker), John Cassidy vs bipeds (Reuters).
• Michigan Governor Rick Snyder's Local School District and Fiscal Accountability Act allows state-appointed emergency managers to seize control of local governments in financial emergencies to renegotiate contacts, terminate collective bargaining agreements, close schools and dissolve or reorganize governments and districts. As Slate discovers this power is not unprecedented.
March 17th, 2011
WALKSPACE: Sidewalk location matters
By Eric Darwin // 4 Comments
[caption id="attachment_5395" align="alignnone" width="401" caption="Albert Street MUP (far right)"][/caption]
Sidewalks are installed by the City as an afterthought. They are simply glued to the side of the curb on the assumption that if the road geometry is good for cars, it's perfect for pedestrians. There is little consideration given to pedestrian origin or desires. And certainly no thought is wasted considering the pedestrian experience when actually using those sidewalks.
The picture shown above illustrates the dire predicament faced by pedestrians in the city. The spray of water-borne salt, grime, and muck is visible on clean snow, as shown above. But it is present year round, it's just that there is no clean snow to illustrate the spray pattern in spring, summer, or fall.
Given the contempt with which we treat pedestrians, it's a wonder that there are any pedestrians at all.
March 18th, 2011
Photo of the Day: Looking Up
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
... at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
photo by Justin Van Leeuwen
March 19th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Green Roofs, Greenbelts and Whistler
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Whistler Village from the Mountain
Are the governing Conservatives trying to dig up age old conceptions of the urban-rural divide in a divide and conquer campaign for Quebec votes? Alanah Heffez speculates about what such politicking says about our government.
Every city has a mythology surrounding its founding father(s), but what about the founding mothers? Alanah Heffez responds to Mayor Tremblay's recent designation of Jeanne Mance as a co-founder of Montreal. Heffez looks into the history books to tell the remarkable story of Mance and the role she played in the city's early days.
Hugh Pouliot takes a looks at the submission of Dalhousie planning student Kourosh Rad which was the recipient of the Mayor's Award for Excellence & Innovation in Planning.
Also from the Imagine Conference at Dalhousie University, Natascia Lypny takes a look at a proposal for a greenbelt in Halifax. Based on a presentation by Jen Powley the post looks at how a greenbelt would fit with long range planning objectives and what it would look like.
As Toronto continues to work through the implementation of its ambitious green roofs bylaw Jessica Lemieux takes a look at some of the recent history of Green Roofs in the city. She also looks at some of the players involved in their design and reflects on their social benefit.
With the new dynamic at Toronto City Hall becoming more clear, John Lorinc takes a look at a group of six independent councilors whose swing voting could hold the balance of power if they only realized it.
March 21st, 2011
Time-lapse drive through Ottawa
By Spacing Ottawa // 2 Comments
It's not our favourite mode of transport and house soundtrack gets a little wobbly in spots, but this "35 kilometers in 4 minutes" time-lapse drive, because it sticks to arterial roads and avoids the homogeneity of the Queensway, does manage to capture a lot of Ottawa's built form with breathtaking, dizzy-making speed. Red lights are a particular thrill - you'll see why - and they actually had one viewer we know pitching forward in his desk chair as he watched it on a 27 inch monitor.
March 22nd, 2011
When it’s easy to scold
By Evan Thornton // 3 Comments
Ken Gray takes Algonquin students to task today because so many of them choose to drive to that somewhat dreary suburban campus at Baseline and Woodruffe, rather than take a bus:
One of the biggest complaints at the college is not the lack of student common space, to be remedied by a new $52-million building, but the fact there isn't enough parking. So the students stuff the side streets with their cars, fill the Park-and-Ride lot cutting down the number of people who can jump from car to bus, and take ...
March 23rd, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Mines, Parking Lots and Truth Windows
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• We tend to associate mining operations with the hinterland. But in Johannesburg, 400,000 urban dwellers call the mining belt home and face incredible obstacles of environmental remediation, land tenure and service and infrastructure access. This breathtaking slideshow from Design Observer explores the human and natural ecologies of the mining landscape.
• In Vancouver, the city-owned parking management company has seen a dramatic 20% drop in revenues since the construction of the city's Canada Line. As more people choose to take transit, parking stalls totalling 10.5 hectares or 3% of the downtown land area have opened up. As the Vancouver Observer explains, this behavioural change has also opened up opportunities for additional affordable housing and public space.
• "The same proximity that got hogs heads on clipper ships now enables smart people to learn from each other". On this week's Guardian Business Podcast, host John Vidal speaks with Edward Glaeser and Jonathan Glancey about making city life more productive and Britain's ten enterprise zones. For more from Edward Glaeser, check out this recent interview about density, entrepreneuship and Indian cities at Globizen.
March 24th, 2011
Bayview Station should be a landmark
By Jay Baltz // 8 Comments
[caption id="attachment_5484" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Surely not the template for Ottawa's future LRT stations?"][/caption]
Jay Baltz is a Hintonburg resident and member of the Hintonburg Community Association board, who has served on numerous advisory committees for City of Ottawa planning and zoning studies, and is past chair of the City’s Built Heritage Advisory Committee.
This is the first installment of a new Spacing Ottawa feature where Jay will be looking at urban development and planning issues from the perspective of an involved resident, and examine practical alternatives to what he terms “Ottawa’s broken planning process.”
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Being consulted by the City of Ottawa could be a full time job. No fewer than eighty-seven current public consultations are listed on the City’s web site . One of these is the “Bayview-Carling Light Rail Transit Corridor Community Design Plan.” This obviously wasn’t named to produce a clever acronym, so Bayview-Carling CDP will have to do. The area it covers runs from the Ottawa River to Carling Avenue down each side of the current O-Train tracks, extending roughly east to Booth St and west to Fairmont Ave.
March 25th, 2011
The landscape that will never pay for itself
By Clive Doucet // 5 Comments
It’s hard to find anything in the world that I find more tiresome than listening to an ‘expert’ explain how the suburbs can be more sustainable if they were planned better - but we have to accept them because the suburbs are where the cheap housing is. It’s as if cheap suburban housing is an Act of God and expensive housing in the city centre is the distaff performance. The latest in a long line is Joel Kotkin in the Globe and Mail, (March 14).
Cheap, suburban housing has got zero to do with good or bad planning. It never has, not since Levittown was invented. Cheap suburban housing was a political creation, it always has been and remains so. It’s a deliberate, continuing act of city councils right across North America. Suburban tract housing, highway arterials, warehouse districts (malls) are subsidized by all levels of government and have been for 70 plus years.
March 26th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Transit Stations, Rail Crossings and Suburban Subsidy
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
The current Bayview Station in downtown Ottawa
A set of railway tracks between the boroughs of Plateau Mont-Royal and Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie have long been traverse with informal crossings formed by cutting away the chain link fence. New negotiations between the boroughs and Canadian Pacific could recognize the needs of pedestrian movement and eliminate the current game of cat and mouse.
As the second installment in the Montreal Lit series Gregory McCormick profiles the novel You Comma Idiot and how it captures the working class history of Montreal.
Crystal Melville reflects on the process of narrowing down a broad set of long range planning goals from the Imagine Halifax session into something which can be sold to the municipality as a complete long range plan by asking questions of where to find value.
The final version of the Draft Bikeways Plan for the institutional neighbourhood of downtown Halifax was presented this week. Crystal Melville profiles the event.
With the bike lane dispute in Brooklyn taking a turn towards the courts, Jake Tobin Garrett makes an appeal for calm on all the sides of the driver-cyclist divide and backs it up by showing how a calmer head could lead to a more productive dialogue.
As part of the No Mean City series Alex Bozikovic talks readers on a tour of the striking Native Child and Family Services building. The incredible interior design of the building includes a stylized and functional long house and council fire.
March 28th, 2011
WALKSPACE: We can do better than a self-effacing bridge
By Eric Darwin // 8 Comments
The City is conducting studies for the placement of a ped-cyclist bridge over the Rideau River connecting Somerset E to Donald Street. I think this will be a very useful link. I am also delighted that we are constructing a link based on its own merits and appeal to cyclists and peds and not just as an appendage catering to motorist origin-destination desires.
From the newsletter of the study team, I espy the following comment, which is pretty ...
March 30th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Decline, Manufacturing and Low Cost Place Making
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• UPDATE: Census 2010 figures, released March 22nd, add credence to Steve Tobocman's case for greater immigration to Detroit. According to the Detroit News, the city's population fell by 25% over the last decade to its lowest population in a century. The bad news left Mayor Dave Bing requesting a recount; a population of 750,000 is a crucial threshold for national funding (New York Times). For more census highlights, check out Next American City's roundup.
• Allison Arieff at the New York Times argues that manufacturing in North America isn't dead, it has just changed shape. Successful manufacturers in today's economy work in smaller, crafted batches which allow them to more easily respond to consumer preferences. She highlights “pride of place” as an essential ingredient in the brands of many local manufacturers; one that enshrines the role of local companies as more than just producers - as contributing members of their local community.
• In Bradford, England, a theatre troupe is celebrating the decline of the manufacturing landscape in another way. The Mill: City of Dreams is a play that celebrates the city's Lumb Lane mill and its rich history as a yarn-producing powerhouse. The play, staged in the abandoned mill, builds on interviews with residents and ex-mill-workers. (The Guardian)
March 31st, 2011
Where can I find Ottawa on the Internet?
By Morgen Peers // No Comments
[caption id="attachment_5535" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Generic Top-Level Domains: Ottawa is a bright green dot at top left"][/caption]
I say London, you think England? Or did Ontario come to mind? The duplication of town names around the world is endless. One town may be the original "Kingston" but does that mean it has exclusive claim to marketing rights? What about all the other Kingstons? This dilemma has been mute until now because commercials and brochures promoting a town could easily append a logo or country name to distinguish themselves. Now this Right to the Name debate is heating up with news from ICANN (the body regulating the internet) that within a year or two they'll sanction the creation of new top-level domains for cities. Instead of more ".coms" you'll be seeing .nyc, .paris, and most definitely .berlin. I want to explain what dotCities are, their supposed utility, how I dragged Ottawa into them mix and why I've since changed my position.
April 1st, 2011
Watch NFB: Radiant City
By Julie Matlin // No Comments
Editor: Spacing is pleased to continue our partnership with the National Film Board of Canada to showcase films and interactive projects from their online screening room. Julie Matlin of the NFB will be occasionally posting films here on Spacing that explore public spaces, Canadian or international cities and anything urban. The NFB is one of Canada's greatest resources. Click here to view their entire online collection. ...
Spacing Saturday: Pedestrian Bridges, Pedestrian Tunnels and Roadside Marquees
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Devin Alfaro examines bold and exciting plans to for the redevelopment and growth of Montreal's Downtown West End. The plans offer a a comprehensive vision for various aspects of the area, but as with most such schemes questions remain around implementation of improvements to the public realm.
Spacing Montreal tells the story of Maggie Flynn an artist who's unconventional work has helped to transform the urban landscape of the area. Recent projects include installing a tea room in disused bus shelter and other projects to better utilize urban spaces in a social way.
Alison Creba takes a fascinating look at different examples of roadside marquees and discusses what they say about the urban vernacular of the city through their contribution to urban hum.
In one more sign that spring is coming, Crystal Melville profiles the upcoming Seedy Saturday event hosted by the Urban Farm Museum Society of Spryfield in which budding gardeners can exchange seeds and share gardening know how.
Adam Chaleff -Freudenthaler looks back at the Miller administration to consider the subtle ways that a mayor influences the direction of their city. While broad policy initiatives are called the broad strokes, decisions such as where to spend time and which groups to support reflect the small strokes.
The Headspace series produced another installment this week as Luca De Franco interviewed Brian Iler from the waterfront advocacy group Clean Air. With the Toronto Port Authority attempting to start construction on a pedestrian tunnel to the Island Airport some time this year the discussion provides a fascinating looking into the many facets of the airport issue.
April 5th, 2011
Photo of the day: Canadian Museum of Nature
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
photo by Justin Van Leeuwen
April 6th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: WiFi, Modern Maps and Spring Colours
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Much of the digital infrastructure that surrounds us is invisible, yet it shapes our environment profoundly. A team of designers at the Institute of Design in the Oslo School of Architecture & Design and the BERG design firm in London have created a Light Painting WiFi Project to reveal the invisible internet ether. Using blinking lights which respond to WiFi signal strength, the team used long exposure photographs to make visible an immaterial component of the urban environment. (Singularity Hub)
• Attention cartography and urban history nerds: the New York Times has a great interactive map which allows users to compare John Randel's 1811 proposed grid with modern day Manhattan.
• Those in need of a burst of spring colour may benefit from a look at BLDGBLOG's feature on the Arc en Ciel building in Bordeaux, France. While the building isn't to everyone's taste, the author offers a good reminder that sometimes reality improves upon the rendering.
April 8th, 2011
“As a country we have spent billions on homelessness”
By Hans Cunningham // 2 Comments
Canada’s housing system is broken and, during this election, municipalities are pushing to fix it.
Finding adequate and affordable housing has become increasingly difficult -- not only for low-income Canadians but for middle and modest income earners too. Low housing starts, high homeownership costs, and almost no new construction of private rental housing (even when 1/3 of Canadians are renters!) have prevented many Canadians from buying homes and has put a strain on affordable rental housing.
With little movement in the rental sector, there aren’t many options left for low-income families and individuals. According to CMHC numbers, the average rent for a two bedroom is $1061 in Ottawa, $1134 in Toronto, and $994 in Edmonton. High rent and limited investment in social housing over the last 15 years have left over 175,000 families on waiting lists for affordable housing, putting a strain on shelters and emergency housing. It’s not surprising then that homelessness persists across the country. Both short-term and chronic homelessness translate into the high costs of default responses such as shelters, emergency services and institutional systems. The City of Toronto’s analysis of its Streets to Home program estimates the cost of delivering services to the homeless can cost cities $48,000 per person per year.
April 9th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Jeff Rubin, Noir Novels and Homelessness
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Gregory McCormick continues the Montreal Lit series, this week going back to the 1950s to look at the noir novel The Crime on Cote des Neiges. The book is particularly interesting for its depictions of Montreal's Golden Mile neighbourhood and the sexism of the time.
KC Bolton profiles the Hitting the Benchmark project sponsored by the Sustainability Projects Fund at McGill University. The project aims to inspire creative thinking about reuse in public infrastructure by making benches out of recycled materials.
Lauren Oostveen reflects on the passing of Chris Doyle, a local homeless man known in Halifax as the Clyde Street Pirate and someone who became a local landmark for his friendly and happy personality.
The Atlantic Snapshots feature this week highlighted an image that beauftifully captures the changing of the seasons in Canada.
The latest installment of the Head Space series includes a fascinating interview with Jeff Rubin the former CIBC chief economist who left the bank and went on to write the bestselling book Why Your World is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller about the upcoming effects of peak oil.
Jacqueline Whyte Appleby introduces this year's installment of the Toronto Public Library's Keep Toronto Reading Festival. The 2011 book Midnight at the Dragon Cafe will serve as the base for an ongoing series on Spacing and events throughout the city.
April 11th, 2011
Ottawa domes: the lost, the obvious, and the forgotten
By Mike Steinhauer // 2 Comments
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A few months back, I came across a beautiful photograph from the collection of the Bytown Museum. At first, I wasn’t able to identify the city I was looking at. I then spotted Chaudière Falls and came to recognize the beautiful stone and wrought iron fence that surrounds Parliament Hill. What threw me off were the domes in the foreground. “Domes? There are no domes in Ottawa,” I thought to myself. How wrong I was.
The most obvious one is located right on Parliament Hill. The Library of Parliament is perhaps the most iconic building in the national capital region. In fact, the Reading Room, located under the dome of the library, has been referred to by some as one of the “most beautiful rooms” in Canada. The original design for the Library of Parliament contemplated the construction of a groined roof made out of stone and hollow bricks. However, it was feared that due to the large span and the great weight of the materials, together with the height of the lantern, any imperfection in the work could have serious consequences. Even a dome-shaped ceiling and lantern made out of wood was being considered. Given its great height over the floor, so it was argued, the wooden dome would be ‘out of reach of fire’.
April 12th, 2011
What South Beach is Doing Right
By Erin O’Connell // 6 Comments
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I was recently in South Beach, Miami and having been to Florida a number of times, I was pleasantly surprised by how this area differs from the stereotyped remainder of the State. A few things in particular were worth noting as examples of what this area has really done well. Of course the enjoyment of public space is always easier in fair weather, but even given that natural advantage, as you stroll around this area it's clear that South Beach has taken a number of strategies that planners dream about, and has run with them.
Here are my five favourite things about South Miami Beach:
5. Useable park space
Lummus Park is a 100 metre wide swath of green space that runs for 9 blocks long and separates the bustling Ocean Drive from the beach. Contained within this linear green space are a number of useable areas including work-out space or playgrounds for grown-ups. Volley-ball courts also line this space between the road and the beach. In my opinion, in an urban setting, the more usable the green space is - the better, and that includes not forgetting that kids aren’t the only ones who like to play outside.
April 13th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Budget woes, skating highs
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray was released from custody yesterday after being detained during a protest of his city's budget deal. D.C.'s budget requires federal approval and consequently was subject to a number of overtly political riders targeting abortions for low income women, courts, and schools. (Washington Post)
• Metropolis Mag celebrates Holland's sidewalk district heating system. While the city's founding fathers and mothers ensured the downtown's success with snow-free pedestrian routes, more recent city builders have added to the sense of place with the installation of communal gas powered hearths.
• In Kabul, girls and boys are having fun, engaging with their city and with each other through an innovative project called Skateistan. A brief clip on polis provides a breathtaking view of the city through the eyes of young Afghan skaters.
April 14th, 2011
Queen Street: making the mediocre even worse
By Eric Darwin // 1 Comment
The loss of amenity is noticeable when an attractive bit of the pedestrian realm or sidewalk is adversely affected by adjacent developments. The contrast is less sharp when a mediocre space is made worse. Yet the result is the same: the pedestrian zone is impinged and impoverished.
I always find the C D Howe building in downtown Ottawa to be an underachiever. The building is somehow less than the sum of its parts. Inside there's a waterfall, winter garden, soaring three storey spaces, pedestrian bridges, jetson elevators, retail spaces, food court .... And outside offers an extra-wide sidewalk with some weather protection, plus "garden" space at the the east and west ends. Yet the building still seems unsatisfactory. Is the covered sidewalk diminished by the brutal columns and raw concrete beams? Do the massive flights of stairs down to the lower concourse ever seem welcoming?
April 16th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: South Beach, Citizen Advisory and Reclaiming Streets
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
The Dome of the Library Parliament
Spacing Montreal was on a roll this week presenting visions for taking the city back from the car. First off, Julien Cayer covered news of plans to remove lanes of traffic and parking in the East Plateau to create additional green space and cycling infrastructure.
Spacing also presented some fantastic imaginative artwork by Victor Lucuratolo showcasing idealistic visions of creative ways that Montreal could re-use the space currently devoted to automobiles.
Every city has a stock of beautiful houses that inspire the imagination of passer by. Lauren Phillips tells the story of how one such home, the 1816 Acadian Cottage, in Halifax was opened up for a special event by Dalhousie Art Gallery.
With Plan SJ, the new Growth Plan for Saint John, recently having been unanimously endorsed by council Abad Khan profiles efforts to take the plan into practical implementation.
Sean Marshall examines Yonge Street's claim to be the longest street in the world; examining how this legend got started, what it means, how its been recognized and whether or not it stands to any kind of scrutiny.
Dylan Reid brings an update on the news this week that Toronto could be scrapping its Citizen Advisory Boards. The discussion, brought on by a staff report serves as a chance to assess the effectiveness, role and value of the boards.
April 18th, 2011
DOUCET: Cities can’t survive on coffee and donut politics
By Clive Doucet // 3 Comments
It’s easy to understand why Mr. Harper is so enamoured with the coffee and donut franchise. They are everywhere from fishing villages on Cape Breton Island to the largest cities, and the Tim Hortons logo is omnipresent at the Brier, at the World Juniors, at the Olympics. Wherever Canadians gather, Tim Hortons is there. They even have the contract for the Kandahar cafeteria.
No wonder Mr. Harper loves to be photographed wearing the Canada logo and near a Tim’s. I like Tim Hortons. I love Canada. I like Mr. Harper. It’s as easy as one, two, three. The trouble is , it isn’t. “Tim Hortons politics” doesn’t work for cities.
Cities are where 80% of Canadians live and cities are a whole lot more complicated than charming photo-op associations. Cities depend on five giant, complex pillars, 1) food and water, 2) governance, 3) infrastructure, 4) security, 5) culture. Each pillar is as important as the other. Each is inter-dependent, without one pillar, the others will eventually fail.
April 19th, 2011
Hintonburg Hub: Will the City do the right thing?
By Jay Baltz // 6 Comments
[caption id="attachment_5712" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Bethany Hope Centre - a Hintonburg fixture since 1925"][/caption]
About 150 people came to the Hintonburg Community centre on April 4 to hear about plans for the “Hintonburg Hub.” The Hub, still in the conceptual stage, would be a much-needed community health centre at ground level with about 100 units of affordable housing above. The partners involved in this proposal—Somerset West Community Health Centre (SWCHC), the non-profit affordable housing corporation CCOC, Family Services Ottawa, and Citizen Advocacy—have been discussing the purchase of the site of the former Bethany Hope Centre at 1140 Wellington St. West with the Salvation Army, who recently indicated they want to sell the property. The site would include the Bethany property and the adjacent parking lot at the corner of Wellington and Rosemount.
Support for the concept appears pretty much universal so far. The community forum was widely publicized by both SWCHC and the Hintonburg Community Association. The large majority of the people attending the forum were from the community around the proposed site (confirmed by a show of hands). Nobody expressed opposition, while most who spoke were strongly supportive. The proposal for a health care centre is particularly welcome, since Hintonburg is on the edge of the SWCHC catchment and relatively distant from its main Eccles St. location. A heavily used walk-in medical clinic that had been on Rosemount closed several years ago, leaving the area without a nearby option. The pressing need for a healthcare centre was recognized by the City in the Hintonburg-Mechanicsville Neighbourhood Plan, approved by City Council, which explicitly makes it City policy to “encourage Somerset West Community Health Centre to open a health-care satellite office in Hintonburg.”
April 20th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: High speed rail, transit journeys and blue urbanism
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• China will slow down its high speed trains from 350 to 300 kilometres per hour in an effort to improve safety and affordability (AFP).
• Online platforms capturing geographic information, such as Foursquare, have been gaining popularity for a while. But a new player on the scene, Wanderlust, builds off of location-based sharing to allows users to capture the stories that come along with their journeys from place to place. (The Pop Up City)
• Across the pond, a company called Mudlark, has created a game which integrates the transit and bike journeys of London travellers. The game, Chromaroma, allows players to track their journeys and accumulate points via their Oyster cards.
April 21st, 2011
Food sampler: the struggle to eat on the street
By Sally Roever // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Street food in Bangkok"][/caption]
Editor's note: The City of Ottawa's restrictive street food regulations have come under
scrutiny this week, with a popular online petition calling for their review garnering hundreds of signatures. But street vending is not just as consumer choice issue, it is a public space concern; exploring that, the Inclusive Cities blog recently posted this news roundup on how street vending is dealt with in cities around the world; it is cross-posted here with their permission.
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Global news headlines about street vending are showing a stark contrast in the way cities are addressing consumer demand for the goods and services street vendors provide. On one side, the city government of Accra, Ghana implemented a total ban on street vending at any location in the city not designated as a hawking zone, enforced through fines, arrests and imprisonment. Meanwhile, in Canada, one city (Montreal) is considering a reversal on its long-time ban on street vendors, and in another city (Vancouver), local university students teamed with the tech industry to develop an iPhone app that will generate more demand for street vendors by delivering directions, menus and information about street food carts to consumers.
April 23rd, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Electoral Upheaval, Donut Shop Politics, and Sunday Shinny
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Devin Alfaro looks at surprising polls showing the NDP leading across the Montreal region and speculates about what an electoral upheaval could mean for the city. The discussion gets at the question of whether an area is best served by reliable support for a party or having to be played to with promises.
Marie-Sophie Banville reflects on her concerns for the city's plans to create a new public space in the Sainte-Marie neighbourhood of Montreal. Worried that the space will ignore the characteristics of the area and promote a different social class, Banville proposes a bold scheme for a socially inclusive restoration of nature.
Sean Gillis comments and speculates on the reasons behind a massive new commercial development at Bayers Lake approved without public consultation by the Halifax Regional Municipality. The development will help pay to upgrade infrastructure in the area but could adversely affect plans for a nearby regional park.
Following up on Earth Day, Halifax's Ecology Action Centre is kicked off a '40 Days of Action' campaign this week with a picnic at the site of a failed waterfront expressway project.
As part of the One Book Toronto series Jacqueline Whyte Appleby reflects on the use of highway 401 in this year's selected novel Midnight at the Dragon Cafe. Set during the time period in which the highway was being built, Appleby reflects on the process of building the freeway and how it changed lives in the Province; links to great historical shots are also included.
Following up on a feature in the latest edition of the magazine, Ian Malczewski highlights, and provides links to, a new short film about the Margaret Philip Cup, a memorial trophy awarded within the women's hockey league that plays in the frozen lagoons of the Toronto Islands.
April 27th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Pothole gardens and nuclear architecture
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Regina Urban Ecology showcases the delightful guerilla gardening technique of Pete Dungey: pothole gardens.
• Those of us in cities with food-vehicle woes will particularly appreciate the wares of Los Angeles-based catering company, Heirloom LA. Their full-service food truck offers locally-sourced meals and frequents favourite watering holes and farmer's markets. (GOOD)
• On the 50th anniversary of the publication of Jane Jacobs' The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Thomas Campanella laments the diminished role of planners from visionary professionals to bureaucratic hall monitors. (Design Observer)
April 28th, 2011
Rules for cyclists: break, bend, or follow?
By Kathryn Hunt // 9 Comments
Editor's note: 'Clickshift' is a new cycling feature on Spacing Ottawa authored by Kathryn Hunt. Kathryn is a writer and editor who started cycling as her main mode of transportation in early 2007. Now a year-round, all-weather cyclist, she has a hard time remembering life without two wheels. She maintains a cycling blog at theincidentalcyclist.blogspot.com.
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Spring is finally here: the roads are clear of snow and ice, the temperatures have crept up above zero while we weren’t looking, and a lot of people are getting their bikes out of storage, tuning them up, and getting them back on the road. Most cyclists, actually: while something like 2-3% of Ottawa’s population commutes by bicycle in the summer months, winter riders are far fewer.
I find that as a winter rider, when spring comes back, I readjust my relationship to the rules of the road. Conditions are different. I’m moving faster. I’m more relaxed. There’s more space. I can bike off-road again, hop more easily onto bike paths, cut through parking lots. But I also find that I roll my eyes when I go by someone riding on the sidewalk (unless that someone is a child.) In other words, in spring it becomes much more clear to me that we cyclists cherry-pick the traffic laws we follow: some of us knowingly and, maybe, some of us unknowingly. The rules of the road are a shifty grey area for cyclists, many of whom seem to feel that a) the rules are car-centric, b) cyclists are by nature anarchic, and c) they have the right to choose how they relate to cars. I see this in myself, as I execute a rolling stop at a four-way but grumble at the cyclist I see heading the wrong way up the sidewalk, or pedaling down Bank Street after dark with no lights.
April 29th, 2011
DOUCET: Cities are not a biological phenomenon
By Clive Doucet // 3 Comments
[caption id="attachment_5803" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="F-35 (with engine): a viable National Transit Stragegy?"][/caption]
Cities are not like trees. They are not a biological phenomenon. You can’t just add water and sunlight and expect a city to grow out of the ground. They are dependent on human organization and human organization has always depended upon politics. Politics are how we allocate the resources that produce a city’s food and water supplies, the infrastructure, the governance, the built form, the security, the possibilities for commerce, the commitment to shared objectives. Without successful politics cities fail.
The most important thing that happened to the city of Ottawa in the last decade was the 2006 election. In the Chiarelli/Munter/O’Brien election, the winner Larry O’Brien with John Baird’s crucial support managed to kill the contract that would have created the lowest cost light rail line in North America and begun to the transformation of the city from a car dependent city to a transit-first city. The direct costs to the city of that contract cancellation were a $100 million in lost start up costs and fines for broken contracts . The indirect costs were in the billions.
May 4th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Portland-Squared, Parking Science, Pigeons
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• TreeHugger reports on a new development of microhomes in Portland, OR. The developer, D.R. Horton, is choosing to build multiple dwellings between 364 and 687 sq. ft. rather than one giant home on the large lot . It is hoped that recently relaxed regulations on such dwellings will help to spur similar developments and the density and active transportation benefits they bring.
• Across the country, Portland, ME's jetport is going geothermal. A new ground-source heat pump drawing energy from beneath the employee parking lots will keep travelling Mainers warm through the state's long winter. (Grist)
May 7th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Election Fallout, Zinemobiles and Jane’s Walks
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
As the dust continues to settle from the dramatic results of the federal election, Devin Alfaro used two separate posts this week to comment on the representation in Montreal. First, he breaks down the many ridings that changed hands in the election to paint a new picture of the city's political landscape. Secondly, in an election day post he takes a look at the role of big city mayors in endorsing parties and shaping the election debate.
Alanah Heffez profiles a fantastic new public art exhibit in Montreal's Quartier des Spectacles. The exhibit provides users with a series of swings in which each trio of swingers contribute to a classical music composition through the momentum and height of their swinging.
Based on a curiosity regarding how the street-involved population proves residency in order to vote, Jessica Walker highlights the inherent difficulties of lacking an address and profiles the innovative Navigator Program in Halifax. Arising from the need to diffuse tension between shop owners and panhandlers the program aims to identify and fill in the gaps social support services and is funded largely by local business.
Just as libraries often reach out to geographically or otherwise segregated communities through book mobiles, a new project in Halifax aims to take Zines mobile by wheeling a collection of local publications around the streets. The project is currently looking for Zines to participate.
Jessica Lemieux takes a look at how the Norway Maple tree, a common part of urban landscapes in Southern Ontario, is both an invasive species and a symbol of local sustainability. While the Norway Maple can often crowd out local species like Red and Sugar Maple, its resiliency makes it ideal for tapping to produce Maple Syrup right from the backyard.
With Jane's Walks going on this weekend, Dylan Reid takes a look at how the project has spread throughout the world in just a few years, why it is so appealing and adaptable and how Spacing is contributing to some walks in Toronto.
May 9th, 2011
Dreaming in colour: The story behind Ottawa’s world-class transit map
By Adam Bentley // 1 Comment
Editor's note: At Spacing Ottawa we were captivated by Adam Bentley's vision of an Ottawa "transit map from the future" from our very first time of viewing. At the time, it seemed that the startling image just arrived in the blogosphere out of thin air, but in this post Adam shares the story of how it was that the diagram came to be propagated so quickly and so widely. To see a larger-scale image click here.
Whether you develop a plan to improve public space or a recipe for a new ice cream flavour, a good idea can spread like wildfire if it is presented properly –and you don’t need a degree in communications to do so. Several months ago, I developed a long-term vision for mass transit in Ottawa. Self-described “transit nerds” referred to this map as a “dream transit plan” or “fantasy transit map”. However, upon releasing the map online, a captive audience of urban and transit enthusiasts took the plan very seriously and provided useful feedback and compliments. After tweaking the proposal, I quickly found that this idea had received such a positive reception that discussion spread online through SkyscraperPage.com and TransitOttawa.ca. There was even an account by someone who claimed to have seen the map posted to a transit stop (I was never able to personally confirm this claim). I later asked several respondents what features of the map they thought inspired such a positive response. Their replies mainly included a clear message evident from the map’s content, the map’s ability to be easily understood by a variety of people, and my decision to present the map online, as opposed to community groups or as a letter to the media.
May 11th, 2011
VIDEO: Bike to work month
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
May is Bike to Work month and the EnviroCentre at City Hall has organized a campaign to promote it. The above video looks like it could be the first in an EnviroCentre series profiling Ottawa bike commuters.
We can't help but think that a robust and City-partnered BIXI system would have been the perfect program for the EnviroCentre to promote with this campaign, but once again it looks like we'll have to wait for another year for the City to partner with the NCC on bike-share.
Still, it's a crisply-shot and well-produced video, with ...
World Wide Wednesday: Brisbane Carparks and NFL Navel Gazing
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• The New York Times offers an interesting portrait of Richard A. Baker - CEO of retail giants, Lord & Taylor and the Hudson's Bay Company. The piece offers a fascinating window into the financial and land use power Baker exerts through his retail property holdings in the US and Canada.
• PriceWaterhouse Coopers and the Partnership for New York City offer yet another ranking of the global metropolises. Perhaps more important than the individual results, VP Merrill Pond concludes, "a great city is all about growing, retaining and attracting talent. Whether it's Stockholm with its strong education system or Toronto benefiting from its smart immigration policies, getting and keeping talent matters." (The Atlantic)
• Toronto city councillor, Doug Ford, is game to attract more talent to Hogtown. The rookie councillor raised the ire of New Orleans NFL fans when he suggested that their franchise might be better suited to Toronto and named a number of possible sites for a regulation-sized stadium. (Globe and Mail)
May 12th, 2011
DOUCET: Letter from Istanbul
By Spacing Ottawa // 4 Comments
[caption id="attachment_5878" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Streetcar platform, Istanbul - photo by Clive Doucet"][/caption]
The new experiences rain down on me so quick and fast, it is hard to know just what to say or where to start, but as I’m writing for Spacing, a blog concerned with urban landscapes, let me start with the landscape of Constantinople, a.k.a. Istanbul. It is magnificent. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, nor do I think there is. The city is built directly up from the sides of the Bosphorus and the city’s harbour, the Golden Horn, an indentation of the Bosphorous is so broad and deep it looks more like a river.
May 13th, 2011
Sculpture set to trump theatre at Nepean Point?
By Andrew Snowdon // 5 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480" caption=" Astrolabe Theatre: No more postcard views under Champlain's statue?"][/caption]
One of Ottawa's outdoor performance spaces, the Astrolabe Theatre—a legacy of the 1967 Centennial celebrations—is slated for demolition by the NCC this summer, and it's unclear what exactly is to replace it.
Behind the National Gallery of Canada lies Nepean Point, which boasts arguably the best view in Ottawa, overlooking the Ottawa River and the Alexandra Bridge to Québec. At the crest of the hill stands a statue of Samuel de Champlain erected in 1915 to celebrate the tricentennial of his exploration of the area. He holds aloft (upside down, and incorrectly) an astrolabe—a device used to make navigational calculations based on the position of the sun and stars (the forerunner of today's handheld GPS devices). It is from this that the amphitheatre situated on the side of the hill facing the Parliament buildings takes its name. It was built as a vantage point for the sound and light show on Parliament Hill, and used for many decades as for concerts and other performances.
May 14th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Fantasy Transit, Eyes on the Street and the Astrolabe Theatre
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Guillaume St-Jean put forward a number of new entries in the Montage du Jour series this week and as always they provided a fascinating look at the perpetual evolution of the city.
Gregory McCormick used the Montreal Lit feature this week to profile a book recently re-released by the McGill-Queen's University Press. The Watch That Ends the Night is Hugh MacLennan's assumed autobiographical reflecting on the immigrant story in Montreal's declining Golden Square Mile.
Katie McKay provides a Jane's Walk debrief on a Janet Barlow lead walk through a suburban development where a lack of eyes on the street has caused residents to turn against the pathway system designed to encourage pedestrianism.
Crystal Melville profiles this year's Carmichael Lecture presented by the Downtown Halifax Business Association. This year's lecture will focus on Urban Sprawl; it's effects on downtown and how to curb it.
Jake Schabas provides another great look into the most innovative planning initiatives going on in New York City with a list of three of the most interesting NYC projects followed by three Toronto based initiatives that are making a splash in the Big Apple.
Jonathon Goldsbie takes readers through the back room politics that played out in the lead up to last fall's municipal election. In detailing the story of Shelley Carroll's considerations of running for Mayor, Goldsbie examines how the progressive movement got, or failed to get, behind a candidate.
May 18th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Prague’s Farmers’ Market, Tel Aviv Bike Lanes
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• While much has been made of the recent controversy surrounding New York City's bike lanes, there is extensive support for this infrastructure and a record of this support from project inception. Check out the Blueprint for the Upper West Sideand this film produced by Streetfilms for some inspiration.
• Tel Aviv is experiencing similar backlash to its American cousin. As the Sustainable City Blog explains, the shift towards complete streets in what has traditionally been an autocentric town has raised the ire of many motorists. In contrast to New York's approach to the backlash, however, Tel Aviv officials are quashing resistance rather than looking for common ground: "the streets of Tel Aviv do not belong to the residents. No one owns the streets or the parking spots and the municipality does not have to conduct negotiations with the residents."
• As former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel stepped into his new role as Mayor of Chicago this week, The Transport Politic offers a sneak peak at the tough choices he'll face related to transportation policy. According to Emanuel's transition plan, focus will be shifted to bus rapid transit lines, well suited to the city's wide boulevards.
Capital Bixi in the rain: a geek’s first ride
By Evan Thornton // 1 Comment
Capital BIXI launched this morning; I've been waiting for this all spring, so at lunch time I made my escape and went looking for the nearest station. There was nothing doing at their stated location at the corner of Queen and O'Connor yet, so I went scouting for Plan B. I assumed the Elgin Street station would be the flagship location, and probably equipped with bikes first, and so it turned out to be.
I can report that the ticketing machine was easy to use -- it's basically a ...
May 19th, 2011
WALKSPACE: The amazing hanging puddle and crowdsourcing our own MUP
By Eric Darwin // 1 Comment
[caption id="attachment_4081" align="alignnone" width="596" caption="Just a dab of orange paint, but it means a City crew is on the ground"][/caption]
The City is an amazing bureaucratic machine. It spends most of its time and resources promising, planning, and budgeting. All of that mental heavy lifting seems to leave it quite exhausted, but, sometimes, just sometimes, it surprises by making something actually appear "on the ground".
There is a multipurpose path (MUP) (aka a bike path) proposed to run along side the O-Train corridor. Parts of it, south of Young Street, have existed since 1963.
This year, Council decided to fund an underpass under Somerset, which was the last big remaining impediment to the project.
Now there are signs of progress on the ground. The painted lines on the Somerset sidewalk (above) show the centre line of the underpass. Imagine, someone is actually out on site! The City has to remove the pavement on the road, dig the hole/trench, drop in the precast box underpass, and fill it in.
May 21st, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Bixi Bailout, Walkability and the Fort York Bridge
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
As Toronto and Ottawa roll out their new Bixi bike sharing programs this Spring, in the birthplace of Bixi there is controversy surrounding a municipal bailout for the organization behind the bike share. Alanah Heffez outlines the debate around the bailout and puts the question of whether or not it was a good idea to Spacing readers.
Joel Thibert takes a fascinating look into Urban Agriculture based on the premise that while coverage of the issue may be increasing, the actual phenomenon is far more than just a fad. Through this discussion Thibert examines the nature of what Urban Agriculture is really about; ultimately concluding that it may not be about cultivating produce but about cultivating gardeners.
Spacing highlights two fascinating panel discussions taking place in Halifax which aim to study the interaction of art and technology in the public realm. The Tracing the City symposium looks at how public space challenges the private nature of experiencing art while the Cineflux Symposium examines the issues around the 'digital turn' in contemporary society.
Atlantic Canada is a beautiful place and the Atlantic Snapshots series continued to capture that beauty in unique ways with several interesting new posts this week.
The Fort York pedestrian and cycle bridge was a hot topic in Toronto this week and two posts on Spacing aim to capture the essence of the issue. As part of the Headspace series Luca de Franco interviews activist Richard Douglas to get his take on why the bridge should be saved. Shawn Micallef takes a step back to see what the debate says about Toronto itself.
Dylan Reid highlights the Walkability Slide Show that has come out of this month's Jane's Walks and is being shown at the Urbanspace Gallery. The show highlights walkability issues in Toronto's low income tower neighbourhoods and the effect this has the lives of residents.
May 24th, 2011
Transit Vision/Transit Reality: Ottawa vs. Ankara, Part 1
By Clive Doucet // 10 Comments
[caption id="attachment_5935" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Turkish "Dolmus" (shared cab)"][/caption]
I enjoyed Adam Bentley’s transit map vision for Ottawa of the future, but nevertheless found it frustrating that the mindset in my home town can’t think about making it happen now. I don’t believe the Bentley vision is pie in the sky for two seconds. If we had gone ahead with the North/South project we would be well on our way to exactly this kind of region wide comprehensive service instead of stuck with what we have, which is the most expensive commuter service to operate in the country (combination of distances and deadheading), grafted on to an old city bus service that has less service for many parts of the city than it did 40 years ago.
May 25th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: The Whitney, LeafSnap, Climate Change and Tornadoes
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Construction crews broke ground this week on the new home of New York City's Whitney Museum. Check out this video on Architizer to learn more about the Whitney collection and the new space. While clearing space for the new Whitney, the Gansevoort Pumping Station in the city's Meatpacking district was removed. AsVanishing New York reports, old signage from the station will be donated to the FDNY. According to the Whitney press office, "[Architect] Renzo Piano was especially concerned with creating a building appropriate to its milieu and sensitive to its surroundings, but it was determined not to try to incorporate aspects of the old building in the design for the new one."
• GOOD shares the story of Vivian Maier, a street photographer, and the 26-year-old real estate who discovered her photographic canon of Chicago in a repossessed storage locker sale.
• LeafSnap - a new mobile field guide for smart phones allows users to identify tree species by photographing the leaves. As Garden Design notes, the app allow citizens to collect and share data on local tree species.
May 26th, 2011
Food is a city space issue
By Emily Sinclair // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="415" caption=" Sidewalk, Bank and Laurier"][/caption]
Two food-related stories have been making the rounds in Ottawa this spring. First is the great patio debate: how much should businesses pay for the right to operate patios on City streets? Second is the street food question: why is it so difficult for street vendors to offer more than poutine and sausage in food trucks and food carts? Each issue is governed by a discrete set of government regulations, but have a common implication for the livability and enjoyment of city space.
The patio issue is one of public space, as articulated by the municipal encroachment by-law . This by-law defines how public space is governed when a private business seeks to use and/or profit from a space that is owned by the City, such as a sidewalk or a piece of city property used for parking. The regulation also sets out a schedule of fees the City may collect from businesses for the use of these public spaces. The intent of the regulation seems fair as it allows the City to collect a form of rent from private businesses that profit from the use of a space that is ostensibly free to everyone. A recent staff report notes that the fee is justified as restaurants with patio space gain a competitive advantage because the patio increases the size of their restaurant. The downside to this arrangement is that the space becomes privatized and is no longer free; rather it is only available to paying customers. The by-law also regulates the permissible distance of patios from residential areas (no more than 30 metres).
May 28th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Artscape, Machine Space and Philly’s Waterfront
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Alanah Heffez posts the results of Spacing reader's reaction to Bixi Bailout and finds the split to similar to the actual council vote. Heffez argues that this shows how Montrealers consider the service beneficial to the city.
Guillaume St-Jean continues the Montage de Jour series, this week looking at the changes in the corner of Sherbrooke West and Metcalfe between 1967 and today.
New contributor and Memorial University Professor, Josh Lepawsky applies Ronald Horvath's 1974 idea about 'machine space' to the University's St John's campus for a fantastic visual representation of the space devoted to automobiles. Lepawsky then asks the questions about how this information about delegation of space could be used to further the university's sustainability goals.
Crystal Melville profiles a number of exciting events and projects taking place across the Halifax region this week including growth tours, bike week kickoff, community art and live performance.
Through another installment in the Headspace series, Luca De Franco interviews Tim Jones, President and CEO of Artscape, a Toronto based non-profit that creates live-work spaces for artists. Jones discusses past successful projects such as the Wychwood Barns and gives some details about exciting new projects including the community arts centre in the new Regent Park and the conversion of the magnificent century old Shaw Street School.
Alex Bozikovic reflects on the disheartening waterfront talk coming from the Fords in City Hall by highlighting the success that Philadelphia is finally having on its waterfront after decades of stalled mega-projects. The lessons being learned in Philly speak to the importance of improving infrastructure and public space.
May 31st, 2011
The Mill, revisited
By Evan Thornton // 6 Comments
[caption id="attachment_5974" align="alignnone" width="350" caption=""Hmmm...what's this? A note? Trouble about the Old Mill story, you say? Damn!""][/caption]
Several weeks ago I posted on the recently-announced plans to turn the Thompson-Perkins Mill -- the site of the late and unlamented Mill Restaurant -- into a brewpub.
After going discussing the site's major shortcoming -- basically that the multi-lane roadways that surround it make it far too removed from natural pedestrian traffic patterns, despite its proximity to the downtown core -- I concluded that:
..like so many of the riverbank amenities in our city, despite its proximity to us, (The Mill) might as well be miles away for those of us who are on foot. A multi-lane "cordon sanitaire" protects the facility from contamination by pedestrian traffic from either the south or the east. And when we think of where we like to dine in Ottawa, we think of the Market, Elgin Street, Wellington Street West; places where pedestrians are clearly welcome to explore and mingle.
June 1st, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: City games and urban hackery
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• The Pop-Up City has a great roundup of urban games hosted by Berlin's Invisible Playground. Have fun with transparencies to decode a message in the urban landscape or play a real life version of farmville (life imitating web imitating life). In contrast to virtual games, Invisible Playground's games "focus on the people in the city instead of the stuff.
• What if changing a city was as simple as changing software? That's the principle behind Renew Newcastle, a not-for-profit company which seeks to incubate small initiatives in vacant spaces in Newcastle, Australia. They achieve this goal using the model of hacking. Rather than creating a new operating system, they created new rules, contracts and relationships to open up space through barter arrangements. "We made the city work for people for whom it had not worked in a long time." (Grist)
June 4th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: the magazine launches first national issue
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
This weekend's Spacing Saturday is a special one: we focus on the magazine's first national issue that is set to hit newsstands on Monday.
While the look and feel of the magazine is no different than the local Toronto edition, the content has expanded to look at the joys, obstacles, and politics affecting all of Canada's large urban centres. Articles touch on topics like street performing in Victoria, Calgary's plans to support its arts community, how Ottawa's marathon is becoming more urban, and why the seasonal pedestrian mall on rue Ste.-Catherines has been a boon for local businesses.
We even created four regional covers for Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Vancouver (see the slideshow above).
The magazine is being launched on Tuesday in Toronto at the Design Exchange. All across Canada, starting this Monday, you'll be able to pick up an copy of the issue at all of our regular stores plus 85 new locations: every Chapter's/Indigo store across the country.
To celebrate this special issue, Spacing is hitting the road and hosting a series of events in 10 cities across the country — called the Spacing Road Show — in June and July. Hopefully you can catch us in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax. Keep an eye on our blogs, Facebook page and Twitter account to learn more about these parties.
Check out the web page to find out about the articles and features in this special national issue.
June 7th, 2011
DOUCET: Turkish transit Part 2: Moving People versus Fixing the Transitway
By Clive Doucet // 2 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Departures every minute: this airport is for buses"][/caption]
Once you get into the details, there are so many things that are different about Turkey’s shared transport system from Ottawa’s that it’s difficult to know where to start. For example, in Ankara, there are two kinds of buses those for passengers with passes called ‘ego’ and those cash fare – only buses. The cash fare buses have conductors which from an Ottawa perspective seems unnecessary, but when you see a full-on transit system operating at capacity 18 hours a day, it’s a whole different thing.
Consider that an articulated bus costs more than half a million dollars. An Ankara conductor can load 25 people faster than it can take an Ottawa bus driver to load two passengers looking for change or one mother with a stroller. The speed differential at bus stops is phenomenal. I’d guess it’s something like 20 to 25 % faster at every stop – that’s 20 per cent more productivity out of a half million dollar capital investment. Multiply that by how many buses you’ve got in your fleet, let’s say a 1,000 and suddenly you’ve got 200 more buses on the road.
June 8th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Three-way streets, Before I Die, Public Space Music Videos
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Kottke highlights Ron Gabriel's video - 3-way Street - a look at bad interactions between cars, bikes, and pedestrians at a typical NYC street intersection. It offers a visually interesting perspective on the ways modes interact and conflict.
• Artist Candy Chang shares some notes on her recent public space project, Before I Die. With permission from the building's owner, Chang's chalkboard invited citizens to share their preferred ending to the sentence "before I die…". Says Chang of her project, "I believe the design of our public spaces can better reflect what’s important to us as residents and as human beings."
June 10th, 2011
“The essential document of the formative years of Ottawa”
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Our friends at the Bytown Museum have news of a book release by by Robert Serré, with images from the museum's unique collection 0f 19th century photographs and illustrations.
The cover of the book itself is an image of Lieutenant Colonel John By from a watercolour painted in 1832, and will appear in the next Bytown show "Hidden Treasures" starting on June 22. Here's the news release:
Bytown At Your Fingertips is the essential document of the formative years of Ottawa. Key events, places, and people of Ottawa between the years ...
June 11th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Capital Bixi, Turkish Transit and the Cycling Etiquite Debate
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Spacing Launched its first National Issue this week in Toronto, Todd Harrison gives those who couldn't be there a look at the party and introduces the Spacing Roadshow which will take the magazine across the country this summer.
Alanah Heffez reports on the very early brainstorming processes for for how Montreal will celebrate its 375th anniversary in 6 years time. For now, organizers are soliciting input for any kind of ideas.
Guilllame St-Jean uses the Montage du Jour series to show a striking effect of road widening between 1979 and today.
Matt Neville reports on the formation of the 'Our HRM Alliance' as a follow up to early proposals to establish a greenbelt and tackle sprawl in Greater Halifax.
Spacing played host to an interesting debate this week past week that drew the attention of CBC Radio's Metro Morning. While Emma Woolley argued that cyclists need to embark on a fundamental shift in their respect for the rules of the road, Lisan Jutras retorted that perhaps if no one follows a law, the law itself may be the problem.
This week also saw the launch of an exciting new series that will appear every Wednesday on the Toronto Blog. David Miller: Transit Mayor is a series of candid interviews with the former Mayor that look into his life and leadership.
Dylan Reid analyzed to two fascinating new interactive maps of pedestrian safety and volumes across the entire city this week that provide an unprecedented look at where pedestrianism reigns and where pedestrians are in the most danger.
June 13th, 2011
Spacing Road Show starts this week!
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
This week marks the start of the Spacing Road Show!
Spacing's publisher Matthew Blackett is setting out on a 10,000km journey across Canada in June and July to promote the new national issue and to host launch parties/discussion panels in 10 cities (senior editor Shawn Micallef joins the tour in Edmonton). There are two parts to this tour: a western swing from Winnipeg to Victoria (June 16-July 5), and an eastern swing from Toronto to Halifax (July 12-25).
First up: Winnipeg on Thursday, June 16th at the RAW Gallery.
Events on the western swing will take place in Saskatoon (June 20th), Edmonton (June 22nd), Calgary (June 24th), Vancouver (June 28th), and Victoria (July 5th). The eastern swing starts in Toronto (July 12th), and heads to Ottawa (July 19th), Montreal (July 21st), and Halifax (July 25th).Check out the Spacing Road Show micro site for all the details of each event. You can also visit Spacing's Facebook page to RSVP to the events in your city.
June 15th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: International streetscapes, Montreal parks and too many bikes
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Montreal artist, Martin Reisch, is celebrating vintage girls in classic Montreal parks. His series of thirty second shorts showcases beautiful Montreal bands in the city's spectacular parks.
• Portland, OR - famous for its cycling infrastructure and spinoff cycling industry - is the proud home of a new "bike bar", Hopworks. The small restaurant features a variety of bike-friendly features including: a bike frame canopy, 75 bike parking spaces, bike tools and loaner u-locks. (BikePortland.org)
• Vélo Quebec wants to invite cars and bikes to the same venue. Copenhagenize shares a cute video from Vélo Quebec asking if these vehicles get along so well in our garages, why not on the road?
June 16th, 2011
BALTZ: Parking phobia to blame for Sherwood speedway
By Jay Baltz // 8 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Zig-zags: Doing a number on Sherwood "][/caption]
Mixing traffic engineering and politics can have unintended consequences. Take Sherwood Drive, running from Carling Ave near Dow’s Lake to Parkdale Ave just south of the Queensway onramps. Sherwood is thoroughly residential, featuring large, gracious homes with deep lawns, mostly built in the first half of the 20th century when the Civic Hospital neighbourhood was developed. Wide, well-kept boulevards with mature trees separate the street from the sidewalks. In short, it is close to being an ideal urban residential street.
Yet, Sherwood is the subject of continual complaints from residents about traffic, particularly its speed. One reason is that it provides a very convenient direct diagonal for traffic between the major commuter arterial of Carling and the 417, making it a desirable route indeed for those wanting to avoid the heavy traffic and signalized intersections on narrow Parkdale and other less direct routes. A look down Sherwood provides another clue. The street is enormously wide, with no barriers in the way of cars barreling between Parkdale and Carling except a few stop signs. Aiming your car down this road feels like being on a speedway.
June 17th, 2011
Let’s get lost: walking in a city where the paths have no name
By Eric Darwin // 6 Comments
[flickrslideshow acct_name="spacing" id="72157626981966048"]
As an urban society, we have to shift our focus away from exclusively serving motor vehicles as the norm, and towards serving people, regardless of the mode they use.
Say you want to give directions to visit you. Giving driving instructions is quite straight forward. Take Albert Street to Bronson then turn right… etc etc. Roads have names because people can remember them, sort them, and keep things somewhat straight.
Now try giving instructions to your house using pedestrian and cycling paths: “Well, just past the bridge over the railway tracks, take the unpaved path on the right, the one under the hydro pylons, and follow it till you get to the fifth path that runs off to the left and follow it to get to my street. And don’t take the fourth or sixth turn-off, or you will never get here.”
After all, we would never think of building streets without naming them, but we build paths without names. This lack of names denies them legitimacy. We name everything in our language; pundits and academics delight in putting a new name on some new trend or discovery. So why aren’t people demanding names for our paths? Especially with 9-1-1 service being geographically address based, knowing a location is a matter of vital urban safety as well as a convenience.
June 18th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Greenbelts, Historic Markets and Festival Space
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
As a growing coalition of actors in the Montreal Region continue to push for a greenbelt Joel Thibert looks into the history of greenbelts to explore their nature as simultaneously populist and elitisit, pro-urban and anit-urban and progressive and regressive.
Guillaume St-Jean's Montage du Jour feature this week captures the restoration of two beautiful century old houses in the city's Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood and provides a detailed description of how the restorations paid respect to the specific history of each home.
From the vaults of the Nova Scotia Archives Lauren Oostveen looks back to the history of the history of the Halifax Farmer's Market which has been housed in 17 different locations since its creation in 1750.
Malanie LaBelle looks at Charlottetown as a city perfectly positioned for an active bike culture and presents two fundamental reasons why such a culture has not yet taken root in the city.
John Lorinc uses the legacy and thinking of the individual for whom a prominent downtown public space was recently renamed as the basis for showing how such spaces can be transformed by the changing city and interplay of the arts. In doing so he challenges City Hall to consider the economic benefit of pubic investment in festival space.
Having recently come under fire from Doug Ford, Waterfront Toronto is the subject of this week's Headspace feature as Luca De Franco interviews Waterfront Toronto CEO John Campbell about the complexities of the agency's work and the scope of its benefit to the public.
June 20th, 2011
ROAD SHOW: In Saskatoon tonight, Edmonton & Calgary this week
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
To coincide with the launch of Spacing's first national issue, the magazine is hosting events in 10 Canadian cities this summer. The Spacing Road Show is sponsored by BMO SmartSteps for Homeowners and supported by Autoshare and the Canada Council for the Arts.
This week the Spacing Road Show kicks into high gear with events in Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Calgary.
SASKATOON
When: Monday, June 20, 7-10pm
Where: Persephone Theatre, 100 Spadina Crescent East
Cost: $5 (gets you copy of magazine)
Facebook: RSVP to our event listing
PARTNER: ...
Rodney Tolley: “People want to walk”
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Next week our friends at Urban Forum are bringing internationally-known walking researcher Dr. Rodney Tolley (seen above) to Ottawa for a presentation entitled "Walking Around the World: Innovation and inspiration for better pedestrian environments."
Here are the details from the Urban Forum media release:
Wednesday June 29th, 2011
Champlain Room, Ottawa City Hall | 7pm
Dr Rodney Tolley, Conference Director, Walk21; Honorary Research Fellow, Staffordshire University (UK)
Active living is a way of life that integrates physical activity into daily routines. Evidence shows that compact, mixed use, walkable and ...
June 22nd, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Swings, Shifts and Copycat Towns
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• At Project for Public Spaces, Gary Toth writes about an exciting initiative he's been part of called the Strategic Highway Research Program. The program breaks the traditional highway planning paradigm to embrace ideas such as shared-decision making and community building.
• The awesomeness of swings is undeniable. NOTCOT celebrates artist Jeff Waldman's project to install swings in all sorts of unexpected locations. The playful results are captured in pictures and videos.
• Spurred by numerous pedestrian fatalities, Chicago is beginning to develop a Pedestrian Master Plan. The city is home to some of the highest pedestrian fatality figures in the U.S. To combat these numbers, planners will consider countdown timers, curb bump-outs and medians - among other interventions. (Chicago Tribune)
ROAD SHOW: Edmonton tonight! Calgary on Friday, Vancouver on Tuesday
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
To coincide with the launch of Spacing's first national issue, the magazine is hosting events in 10 Canadian cities this summer. The Spacing Road Show is sponsored by BMO SmartSteps for Homeowners and supported by Autoshare and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Over the next week the Spacing Road Show is kicked into high gear with events in Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS AN EVENT IN EDMONTON TONIGHT
EDMONTON
When: Wednesday, June 22, ...
June 23rd, 2011
DOUCET: Istanbul transit is for the dogs
By Clive Doucet // 2 Comments
[flickrslideshow acct_name="spacing" id="72157627028572526"]
The Istanbul transit system is probably impossible for an Ottawa transitway planner to ever imagine, but as I hear the tram bell ring from my hotel room, I can’t help giving it the old college try.
Imagine this. The Ottawa O train has a dedicated rail line and one train arrives at the station every 20 minutes, that’s about 300 people max every 20 minutes. The Istanbul I line goes through the centre of Istanbul is not on a dedicated line. It shares the roadway with other vehicles, but the tram arrives every 60 seconds, and it is double hitched. Double hitched means it’s the equivalent of two O trains every time it arrives at the station. So every 60 seconds, the I line carries the same number of people as O train carries in 40 minutes.
June 24th, 2011
ROAD SHOW: Calgary tonight & Vancouver on Tuesday!
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
To coincide with the launch of Spacing's first national issue, the magazine is hosting events in 10 Canadian cities this summer. The Spacing Road Show is sponsored by BMO SmartSteps for Homeowners and supported by Autoshare and the Canada Council for the Arts.
The Spacing Road Show has kicked into high gear with events in Calgary tonight and Vancouver on Tuesday. The Victoria event is the following Tuesday.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS AN EVENT IN CALGARY TONIGHT...
June 25th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Bike lane removal, City of Design and Transit for the Dogs
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
In a new installment of the Montreal Lit series, Gregory McCormick profiles the Carmine Starnino's This Way Out, a book of poetry dedicated to the very relatable gripes of urban life.
Natascia Lypny profiles a new public exhibit at Place Ville Marie which celebrates the anniversary of Montreal's UNESCO designation as a City of Design and discusses how the city has worked to grow into that designation over the past five years.
Crystal Melville collects the urban news from across the Atlantic Region and puts it all in one place for readers to looking to get a sense of current affairs in Atlantic Canadian cities.
Jake Tobin Garret covered the evolving story of Toronto Council's new bike plan this week documenting first the comprehensive report that went to council and then the surprise move later in the week to remove lanes on several important streets.
Dylan Reid takes a look at the City's proposals for the project to transform John Street and reflects on the process of trying to successfully accommodate all users of the street. Despite a push for bike lanes to be included in the plans, Reid argues this could jeopardize the entire project.
June 27th, 2011
The Airport Bikeway is already here – the City just doesn’t want you to know it
By Eric Darwin // 8 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="596" caption="By contrast: Denver's airport not shy about posting the good news"][/caption]
In the last few weeks, I’ve had reason to head out to Ottawa’s MacDonald-Cartier Airport, not once, not twice, but three times. And back.
Being a cheap SOB, I wondered if I could get there by bike, and thus save the O-Train/Route 97 fare. And since there were two of us, we might save two fares. And since we couldn’t return on the transfer, we might save four fares. Biking was becoming more and more attractive!
It seemed to me to be a long way away from my Preston Street abode. I could only picture in my mind the Bronson-Airport Parkway route, and that sure didn’t appeal to me as a fun cycle. So, I referred to my now-essential copy of the Cycling Map of Ottawa-Gatineau, which is sold at exactly the right price (it’s free) and shows all the bike routes, paths, lanes, and “suggested routes”, regardless of which government owns the facility.
The only other recommended route towards the airport was on the west side of the Rideau River, using Prince of Wales/Prescott Highway. Now that is a road I do know, and it also didn’t appeal to me. Then I figured I could parallel it by going south on Preston to the Arboretum Pathway, to Hartwell Lock (surely the most unfun bit of the route, and it’s deservedly in Alex deVries’ Top Ten of worst bike problems), to Hogs Back, and then out the Prince of Wales Highway.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Hartwell Lock offers good exercise in lifting and carrying your bike."][/caption]
June 28th, 2011
ROAD SHOW: Spacing hits Vancouver tonight!
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
To coincide with the launch of Spacing's first national issue, the magazine is hosting events in 10 Canadian cities this summer. The Spacing Road Show is sponsored by BMO SmartSteps for Homeowners and supported by Autoshare and the Canada Council for the Arts.
When: Tonight! 7-10pm
Where: Wosk Centre for Dialogue, 580 West Hastings St.
Cost: $5 (gets you copy of magazine)
Facebook: RSVP to our event listing
PARTNER: City of Vancouver
Panelists: Erick Villagomez (Spacing Vancouver), Gordon Price (SFU City Centre), Erin O'Melinn (Vancouver Public Space ...
June 29th, 2011
Spacing Vancouver has finally arrived!
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Today, the Spacing family would like to welcome our newest sibling: Spacing Vancouver!
The editors and contributors of Spacing Vancouver will take a critical look at how Canada's third largest urban region is building and designing its city. Cities across Canada have a lot to learn about how Vancouver is designing one of the most livable and beautiful cities in North America.
Spacing is lucky to not be starting this Vancouver blog from scratch — we've absorbed the wonderful team at ...
World Wide Wednesday: Brains, Sprints, Ads and Bridges
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• City brain, country brain. The impact of city life on mental health has been a favourite topic of social scientists for some time. Now neuroscientists are taking up the cause. Nature describes the work of Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg of the University of Heidelberg's Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, Germany. Studying images of urban and rural brains, Meyer-Lindberg is demonstrating that neural structures respond differently to stress in these two populations.
• Seven interns from the D.C. area completed the Smithsonian Sprint this week. The challenge: visit 17 Smithsonian museums in one day. While the interns took in some of the region's greatest cultural opportunities, they don't recommend the Sprint to others. Facing transportation hold ups, the interns spent a mere 15 minutes in each. (Smithsonian Mag)
• Paris is taking strong steps to reduce advertising on city streets. The new rules place restrictions on the size, location and illumination of future signage. (The Guardian)
July 2nd, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Walk the Region, Moving Day and the World’s Biggest Bike Share
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Spacing Saturday celebrates Canada Day by going coast to coast. Welcome to west coast readers on the brand new Spacing Vancouver!
The Vancouver Public Space Network responds to the selection of Vancouver's top ten spaces in the current issue of the Spacing Magazine with a reflection of what the selection says about our psyche towards public space.
Caroline Toth launched the Video Vancouver feature this week with a link to an incredible video about the hugely successful and innovative bike share program in the historic city of Hangzhou, China. The program aims to expand to 175,000 bikes by 2020.
Regional planning was a big theme on the Montreal blog this week as organizers push forward with Walk the Region, a three day walking tour across the entire Montreal Region from Oka to Mont Saint-Hilaire. Alanah Heffez also provided an update on a snag in planning for the event while Joel Thibert used The Regionalist column to make the case for why Montreal needs a regional plan.
Alanah Heffez looks into the seemingly curious tradition of Montreal's July 1st moving day by examining the day's origins over 260 years of advocacy for tenant's rights.
Crystal Melville reflects on her experiences riding Halifax's Metro Transit and profiles It's More Than Buses, a series of events centered around creating a new transit vision for the city focusing on exploring the options, designing the network and mobilizing public support.
As part of the upcoming bicentennial of the War of 1812, a team of archeologists have begun searching for the ruins of Government House in the heart of Fort York. Bronwyn Clement launches the first of a four part series following the excavations.
As one million people converge on Church Street for Pride Week, Shawn Micallef uses powerful stories, collected during the installation of the Murmur posts on the street, to reflect on why Pride is still important.
July 5th, 2011
DOUCET: “Beauty counts”- how Budapest cherishes its World Heritage status
By Clive Doucet // 2 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Postcard view from the banks of the Danube"][/caption]
On a bronze plaque, high above the Danube where you have a grand view of the bridges, the Hungarian parliament buildings and the beautiful 19th century buildings which line the river there is a bronze plaque, which many tourists stop to read. It says:
Budapest
The banks of the Danube and the Buda castle quarter considering that it is one of the world’s outstanding urban landscapes and illustrates the great period in the history of the Hungarian capital was inscribed in 1987 on the - ‘World Heritage List’ – in accordance with the convention concerning the protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The site was extended in 2002 to include Andrassy avenue and its surroundings as a representative example of late 19th century social development and civil urban planning.
It is spectacular as a view and wonderful to visit. The first subway in Europe was built under Andrassy Avenue. It’s still working away very efficiently and many still use it both locals and tourists alike. The little stations are beautifully tiled and it’s surprisingly close to the surface, just a brief walk down a single flight of stairs and you’re there. Within a minute, the little subway train arrives and we rode it to the western end where it deposited us in a gorgeous park with one of Budapest’s large ‘belle époque’ bathing establishments.
The bathing house has interior hot pools and exterior hot pools with cascading water from fountains and a large swimming pool. It is a delight to visit and as I watched an Hungarian man with one foot in the hot pool and one foot on shore, doing business on his cel phone, I couldn’t help but think the only thing missing was the toga.
July 6th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Renegade infrastructure funding, Brazilian street art, ant planning
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• A group of injured cyclists in Seattle is so mad about poor infrastructure at the city's most dangerous intersection that they are willing to pay the cost of the improvements themselves. Their winnings from a recent lawsuit will more than cover the $13,000 price tag to fix the intersection where it's estimated that one cyclist is injured every day. (Seattle Times)
• This Blog Rules showcases some amusing street art from Brazil's 6emeia Project.
• Are ants genius urban designers? BLDGBLOG poses the question, after the work of Professors Graham Currie and Martin Burd from Melbourne's Monash University suggests that ants may be on to something: "Ants [move] in an orderly fashion, and never [seem] to panic, even when there [is] danger or congestion."
July 8th, 2011
DARWIN: it’s time to demand better sidewalk experiences
By Eric Darwin // 2 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="Curb appeal: the secret to better public landscaping?"][/caption]
A lot of civic money is spent installing and maintaining landscaping along some major city roads. This is particularly noticeable in post-1960 areas where arterials usually have significant side boulevards that are grassed or sometimes even treed. The landscaping is designed to be appreciated at 70 kph rather than humans travelling on foot or on bicycle. Even in modern suburbs with planned collector streets, the super-wide side boulevards look like so much unappealing, wasted space (see for example, Spratt Drive in Riverside South, but identical examples are found in all new suburban areas).
In recent years, our Cities have shown more enthusiasm for greening inner-city streets. Sometimes this takes the form of planting beds adjacent to the sidewalk. These beds get trampled on and abused since sidewalks are usually way too narrow to meet actual walkability requirements.
July 9th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Reallocating Laneways, Budapest Urbanism and Paddle the Don
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Vanessa Kay brings readers the second part of her In Depth look at the challenges of accommodating families in an urban Canadian setting. Pointing to the need for diversity of habitat, Kay points to innovative and leading projects in both Vancouver and around the world.
Eric Villagomez showcases Paths to Plazas: Laneway Markets in Mount Pleasent, a series of events re-imagining laneway space as part of an effort to reallocate roadways for public space.
Devin Alfaro continues the Photo du Jour series with captivating photography of the beautiful city of Montreal.
Spacing Atlantic continues the Atlantic Snapshots series with great photography of Atlantic Canada
Sean Marshall traversed Mississauga this week to bring readers two installments in the Lost Villages feature exploring the history and legacy of the old settlements of Cooksville and Erindale. The series looks at the historic towns that have been swallowed up by Toronto's expanding suburbs.
Jessica Lemieux recounts takes readers on a new perspective of the city by recounting her canoe trip down the Don River as part of this year's Paddle the Don event.
July 12th, 2011
Parking meter to bike-stand conversion fails — as predicted
By Spacing Ottawa // 2 Comments
We recently came across the above scene on Elgin Street between Waverley and Frank. All along the sidewalk, it's a jumble of bikes locked to railings and bikes locked to other bikes; a classic Ottawa jumble of improvised bike parking.
But what of those parking meter-to-bike post conversions we were promised last year? There was not a one along the whole length of the block; a block smack dab in the middle of a Centretown neighbourhood well-known for intensive bike ownership and usage.
Even more aggravating, this shortage of street-side bike parking facilities is unfolding ...
July 13th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Transfer Accelerators, London Tube Map
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• A California man is facing jail time for disobeying local building codes in the construction of his home. The thirty year project includes a replica of a 16th century Viking house and a mobile home refashioned into an antique railroad car. (Salon)
• Passengers using the Overvecht railway station in Utrecht now have a more playful way to make their train on time. A new "transfer accelerator" (slide) has been installed and is getting positive reviews from passengers and the surrounding neighbourhood. (Pop-Up City)
July 15th, 2011
City’s blind eye to street furniture is a blessing for pedestrians
By Eric Darwin // 1 Comment
Our cities do provide some benches. They are often found in designated parks. In Ottawa, the NCC provides lots of benches in its riparian green spaces. But other than benches for “recreational” areas, they are hard to find. Some rejuvenated traditional main streets are now being furnished by the City, but most streets everywhere are naked of furniture or other pedestrian amenities. Bus shelters sometimes have benches, for those who like to be manikins in glass boxes until their bus arrives.
I guess maybe the planners all feel people bring their own seats with them in the form of their automobiles. Or they should pay for their seats by buying something in a café that has a carefully fenced off patio. Or maybe it is a residual fear of encouraging the wrong sort of people to hang around, bothering the worthy taxpayers. Teens! Men with pony tails! Tonsil inspectors! Whatever the reason, benches are conspicuously absent.
Because the city comes with a heavy bureaucracy, it is difficult for them to install a bench anywhere. The city pegs the cost of supplying and installing a bench along a sidewalk at about $5000 minimum, up to $10,000. Those rates include extensive overhead costs for engineering, site design, property survey, the actual vandal-resistant furniture itself, etc, etc. And this is after the citizen or business has expended huge amounts of time in correspondence to get the bench even on someone’s agenda. Why fight city hall?
July 16th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Bold Transit Funding, Neighbourhood Memories and the Car in the City
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Spacing reports on the bold plan by mayors in the Vancouver area to implement a small increase in the gas tax to help fund construction of the Evergreen Line. The debate highlights the need for new ways to bring sustained revenue to fund transit expansion.
Continuing the transit theme, John Calimente reviews Kenneth W Griffin's 2004 book Building Type Basics for Transit Facilities, a comprehensive look at what makes the best stations around the world successful.
Feet hit the pavement for Walk the Region last weekend and Alanah Heffez provided two posts this week reflecting on the experience. The first gives some initial observations about the walk itself while the second discusses some great revelations regarding density and intricacy.
Spacing profiles a new exhibit at the Centre d’histoire de Montréal which looks at the personal memories of three Montreal neighbourhoods that were swept off the map between 1950 and 1970 to make way for modernist megaprojects.
Jim Guild analysis and explores the opposition to a controversial road widening plan that would significantly impact existing neighbourhoods for the benefit of suburban commutes.
My City Lives presents the sixth installment of the 'David Miller, Transit Mayor' series. This installment features a candid interview with Miller reflecting on the role of the automobile in the city during a winter drive to the lakeshore.
Perpetually stuck in 1973 Mayor Bert Xanadu takes readers through a thoughtful reflection on his experience with the conversion of Lower Yonge Street into a pedestrian only space in the summer of 1971. Xanadu shares the lessons learned from the project and plans moving forward.
July 18th, 2011
ROAD SHOW: Ottawa Tuesday night! Montreal on Wednesday!
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
When: Tuesday, July 19, 7-10:30pm
Where: National Arts Centre, 4th Stage 53 Elgin St.
Cost: $5 (gets you copy of magazine)
Facebook: RSVP to our event listing
PARTNER: National Arts Centre
Panelists: Matthew Blackett (Spacing publisher) moderator, George Dark (partner at Urban Strategies, urban designer & landscape architect), Allegra Newman (community planning advocate), Eric Darwin (West Side Action)
UPDATE: Listen to Spacing publisher Matthew Blackett and Spacing Ottawa editor Evan Thornton talk about Ottawa's "Top 10" places with All in a Day's Alan Neal on CBC ...
July 20th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Climate bowls, city cams and carmaggedon
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• For those of you wishing for an altered clime this week, consider the wisdom of your Inca ancestors. Over at BLDGBLOG, they've got a neat profile of enormous weather bowls - landscaped pits which created microclimates ideal for different Incan crops. The author questions to what extent the climate is a component of the historical of the value of the site. Is it a stretch to imagine that the fight against climate change could be seen as an act of historical preservation?
• If you're looking for a more modern solution, solar panels may be your answer. A recent study from UC San Diego found a 5°F reduction in temperature inside buildings with solar panels. Raised and tilted panels create an even more dramatic reduction, while white roofs are the most effective at reducing temperatures in the floors below. (GOOD)
• Fast Company profiles NYC's politically favourable alternative to congestion pricing: Midtown in Motion. The $1.6 million real-time traffic management system allows traffic engineers to adjust traffic signals in response to congestion data collected by sensors and cameras. This data is also available to drivers who want to avoid jams.
July 21st, 2011
Gritty Bologna is the Cinderella city
By Clive Doucet // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Bolognese arcade: beauty no safeguard against grafitti"][/caption]
Ravenna is only about an hour from Bologna by a slow train but what a difference an hour makes. Ravenna is a three star tourist city in line for the European Cultural Capital Award for which the competition is ferocious and for good reason. For that year, the award distinguishes a city beyond all others and millions of tourists circle the city that wins the crown.
You can see why Ravenna is on the short list. It has some fabulous Byzantine mosaics. They are so fine that when you enter the church and see them for the first time, they literally take your breath away. The sun itself seems to pour out of the gold halos which surround faces that are as real as the man or woman sitting next to you on the bus, and Ravenna is clean, quiet and easy as pie to visit.
ROAD SHOW: Last stop, Halifax (on Monday)!
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
The final stop on the Spacing Road Show hits Halifax on Monday. Make sure to come out!
When: Monday, July 25, 6:30-9pm (panel starts at 7pm)
Where: The Hub, 1673 Barrington St.
Cost: free ($5 gets you copy of magazine)
Facebook: RSVP to our event listing
Panelists: Matthew Blackett (Spacing publisher) moderator, Cyndi Rottenberg-Walker (partner at Urban Strategies, urban planner), Tim Bousquet (news & environment editor at The Coast).
July 23rd, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Transportation 2040, New Regionalism and Guerilla Gardening
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Brian Gould takes an in depth look at some of the exciting thinking that is coming out of the public input into Vancouver's upcoming Transportation 2040 Master Plan.
Jackie Wong takes a look at the origins of Critical Mass and its subsequent spread around the world. As the movement approaches its 20th anniversary its founders have issued a call for submissions towards a book celebrating the milestone.
Noting that cities no longer compete with their suburbs but with city regions around the world, Joel Thibert uses the The Regionalist column to reflect on the need for a new regional perspective that responsibly balances a common interest with effective government.
Alanah Heffez reflects on the immensely successful Spacing Roadshow stop in the city which saw observers spilling out of the building and great presentations about the intricacies of Montreal.
Daniel Rotsztain looks at a marvelous plot of guerilla gardening in the Far North End of Halifax and uses it to talk about guerilla gardening as the nexus of do-it-yourself city planning and urban agriculture.
Jessica Lemieux tracks Toronto's ambitious goal to double its tree canopy in the next 40 years by looking at the challenges and benefits of urban forestry as well as the efforts of local community groups.
In the final installment of David Miller: Transit Mayor, the former mayor talks about his favourite place in Toronto and what it says about the city's successes and the path it will need to take in the future.
July 25th, 2011
Car shares, compared
By Spacing Ottawa // 10 Comments
Here at Spacing Ottawa we're big fans of Vrtucar, the car-share organization that since 2000 has been helping Ottawans in need of occasional access to an automobile get to their appointments without the necessity of owning their own personal set of wheels.
Vrtucar is part of a Canada-wide association of car-share groups, and this past week we had the unique opportunity to see an example from Toronto organization and compare it side-by-side with a local vehicle. This endeavor may well cross almost certainly crosses the line into car-share geekery, so fair warning -- female and other socially well-adjusted readers may want to look away now.
July 27th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Bamboo bike, sea spires and quiet time
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Yes, Virginia, there is a bike tree. Design student Alexander Vittouris coaxed a bamboo stalk to grow into a bike frame shape - the Ajiro. Grist wonders whether we might see fields of bamboo bikes in the future.
• Artist Cliff Garten's Sea Spires installation in Long Beach, California gives new meaning to the "bus stop" concept. Commissioned by Long Beach Transit and the Arts Council for Long Beach, the sculpture enhances the transit experience at East 2nd Street and East Marina Drive. Officials in Long Beach hope that the installation "encourages pedestrians, drivers, and transit riders alike to reflect upon the power of art to enhance urban communities". (Contemporist)
• In Abu Dhabi, a new master plan for the suburban communities of Baniyas and South Wathba will revitalize and reintegrate the neighbourhoods with the metropolitan area. The neighbourhoods are currently separated by a major highway. The plan attempts to restore balance through growth and mixed use development. (The National)
Is Ottawa ready for a News Café?
By Evan Thornton // 6 Comments
[flickrslideshow acct_name="spacing" id="72157627287468666"]
Click here for non-flash views
Imagine a cafe with a perfect view of a lively street corner from all its windows; smack downtown, it's also in the middle a lively arts and cultural district. In the morning you can pop by for a morning latté and WiFi session; in the evening you can go there for a pre-show drink. It's around the corner from city hall and the main police station, so it's busy during the day serving city staffers, lobbyists, and journalists who need to be close to the City Hall beat.
Audio-visually it is fully equipped for use as a performance stage or for presentations and public meetings. It hosts debates and discussions on public issues; debates which are very likely to be covered by the city's biggest newspaper, very likely, because it is the newspaper itself that runs the cafe.
July 29th, 2011
“Great places are shaped by the people that use them”
By Allegra Newman // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Toronto's Dufferin Grove Park: people make the place"][/caption]
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Editor's note: Last week Spacing Ottawa contributor Allegra Newman joined with blogger. Eric Darwin and urban planner George Dark on a panel discussing "What makes a great place?" at the launch of Spacing Magazine's national issue at the National Arts Centre. Allegra has agreed to share the notes from her introductory remarks with us in the post below.
I have spent a long time recently thinking about what makes a good place well… good. I realize that this is quite an subjective concept. For some people the contribution of great architecture, ideal location, uniqueness or access to natural beauty and green spaces make good places. While I agree that all of these elements contribute to making a place, the places that are great for me have something else in common. People.
Great places are shaped by the people who use them- and not just talking about tourists but about the people who live, work and play in these places. Great places often grow organically, fed by the needs and desires of the people who inhabit them. These places are inspired and transformed by human interactions within the space. Even good urban natural spaces would be nothing without the users. The best urban parks are the ones that are embraced and shaped by the community that uses them. These spaces are nurtured and allowed to grow and develop into something unique that responds to the needs of the locality.
July 30th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Urban Laneways, Rethinking Density and News Café
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Spacing Vancouver launched a new feature this week. Price Point will feature a weekly photo selection from SFU City Program Director Gordon Price his reasons why it represents something worth talking about in the city.
Liam Lahey profiles a laneway makeover and neighbourhood party put on by Livable Laneways and The Vancouver Design Nerds. The event aims to challenge Vancouverites to make better use of the city's laneways.
Guillaume St-Jean used the Montage du Jour feature this week to present a series of incredible comparisons, showing the evolution of Montreal streets over the last 50 years.
Jonathan Lapalme contributed some great photography from around Montreal to the Photo du Jour series.
Sean Gillis engages readers on an important question of how we think about density. Noting that we often confuse height with density, Gillis demonstrates that high density can be achieved without tall buildings.
The Globe and Mail announced plans this week to add to the skyline with a new office tower at the site of its headquarters at Front and Spadina. Alex Bozikovic uses the No Mean City architectural feature to talk about the history the site and its future potential.
Luca De Franco's Headspace feature this week talks with Eric Kamphof, general manager of Curbside Cycle, to share some great insights into the long running evolution of cycling in Toronto and how to achieve "barrier-free cycling."
August 2nd, 2011
Underpass memories should not be extinguished
By Mike Bulthuis // 8 Comments
[caption id="attachment_6356" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Terry was here; will new plaza allow him to come back? - Photo credit Mike Steinhauer"][/caption]
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Earlier this summer, the National Capital Commission (NCC) announced intentions to construct a commemorative monument to Lord Stanley at a revamped public plaza at the Rideau / Colonel By intersection, commemorating the contributor of hockey’s famed prize. Beyond Canadians’ apparent universal affection for the game, historian Paul Kitchen explains the significance of this site, lying on the route Lord Stanley would travel to his East Block office. For several years, the NCC has been exploring ways to “reclaim the historic space as an urban experience and transform it into a national icon… [to] convey a significant Capital to the world and be representative of Canadian values, ideals and the nation’s role on the world stage.”
August 3rd, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Container markets, miniature cities, all-door boarding
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• This weekend, Brooklyn saw the long awaited opening of the DeKalb Market - a collection of storefronts housed in discarded shipping containers. Inhabitat argues that the site functions as an outdoor community centre, hosting entrepreneurs of the new economy alongside relics of the borough's past.
• The Onion pokes fun at the disrepair of America's transportation infrastructure: "Al-Qaeda Claims U.S. Mass Transportation Infrastructure Must Drastically Improve Before Any Terrorist Attacks"
• German street artist EVOL has installed four blocks of cityscape below ground outside Hamburg. The installation provides a unique godzilla-esque experience for observers. (Colossal Art and Design)
August 4th, 2011
A second chance to walk it right
By Eric Darwin // 5 Comments
[caption id="attachment_6386" align="alignnone" width="476" caption="Double decker arrives at Westboro Station: convenient - if you can get to the platform. (Photo credit Mike Gifford)"][/caption]
If you ride the transitway along Scott Street you will pass through Westboro Station. It looks pretty ordinary. But if you go up the stairs to the Scott Street level you will find a most interesting urban picture.
Ignore, for the moment, the slow intensification process occurring to the south, along Scott itself. Instead turn north. There are two red brick mid-rise apartments, and a bunch of stacked townhouses, developed by the City back in the 80’s. Even though they abut the Westboro Station, they were designed with access to Churchill Avenue to the West. No doubt some planner thought it wonderfully convenient that the inhabitants of these buildings could walk out their front doors, pat their car hood, glimpse fondly at the Westboro Station immediately adjacent, and then walk a few hundred metres to Churchill, a further few hundred metres south to Scott (crossing the transitway en route), then a few hundred metres east again, to the to the wonderfully convenient Westboro Station. If they were headed westbound, they could then cross the transitway again. A veritable model of how to enforce active transportation, provided of course, that the resident didn’t simply decide to take their car parked so conveniently right at their front door.
August 5th, 2011
Photo of the day: Cancer Survivors Park
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Cancer Survivors Park, Alta Vista Drive at Riverside Drive -- photo by Justin Van Leeuwen.
August 6th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Surprise Appearances, Making Space for Recreation and a Resident’s Alliance
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
In the Marpole neighbourhood of Vancouver Jo-Ann Pringle is leading a new kind of resident's association that aims to bring a conciliatory approach to the planning process. Yuri Artibise profiles the origins, successes and philosophy of the Marpole Area Resident's Alliance.
Brian Gould uses the Video Vancouver feature to showcase a day in the life of some of Vancouver's beautiful separated bike lanes on Dunsmuir and Hornby Streets.
Joel Thibert looks back to the work of planner Artur Dickson to make the case for a more integrated approach to planning for recreational space. Arguing that allocating exclusively to recreation degrades the natural landscape and its benefits to us, Thibert advocates for recreational planning that allows for both work and play within the urban environment itself.
In light of the spat of infrastructure failures in the Montreal area Alanah Heffez looks at the details of how our bridges are built, issues around their lifespan and the challenges to their upkeep and care.
Malanie Labelle critiques the new Holman Grand Hotel building in downtown Charlottetown and the perceived 'bait and switch' practice of the developers to produce a building without several of the redeeming features of its original design.
Daniel Rotsztain reports from the Sappy Fest Six festival in downtown Sackville, New Brunswick where Arcade Fire made a surprise appearance as the closing act. Rotsztain reflects on how Arcade Fire a used suburban themes to resonate with a generation that grew up in a largely suburban country.
Jake Schabas looks at the similarities between rumored attempts to replace the Chief General Manager of the TTC and the recent decision of the Chairman of New York's MTA to pack his bags for Hong Kong, using both cases as evidence of the high value of people who can manage financially strained transit systems.
Alex Bozikovic uses the No Mean City architectural feature to discuss a recently adopted Toronto policy requiring buildings greater than 1000 square meters to clearly display the name of their architect. Bozikovic hopes this will help call out bad architects as well as celebrate good ones.
August 8th, 2011
Bottom-up design stands test of time: slaves’ seats still comfortable after 2000 years
By Clive Doucet // No Comments
It’s been about 1,500 years since the south of France was a Roman province but the remains of that civilization and its 500 years of settlement here are still present. Every Roman city of any importance had theatres, a race track or circus and of course the amphitheatre. It is the ruins of the amphitheatres and theatres which every tourist is most aware of because they are still major points of urban reference. The amphitheatre in Nimes is still used and still the central focus of the city where all the major entertainment events take place.
The race tracks were the largest Roman entertainment centre but there is little left of these but the name, not even in Rome or Istanbul where the chariot teams used to race before 250,000 people. Perge in Turkey has a small one still standing but that’s the only one I’ve been able to find. On the other hand a surprising number of the amphitheatres and theatres are not only still standing, they are still in use.
August 9th, 2011
Sussex and George: The case of the disappearing view
By Dwight Williams // 1 Comment
[caption id="attachment_6423" align="alignnone" width="524" caption="A new mystery for crime readers?"][/caption]
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This past week, Chapters' Rideau Street store reopened their childrens' section on the second floor, newly rebranded as part of their "IndigoKids" program. The northwestern corner of the second floor had been undergoing those renovations for a month, so a certain degree of change was expected.
But what I saw -- or rather, what I didn't see -- when I first visited the reopened section at the upper end of the escalators was a surprise, though.
Where was the wonderful view of Sussex and George from the windows at the northwest corner of the building? In fact, where were the windows?
August 10th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Luminaires, Luminato, Graffiti Surge
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• The New York Times covers the surge in graffiti being reported in many US cities. Officials from L.A., Portland, OR, Nashville, Chicago, Denver, New York, and Seattle attribute the increase to a tough economy, the summer recess, and the glorification of street art in popular culture.
• A new traffic device called the "Intersector" is attracting new cyclists to the streets of Pleasanton, CA. The military-developed technology detects approaching cyclists and holds lights green until they pass through the intersection. City officials report that the device has been well received by cyclists and drivers. (Toronto Star)
• New York City has set a new standard for scaffolding design following an international competition. The winning design, the "Urban Umbrella" lifts the structure above the pedestrian head and allows more natural light to reach the sidewalk. (NY1)
August 11th, 2011
OPINION: It’s time we made sidewalk blockers pay
By Alain Miguelez // 12 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="“My toolbox is so heavy – there’s no way I can park 2 metres away along the curb.”"][/caption]
Have we lost our collective ability to live in the city – to be true cityzens? Now that suburban generations have existed for almost 70 years, have our habits and reflexes been so completely altered as a society that we have become genuinely clueless about urban life? Have we, in a sense, un-evolved as city animals?
I ask myself the question, more or less seriously, every time I come across such an obvious blatant sign of outright disrespect for pedestrians as displayed by drivers who appropriate sidewalks or other pedestrian space as parking spots. We’ve all seen this, we’ve probably all muttered under our breaths. Maybe as drivers we’ve been guilty of it ourselves. A car parked right across the sidewalk. A delivery van or courier vehicle parked right on the sidewalk. A delivery truck with two wheels on the sidewalk, ramp down from the trailer, leaving a tiny path for people on foot. A contractor’s vehicle backed up on the front yard of a house, with open rear doors and little attention paid to where the front of the van ended up – on the sidewalk.
August 12th, 2011
Urban Drinks: The summer edition!
By Spacing Ottawa // 2 Comments
What: The summer installment of Urban Drinks, the evening cocktail party co-shaken by the Apartment 613, Open File Ottawa, and Spacing Ottawa blogs.
When: Thursday, August 18, from 8.00 - 10.00 PM
Where: Shanghai Restaurant, 651 Somerset Street West. 6
Following on from the fabulous Urban Bloggers United event this past winter on Bank Street, this time we're taking the party to Chinatown for some tasty summer-time refreshments from the people that have been mixing them right, since 1971.
Just like ...
August 15th, 2011
The Daly Building Revisited
By Mike Steinhauer // 2 Comments
[flickrslideshow acct_name="66414821@N06" id="72157627435525540"]
No other Ottawa building, before or after its demolition, has generated as much discussion as the Daly Building. Its history is contentious and some might argue that its survival was doomed from the start. Located in the downtown core, where the local city meets a federal one, the building was hailed as an architectural masterpiece by some and described as the city’s ugly duckling by others.
2011 marks the 20th anniversary of its demolition — therefore it is fitting to once again look at the history of this famous structure and revisit some of the debate. An extensive slide show, depicting the site between 1870 and 2011, accompanies this piece. (Editor's note: click here for the non-Flash view.)
August 17th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Cycling monuments, Endangered places, Pop-Up Playgrounds
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• The Guardian's Jane Madembo offers a moving portrait of the role of the bicycle in liberating her from the ordeals of Harare's public transit system.
• ArchiCentral shares the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of the most endangered places in the US. Among the sites at risk: John Coltrane's house in Dix Hills, NY; China Alley, CA; Bear Butte Meade County, SD.
• Pop-up stores are a low cost way for companies to test out a location temporarily. In New York, public health and transportation advocates are appropriating the model to increase physical activity in low-income areas. Pop-up playgrounds shut down streets temporarily to provide play space and recreation facilities to children who need it most. (NYT)
Trip hazards and visual clutter: boxed in by the grey intruders
By Eric Darwin // No Comments
The City is the prime controller of the pedestrian environment. It can make it better, a little bit at a time, and we will eventually end up with a steadily improving walk space.
Or, it can chip away at the pedestrian realm, bit at a time, and slowly make it less functional and uglier.
Or, it can do both: launch grand plans for major streetscaping projects, whilst simultaneously undermining the experience everywhere else.
If you are pedestrian, you are well aware of the proliferation of control boxes at intersections. These power boxes seem to get bigger every year, but all the new ones I have seen inside are 85% vacant. It is so … something … to see the City planning ahead for more traffic controls. As can be seen in the photo at the top of this post, sometimes these boxes intrude rudely into the sidewalk.
August 18th, 2011
Reminder – Urban Drinks tonight at the Shanghai
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Full details here - we'd love to see you!
August 20th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Rental Housing, Haphazard Development and Underpass Park
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Waterfront Toronto Rendering of the Future West Don Lands Neighbourhood
As the Vancouver Region is engaged in an important discussion about funding transit expansion, Paul Hillsdon questions why bridge tolls are not being seriously considered even though they have proven a very effective way to raise revenue elsewhere.
In a fascinating look at Vancouver's rental housing shortage crisis Jackie Wong talks to several veterans of the rental housing debate to explore what needs to change to open up the market to providing new rental properties.
Alanah Heffez shares a fantastic video, dug up from the CBC archives, of Jane Jacobs making observations on Toronto and Montreal in 1969. Jacob's compliments Montreal for its lack of slum clearance while criticizing Toronto for its political elite's love affair with expensive mediocrity.
Joel Thibert clarifies his position following a recent Op-Ed piece in La Presse regarding haphazard development in the Montreal periphery, including how this development comes to be and what it says about our collective responsibility.
In Saint John, New Brunswick the local airport authority has put up resistance to the the new PlanSJ community based Municpal Plan. David Drinnan looks at the politics behind the move to oppose the plan.
Emma Feltes profiles a photo exhibition on display in Halifax this week showcasing community opposition and proposed alternatives for the massive amounts of money about to be spent on a huge new downtown convention center.
Bronwyn Clement continues her Park City series highlighting some of the exciting new public spaces opening in Toronto over the next few years. This week Clement profiles Underpass Park, Toronto's first attempt at utilizing underpass space for neighbourhood connectivity in the new West Don Lands Community.
A recent cover story in Toronto Life Magazine caused a stir this week by claiming the city is in the midst of new wave of suburban flight. John Lorinc systematically refutes the article's claims.
August 24th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Bike lights, car decline, rail lines
By Hilary Best // 1 Comment
http://vimeo.com/27280439
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.
• It's time for a bike light revolution! Or so say the inventors of Revolight - a bike light which mounts directly to the wheel rims for a sleek and safe design. The team is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter to further refine their prototype.
• A report out last week from the Brookings Institute notes a new trend in American urban life - 10% of households in the largest US cities do not have access to a private vehicle. Fred Pearce at New Scientist points to economic challenges, demographic shifts, a change in our approach to work and the embrace of a culture of urbanism as reasons why vehicle-km have declined across the west.
• High-speed rail could be a lifeline for Buffalo. A recent plan to develop the network in Western New York offers the possibility of improved economic integration with the Greater Golden Horseshoe, faster travel times, and a revitalized downtown area. But according to Ian Carlino at Artvoice, Buffalo's perception of itself as a car-town could derail these plans.
August 25th, 2011
Ottawa : maintenant et avant
By Alexandre Laquerre // 2 Comments
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Cette comparaison entre une photo d’archives et une photo plus actuelle est la première d’une série où l’on tentera de mettre en contraste certains éléments qui composaient Ottawa au début du siècle dernier avec ce qu’ils sont devenus (ou disparus) au fils des ans.
Il n’y a de doute que certaines décisions furent les bonnes. Par contre que ce soit par le prestigieux boulevard King Edouard, maintenant transformé en autoroute à 8 voies ou les plaines Lebreton laissées en friche durant une quarantaine ...
August 27th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Suburban Transit, Gentrification Agents and Neighbourhood Watch
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Vancouver's Skytrain turned 25 this week, read about it on Spacing Vancouver
Liam Lahey introduced readers to the Neighbourhood Watch feature this week giving readers a fascinating look at the issues being tackled in municipalities across British Columbia.
John Calimente reviews Paul Mees' book Transport for Suburbia and finds it a surprisingly honest and convincing analysis of the problems and potential solutions to bring effective mass transit to the suburbs.
Alanah Hefez reflects on the conflicting role that many of us play in the upheaval which has long been changing many of Montreal's distinct neighbourhoods in 'Confessions of a Gentrification Double Agent.'
Jean Desjardins takes readers on a photographic journy along his 16km daily bike commute north of Montreal.
Jessica Lemieux visits the 1920's era Toronto home that it playing host to the Ravina Project; an effort to experiment with ways to make individual houses more sustainable in their energy use.
Ian Malczewski profiles the 'Through My Lens' project put on by the Toronto Urban Exchange. The project looks to encourage Torontonians to use their cameras to tell the stories of the city.
August 29th, 2011
Renovating 24 Sussex: a nation’s heritage should trump temporary inconvenience
By Andrea Puktaris // 2 Comments
[caption id="attachment_6586" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="24 Sussex as seen from the Ottawa River "][/caption]
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When future generations want to visit the site where the Prime Ministers who shaped our nation lived, where will they go? 24 Sussex is a toponym in this country, and yet it is slowly being allowed to crumble apart. The situation raises two questions: what value does 24 Sussex Drive have to Canadians, and how is it that one family alone can decide it’s not worth the effort?
In July, the National Capital Commission asked that 24 Sussex undergo 10 million dollars worth of badly needed renovations. It’s not the first time; 24 Sussex has long been on the NCC's watchlist. Various concerns include a leaky roof, inaccessible spaces, and asbestos in the walls. Even previous residents have complained of living conditions in Joseph Merill Currier's 1868 home. In 2008, the Auditor General reported that the NCC -- known for sound management practice in renovating residences under their care -- was recommending that 24 Sussex needed to replace the aged heating and ventilation systems that were at the end of their life. This July, the NCC was more emphatic about the urgent need of repairs, and clearly advised Prime Minister Harper that he and his family should leave the premises in order for such renovations to take place. The Prime Minister refused, saying that he did not wish to uproot his family for the year it would take to undergo the construction.
August 30th, 2011
The City as Machine or the City as Citizen
By Clive Doucet // 12 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="Parisian public enjoying a Unesco World Heritage Site"][/caption]
If I was still a city councilor and traveling around Europe ‘au frais de la princess’ (at public expense), I would be with a group of other city officials and we would be earnestly studying ‘best practices’. In Sweden, we would be looking at the ‘waste treatment and heating systems’ In Amsterdam, it would be bicycle transportation. In Bordeaux, it would be their new surface rail.
It’s the city as machine approach to running a city. Find out who does what best (best practices) and then come home with a recommendation to copy it. This is how change usually happens. Innovation rarely happens by invention, it is transmitted mostly by imitation. People have run cities this way from the beginning of time. The phonetic alphabet was invented in a couple of small Sumerian cities in modern day Iraq and within a couple of generations, the concept of the phonetic alphabet had spread to Egypt and throughout the eastern Mediterranean.
August 31st, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Slow streets, city centre, airport bees
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Are slower streets more popular? Flickr user Eric Fischer attempts to quantify the relationship through a series of graphs which plot the number of photos/tweets per 100-ft sq. area and the indicated vehicle speed. By his calculation, 9 miles per hour is the ideal speed for a photograph/tweet-worthy street.
• Modern airports have lots of unused space. At Chicago's O'Hare airport, some of that space is being put to use for a beekeeping program. Local community groups have installed a 2,400 sq. ft. apiary, complete with 23 hives which will produce 575 pounds of honey. Other program benefits: the program trains felons in the art of bee keeping and the bees provide a useful indicator of air quality. (GOOD)
• NYT writer, Jeff Gordiner, comments on the possibility for high and low speed urban living created by NYC's High Line. On the High Line, the pace of life slows down, people sit, stroll and contemplate. Below the High Line, the loud clubs of the Meatpacking District thump. "It’s all New York, of course, both the manic and the muted; the city thrives on opposition."
September 1st, 2011
Spacing Ottawa presents Next City Café
By Spacing Ottawa // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="598" caption="Going for a Danish at the Next City Café - everyday cyclists in Copenhagen"][/caption]
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Next City Café is a new monthly discussion forum that explores the spaces, places and ideas that matter in Ottawa. Every 3rd Wednesday of the month, urban enthusiasts, activists, planners and residents will get together to explore, talk and be inspired to contribute to making this city’s spaces even better. Come join the conversation!
Ottawa is a beautiful city to cycle around but is it the best city to navigate as an everyday ...
September 5th, 2011
Maintenant et avant: Sparks @ Wellington 1885 – 2011
By Alexandre Laquerre // 4 Comments
Jadis, Sparks débutait sur Wellington via le pont Dufferin. Ce pont n’existe plus aujourd’hui ainsi que le bureau de poste et l’hôtel Russell respectivement à gauche et au centre de l’image. Depuis 1939, c’est le Monument commémoratif de guerre du Canada qui occupe ce quadrilatère.
Le tramway qui arpentait Sparks fut mis hors-service en 1959.
La photo d’archive provient du Musée McCord.
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Back in the day, Sparks Street hit Wellington Street by the Dufferin Bridge. Since 1939, the National War Memorial occupies the spot where the post office (centre) ...
September 7th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Open source planning, test cities, Change by Us
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• According to the International Federation of Surveyors, approximately 70% of urban growth occurs outside of formal planning channels. Researchers at MIT have recently released an open source urban planning software to help reduce inefficiencies resulting from haphazard planning. (Fast Company)
• Place Pulse, another planning software platform out of MIT Media Labs, is also making waves. The platform uses a "hot or not" set-up, asking users to identify which of two images appears to be the safest environment. The data collected allows administrators to better understand collective perceptions of space. (Pop-Up City)
September 8th, 2011
How condo developers are snubbing the public street – with help from the City
By Eric Darwin // 15 Comments
[caption id="attachment_6663" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="What are developers hiding behind the curtain wall?"][/caption]
Large property development firms are seldom compared to little domesticated birds. But in some ways they are canaries in the coal mines of the urban streetscape.
And the song these messengers sing is not a cheerful tune for downtown pedestrians.
Consider this not-so-old downtown condo:
At first glance, the landscaping is pleasant. Other than the front door, the rest of the ground floor is revealed to be blank walls, the utility side of the building that puts up front what used to be kept in the back. And those tiny windows open into the … parking garage. Seriously, this normally sensitive developer has decided that a busy pedestrian and cyclist street on the edge of downtown commercial core deserves exactly nothing as its ground floor. No storefront. No niche bookshop. No quiet RMT tenant. Not even a charming accountant. Nada.
September 11th, 2011
Buttoning up with Ottawa’s Transit Map of the Future
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
[flickrslideshow acct_name="spacing" id="72157627506461395"]
If you were at the launch of Spacing's first ever national issue at the NAC this summer you'll know that Spacing contributor Adam Bentley has created buttons based on his iconic Ottawa Transit Map of the Future -- they were selling like hotcakes at the door and suddenly were appearing on shirts and lapels all over the venue.
But if you missed the launch, that's OK - Adam has made them available via Paypal for the low price of only $3.41 each - including tax and shipping.
The 1.5 inch buttons come in two versions - ...
September 13th, 2011
Centretowner’s SXSW bicycle shortcut
By Evan Thornton // 5 Comments
View Centretowner's SXSW Cycle route in a larger map
Recently in an Images of Centretown post, the author happened to mention one of his favourite cycling shortcuts through Centretown - a simple but effective jog over from O'Connor to Lyon via Lewis, Bank, and James - a route that as the post says is "a very convenient bike route for going south-west through Centretown, because it has low traffic and few red lights".
Even though much of my week is spend in an office building on Lewis I had never ...
September 14th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Safe Cities, LA Bike Lanes, Park(ing) Day
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Brent Todarian, Vancouver's Director of City Planning, comments on the balance between liberty and security in urban design. Focusing in on the rebuilding efforts in New York, Todarian contrasts the high-security approach of Lower Manhattan with the inspirational successes of place-making elsewhere on the island. "Places that try to be totally safe tend to lack life, and usually fail as people-places," he writes on Planetizen.
• Congratulations to Los Angeles, which last week opened 2.2 miles of new bike lanes along Catalina Avenue! Carving the lane, part of the city's transformative bike plan, out of vehicle space is seen as a politically daring move in a city where the car has long been king. (LA Times)
September 16th, 2011
Park(ing) Day!
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Today, Friday, September 16th, is PARK(ing) Day!
In cities around the globe, artists, activists and citizens will transform metered parking spaces into temporary public parks and other social spaces, as part of the annual event.
PARK(ing) Day invites people to rethink the way streets are used and promotes discussion around the need for broad- based changes to urban infrastructure.
In recent years, PARK(ing) Day has inspired city governments to create legal mechanisms to extend the public realm into the parking lane. In San Francisco, the Pavement to Parks “Parklet” program provides a permit system for businesses, community groups and individuals to transform metered parking spaces into small “parklets” that are open to the public. In New York City the “pop up café” program offers similar permit system for local cafes wishing to offer sidewalk service.
A listing of events scheduled for Canadian cities follows. For more information, visit the PARK(ing) Day project website.
The Urban Gondola: perfect fit for a capital horizon
By Adam Bentley // 6 Comments
[caption id="attachment_6737" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Could it be the best way..."][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_6738" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="...to connect these dots?"][/caption]
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The Ottawa River is an urban feature that has united and yet also divided local inhabitants. For centuries, people have exploited both the space between and within its shores for politics, commerce, and leisure. The National Capital Commission has launched nationwide public consultations this autumn for Horizon 2067, its plan to guide development in the National Capital Region up to Canada’s 200th anniversary. Residents of Ottawa must take an active role in the planning process for their city by, amongst other things, developing proposals to bridge the space between the Ottawa River’s shores with a long-term planning solution that uses low-impact, human-focused technologies. One such proposal is a gondola crossing the Ottawa River. The gondola would be a striking addition to our skyline akin to the London Eye, permanently linking Ottawa and Gatineau for pedestrians and cyclists, and providing tourists and residents alike with new views of Parliament Hill, the urban region, the Gatineau Hills, and the Ottawa River.
An urban gondola is a great way to transport people across physically difficult landforms while, unlike bridges, having a minimal impact on the land between each end. If Ottawa opened an urban gondola, it would join a growing number of cities using this and similar modes such as aerial tramways and funifors to allow people to travel to different urban communities without an automobile. Cities with such modes include Portland, Oregon; Medellin, Colombia; Caracas, Venezuela; and New York City. The Cities of London and Vancouver are planning to build such gondolas in the near future. Gondolas and aerial tramway systems in Portland, Medellin, and New York City transport tens of thousands of people each day and are integrated into the local public transit networks.
September 17th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Toronto Portlands, Quartier des Spectacles and Collecting Scraps
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Gordon Price's Price Points feature takes a look at Jack Poole Plaza, the public space on top of the new convention center expansion. Price examines how the space has stood up to its post-olympic role of hosting small gatherings as well as large.
Eric Villagomez profiles the Urban Food Scraps Collection Project, an effort to use farmer's markets and other centralized locations in high density neighbourhoods to collect organic waste in areas currently excluded by municipal pick up.
Jayme Melrose reports on the sentiments expressed at a public meeting about the proposed road widening on Halifax's Bayers Road. The sentiment at the meeting was largely opposed to the widening with many expressing a desire for a more compact urban form.
As part of a new series looking at the densest neighbourhoods in Atlantic Canada, Sean Gillis examines the built form of downtown St. John's.
Spacing Montreal put a spotlight on the new Quartier des Spectacle improvements this week. Alanah Heffez looks at revisions to the new infrastructure after a year of public exposure and profiles an initiative to get Montrealer's to share their visions and memories of the area. Joel Thibert looks at the processes and struggles of the City's stated commitment to keeping all forms of transportation open in the area during extensive renovations.
Devin Alfaro reflects on a summer of cycling infrastructure improvements in Montreal that included the city's first bike boxes and innovative strategies to solve conflicts between bike lanes and bus stops. Alfaro discusses the new infrastructure and solicits feedback on its effectiveness.
The controversial new proposal for development in the Toronto Port Lands was addressed by both Matt Blackett and John Lorince this week. Lorinc questioned whether backing out of the understanding with upper levels of government will hurt the City's credibility as a partner. Matt Blackett posted a 24 reality check prepared by the group Code Blue that questions the logic for abandoning the existing plan.
Through a fluke of Science, Mayor Bert Xanadu once again speaks out from 1973 with his response to Doug Ford's proposed Port Lands plan. Impressed by the proposal, Xanadu parlays Ford's thinking into a strategy that will also eradicate the barren park landscape of the Toronto Islands in favour of an international tourist mecca of kitschy commerce.
September 19th, 2011
MIGUELEZ: Five Reasons Intensification Will Work
By Alain Miguelez // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Apartments, townhomes, condo lofts: well-established Hintonburg intensification, on site of abandoned factory - 3 minute walk from rapid transit."][/caption]
Editor's note:
For residents of Ottawa's core neighbourhoods, change is in the air. Mainstreets from Westboro to Centretown have being rejuvenated, residential towers are shooting up in the Rideau Street/Market area, the Wellington-Richmond corridor is booming with condo construction, and long-dormant brownfield sites near Carling and Preston are attracting some of the tallest building height in the city. From Churchill Avenue in the west to King Edward Avenue in the east, everywhere it seems intensification is gathering pace and actually happening, after years of being talked about.
But if Ottawa has indeed reached a tipping point where intensification has been accepted as the way forward, what will it actually mean for the way we live in our city?
Are there dangers? If so, what are they? And should the opportunities intensification provides outweigh them? What are those opportunities exactly?
To find out, we asked two well-known urbanists to take sides on the debate. In today's installment, urban planner Alain Miguelez makes the case for intensification. Tomorrow, long-time community activist Jay Baltz will look carefully at the possible dangers and pitfalls of Ottawa's intensification strategy.
Here's Alain:
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1. PROXIMITY
Humankind can expend lots of energy and brainpower to make “far-ness” more “sustainable” (electric cars, for instance), but if we’re all driving clean-energy vehicles and are still stuck in traffic on the Queensway, we’re no further ahead. Building “green” buildings that recover all the rainwater that falls on them and draw geothermal heat is good, but if we have to road-rage on highways for half an hour to get to them, they’re not really “sustainable”. Achieving “near-ness” is the real answer. Having human beings live near the things they need and want is the true sustainable way to build cities.
September 20th, 2011
BALTZ: Five Reasons Intensification Could Fail
By Jay Baltz // 19 Comments
[caption id="attachment_6770" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Condos coming on the market in Wellington Village: too much of the same, at too high a price?"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_6770" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Condos coming on the market in Wellington Village: too much of the same, at too high a price?"][/caption]
September 21st, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Shovel ready, transit garden, museum advocacy
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Infrastructurist asks: "what is shovel ready and why does it matter?" In a classic case of buzzword overuse, "shovel ready" projects have lost meaning for the public and politicians looking for instant job creation from infrastructure projects.
• On Design Observer, MoMA's Chief Curator of Architecture and Design, Barry Bergdoll, explores the advocacy and laboratory functions of museums. He writes: "we have an important opportunity to foster new research and fresh thinking ... about the collaborative prospects for architects and landscape designers, and about the fact that design can be a forum for imagining new solutions rather than a means of decorating solutions found by others."
• A Chicago transit rail car has been turned into a mobile public garden. The native garden car will have regular service around Chicago for a month, pending financial support. (Colossal)
September 23rd, 2011
Breathing easier on Laurier
By Kathryn Hunt // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption=""If you build it they will come" - bike trips tripled on Laurier since launch of lanes"][/caption]
This summer, the city of Los Angeles passed a law making it illegal to harass or threaten cyclists. I was amazed and pleased when it happened, even if a law like that is practically unenforceable – I mean, how would you prove it, or even track down the perpetrator, once he or she had sped off? And in subtle cases, such as when it feels to the cyclist like the drivers are deliberately passing them too closely, it’s even harder to prove.
But it seems to me as though that’s not the point – or the benefit – of the law. Perhaps there’s a very faint chance that anyone would be charged, but there’s value in just knowing that the officials of the city have encoded protection for cyclists in the laws. Sometimes a law is written and passed, not because you can enforce it, but because its very existence says, “we as a people have declared that you can’t behave like that.”
I thought of the LA cyclist harassment law when a friend asked me, a week or two ago, whether I thought segregated bike lanes ‘work.’ The Laurier segregated bike lanes are a bit over two months old, officially, and they were opened amid a huge furor – heated arguments for and against on both sides. But with a half season under their belts, can we say they ‘work?’
Watch NFB: God’s Lake Narrows
By Julie Matlin // No Comments
Editor: Spacing is pleased to continue our partnership with the National Film Board of Canada to showcase films and interactive projects from their online screening room. Julie Matlin of the NFB will be occasionally posting films here on Spacing that explore public spaces, Canadian or international cities and anything urban. The NFB is one of Canada's greatest resources. Click here to view their entire online collection.
Over the ...
September 26th, 2011
Atlantic Canada’s Densest Neighbourhoods – North End Halifax
By Sean Gillis // 1 Comment
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is cross-posted from Spacing Atlantic.
So, why density? Residential density, the number of people living in a given area, is one of the most important characteristics of urban areas. High densities create vibrant streets, support main street commercial areas, and encourage walking, biking and transit use. But how dense should our neighbourhoods be? What types of buildings create high densities? What do high density neighbourhoods look like?
Hopefully this series encourages people to look around their neighbourhood and ask: how does density affect the quality of my neighbourhood?
Without further ado ...
September 28th, 2011
How MESH is changing cities
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
EDITOR'S NOTE: Long-time supporter of Spacing, Robert Ouellette, wants residents of Canadian cities to take part in his new project called MESH Cities.
Whether they knew it or not, anyone who followed Toronto’s Port Land debacle over the last few weeks got a first-hand introduction to the power MESH Cities have to shape our communities.
Let me explain.
We’ve been hearing a lot about so-called “smart” cities in the news recently as the major computing and infrastructure players like IBM, Cisco, GE, and Siemens look at the next frontier in the trend towards ubiquitous computing. That new frontier is our cities.
Whatever you might think about a computer-driven modernity, MESH Cities are not just smart cities. MESH Cities go beyond the management of infrastructure to the heart of what makes cities worthwhile—their livability. Metaphorically, MESH Cities are the offspring of an improbable marriage between Jane Jacobs' ideals and ubiquitous city computing.
Their kids, in this context, are named MESH: M=Mobile, E=Efficient, S=Subtle, H=Heuristics
This is how the www.meshcities.com website introduces the concept.
World Wide Wednesday: Road ecology and city night moves
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• The growing field of road ecology brings together experts from diverse academic backgrounds to investigate interactions between roads and the natural environment. An article on Design Observer examines some of the unique and affordable infrastructure solutions proposed by road ecologists to facilitate the movement of plants, animals, water and soils around highway infrastructure.
• NPR reporter David Greene speaks to Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett about the needs of cities in an era of federal budget cuts.
September 29th, 2011
Village restoration on rails: one Euro to the seaside
By Clive Doucet // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Nothing overhead but the trees: electric-at-grade Bordeaux tram"][/caption]
There is an extraordinary thing happening in France, the little villages are growing, not declining. More than a 1,000 villages this year will apply to be reclassified as towns based on the fact that their population now exceeds 2,000 people. It doesn’t surprise me because everywhere I travel I see signs of this resurgence and a strong attitude towards sustainability. The French are just bringing out an all electric car as I write called the Mia. Villages have ‘velo buses’ (bike buses) to collect children for school. Bike buses are regular, supervised routes school children travel in groups to ensure their safety.
October 1st, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Infrastructure, Cycling and Intensification
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Christopher Porter breaks down incredibly detailed cycling data collected by the City of Vancouver to examine the cycling traffic patterns of the downtown core and analyze the effects of new infrastructure on cycling numbers.
Eric Villagomez profiles a new exhibit at the Museum of Vancouver looking into the history of neon signs in the city and the movement that arose in the 70's to rid the city of them.
Morgan Lanigan looks at the successful implementation of bike lanes on Main Street in Saint John, NB and wonders why they were so long coming. It's concluded that the answer may lie in the mandate of the 'Department of Transportation.'
As authorities in Halifax plan renovations to the Macdonald Bridge with a focus on sustainability, the question remains as to whether or not they will address dangerous accesses to the bridge's bike lane that currently impede cycling growth.
Facts are often surprising in considerations over bike lanes, Alanah Heffez looks into some fascinating results of bike counters on new bike paths in Montreal and Ottawa. The counters reveal that on some streets bikes trips have reached the same volume as car traffic was before bike lanes were installed.
Joel Thibert looks at criticism of regional planning and addresses the question of whether regionalism is an ideological stance or something completely different.
Hilary Best profiles an exciting and innovative community led project to build a cricket field in Toronto's high density Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood. The project has already built bridges in the community while the design of the field will promote sustainability and improve the Don River watershed.
Fred Sztabinski ponders the relation between cycling infrastructure and local governance structure and wonders what amalgamation has meant for Toronto's ability to produce an enhanced cycling network.
October 3rd, 2011
Photo of the Day: Scott Kelby World Wide Photo Walk
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Scott Kelby World Wide Photo Walk, Ottawa, October 2, 2011"][/caption]
photo by Justin Van Leeuwen
October 4th, 2011
Farewell to Elmaks, creator of the Swap Box
By Spacing Ottawa // 4 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="375" caption=""Ephemeral and temporary additions to the urban landscape which survive and flourish based on others' good will""][/caption]
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There was some sad news over the past weekend of the passing of "Elmaks" the artist behind the delightful Swap Box creations. Elmaks did much to enliven public space in Ottawa, and he will be missed.
For those that don't know of Elmaks and Swap Box story, below is a re-posting of an interview Elmaks gave Spacing Ottawa a year and a half ago, while he was living in Montreal and studying at Urban Planning at McGill.
A few years ago little wooden boxes started appearing, nailed to telephone poles across Ottawa. Inscribed with the motto "Take something - Leave something" the cheerful little cubes – always whimsically decorated – were seen by thousands of Ottawans every day. They were a mystery to some, a source of delight to others, and in time new "Swap Box spottings" became a coffee-shop topic throughout the urban core, and a point of reference in the local blogoshere.
Probably no blog celebrated the Swap Box phenomena more than the excellent Knitnut, by Zoom. In fact, clues as to new locations of Swap Boxes were sometimes left as comments below KnitNut posts.
There aren't as many swap boxes as there used to be; rain and wind have taken their toll, as have vandalism, bylaw enforcement, and souvenir hunting.
October 5th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Participatory budgeting and underground parks
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• The first of a series of participatory budgeting assemblies begins this week in four New York City districts. During the assemblies, members of the public will be free to propose community improvement priorities. In March, votes will be held to decide which projects will be funded by the $1 million in discretionary capital funds available for allocation in each district (PBNYC).
• You've heard of the High Line, but are you up on the Low Line? A team in New York City is proposing an underground park be fashioned out of the former Delancey trolley terminal. Initial reaction in the public space-hungry city has been positive. (WebUrbanist)
October 6th, 2011
Cities with no highways and highways with no debt: what’s wrong with France?
By Clive Doucet // 3 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="State-run high-speed train running beside privately-operated autoroute: the French do things differently"][/caption]
The question you see often posed with some bewilderment in Canada and the U.S. is - what is the matter with the French? Why can’t they get it right? Why can’t they get rid of their unions? Why can’t they lower their agricultural tariffs and reduce their rich public services? Don’t they know they can’t afford their school, heath, rail systems? What’s the matter with them?
The temptation when responding is to promenade from factoid to factoid. I notice this whenever I write about some recent sustainability innovation in France, the Mia electric car, the Bordeaux city electric trams and now of course, the recently introduced electric-sharing car, the ‘blue car’ in Paris. Where billionaire investor Vincent Bolloré has teamed up with Mayor Bertrand Delanoe to give Parisiens the car equivalent of their ‘velolib’ service.
The ‘blue car’ is a subcompact that has a range of 250 kilometers on one charge with a top speed 130 km. The Bolloré group has spent 1.5 billion euros to develop their new lithium, metal-polymer battery to power the cars. One of the returns they hope from ‘autolib’ is that it will promote and popularize their new battery.
But nations are more than a collection of differing factoids. How is that the folks who live in Bordeaux can choose expensive trams powered by underground wiring and the folks in Ottawa can’t even get a tram? How is that Charles DeGaulle one of the most Conservative of Conservative French Presidents ever when asked by the private sector to build super highways across the country, similar to Ontario’s 401 and 400 series responded: “If you want fast highways for your big trucks, you build them and toll them. We already have a national road system – the N series.”
October 8th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: French Highways, Yaletown Park and Collective Imagination
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Sean Gillis continues his look at the different forms of urban density through the Atlantic Canada's Densest Neighbourhoods feature. This week Gillis looks at the Quinpool Road area of Halifax.
Lauren Oostveen shares a series of magnificent, century old photographs that were recently unearthed a digitized at the Nova Scotia Archives. The pictures are now the subject of an online appeal for help determining where they were taken and what they depict.
Allanah Heffez asks a series of questions to open up and continue a discussion exploring the relationship between urban design and collective imagination.
Guillaume St-Jean's Montage du jour feature this week presented another fascinating look at the evolution of Montreal and the striking buildings lost to history.
Andrew Cuthbert uses a Cartographically Speaking feature to map distinct elements of street feel in the famously troubled and rapidly changing Downtown Eastside, revealing insights into the effects of change on Hastings Street.
Gordon Price uses the Price Points feature to analyze the design failings of the maturing Yaletown Park which despite its potential fails to entice users to stop and animate its space.
Spacing's Dylan Reid reports back from the opening lecture of the UofT Cities Centre 'Toronto in Question' lecture series addressing the question "Is Toronto Broke?"
Alex Bozikovic uses the No Mean City architectural feature to talk about the meaning of representational forms in contemporary architecture, highlighting new projects similar in appearance to the recent expansion of the Royal Ontario Museum.
October 11th, 2011
Notes taken: Everyday Cyclists and the Next City Café
By Allegra Newman // 1 Comment
"Everyday Cycling" is an inclusive term that can be used to describe anyone who rides a bike for any reason: for sport, for dropping kids at school, for grocery shopping, commuting to work, for leisurely rides along the river, all can thought of as everyday cyclists. On Wednesday September 21st, cycling enthusiasts, community activists, and planners gathered at the Alpha Soul Café in Hintonburg for the first session of the Next City Café. Breakout groups were tasked with answering three key questions; afterwards each brought their notes back to share with the room.
The goal was to come up with constructive actions we can all do to make cycling better in our city.
October 12th, 2011
Photo of the Day: high above Queen Street
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
This compact view doesn't do anything like justice to the latest cityscape captured by Justin Van Leeuwen; to get a much better view -- and the story of just where and how he took this amazing panorama shot -- click here.
World Wide Wednesday: Stolen bridges and brutalist preservation
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• At FastCompany, urban designer Ryan Gravel speaks to power of catalyst projects to revitalize urban communities. He cites the example of the Atlanta BeltLine, a 22-mile rail route turned linear park, as a possible model.
• At The Atlantic Cities, Allison Arieff reflects on the industrial re-design of NYC's Times Square. Architect Craig Dykers muses, “There’s that film noir quality that some people have about Times Square… and the grittiness of the street is a part of it... It’s not taking its cues from pretty little things in Europe or something. It’s kind of like the heart of New York City. It’s a heavy, muscular thing.”
• Thieves in North Beaver Township, Pennsylvania, raised the (re-)bar this past week when they stole a 50 by 20 foot bridge for scrap metal. The bridge dated back to the early 1900s and was primarily used for rail traffic. (CNN)
October 13th, 2011
Le musée des beaux-arts & la première imprimerie du Canada – vers 1910 & 2011
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
La basilique Notre-Dame et le Musée des beaux-arts du Canada vus du parc Major’s Hill. Le musée occupe ce qui fut jadis l’emplacement de la première imprimerie du Canada.
View from Major’s Hill Park of the Notre-Dame Basilica and the NGC (National Gallery of Canada) and what was then the first printing bureau.
Source: Archives Canada
A Little Miracle
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0I3KBck33R0
Several years ago it was Spacing Ottawa's pleasure to spend time with the BBC broadcaster and blogger Malachi O'Doherty when he was in town for the Ottawa International Writer's festival. We accompanied Malachi and his partner Maureen as they explored downtown Ottawa on foot, and since that meeting we have enjoyed keeping up with his many observations on life in his native Belfast.
Lately Malachi has rediscovered his childhood love of the bicycle and has started looking at his city through the eyes of a cyclist, for better or for worse. With this week's terrible cycling news still fresh ...
October 14th, 2011
Ottawa Knowledge: who will be Team Awesome?
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Drinking and thinking: together at last!"][/caption]
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What's that you say -- a pub quiz for Ottawa history buffs?
No tedious questions about brat-pack movies of the 1980s or tortuous references to Kurt Cobain lyrics? And did someone say "pub"? Sign us up!
From our friends at the Bytown Museum:
Sunday October 16: Pub Quiz, Bytown Museum Style!
Who was Bytown named after? Which local school did that famous Friend attend?
That's right; we want to test your Bytown and Ottawa knowledge.
Bring your team to DArcy McGees on Sparks Street on October 16 at 2 ...
October 15th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: CanU, Safe Cycling and the Legg Residence
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Brian Gould reports back from the third annual conference of the CanU, the Council for Canadian Urbanism. Both the conference and the make up of the group itself are reasons for high optimism about this budding organization.
Erick Villagomez highlights a troubling application to demolish the Legg Residence, one of Vancouver's significant heritage buildings, and the rising efforts to save it.
Sean Gillis reveals the final result of the Atlantic Canada's Densest Neighbourhoods series. This week profiling the most densely populated neighbourhood in the Maritimes, Halifax's Spring Garden/ Queen Street area.
Last week's profiled crowd-sourcing project to attach stories to a series of old photographs unearthed in the Nova Scotia archives produced some interesting results. Lauren Oostveen reveals the intriguing story of one of the series' most interesting photographs.
The Montage du Jour featured several interesting contrasts in commercial buildings this week, including the evolution of a grocery store over the past several decades.
For several days Guillaume St-Jean's Montage du Jour focused on the fascinating changes brought about by the construction of the massive Maison Radio-Canada complex in the early 1970's.
Two posts this week complimented the upcoming release of the food issue of the Spacing Magazine. Jessica Lemieux tells the story of how a vegetable garden built community for a newcomer to the city. Luca de Franco uses the Headspace feature to interview Debbie Field, executive director of the innovative organization Foodshare.
Alex Bozikovic uses the No Mean City column to profile a fascinating New York City program pre-qualifying high quality architects for local public works projects to support local firms and make the most of limited budgets.
October 17th, 2011
Tomorrow: Tribute ride for Danielle Naçu
By Kathryn Hunt // No Comments
Tomorrow morning (Tuesday, October 18), hundreds of cyclists and allies (non-cyclists are welcome to walk with the group) will be meeting at Bronson and Queen for a tribute ride for Danielle Naçu, the cyclist who was killed last week on Queen Street. Christ Church Cathedral, at Bronson and Queen, will be serving coffee and muffins from 8:00 AM, and supplying shelter in case of rain.
Anyone participating is encouraged to wear yellow if possible, as a symbol of the ‘ray of sunshine’ that Danielle was to ...
October 18th, 2011
Video: Queen Street Tribute Ride
By Spacing Ottawa // 2 Comments
It was a slow and dignified procession this morning as hundreds of Ottawans walked, cycled, or pushed their bikes along Queen Street to the site of the tragic accident that took the life of Danielle Naçu one week ago today. According to radio reports this morning organizers had been hoping for 300 people at the event but by a rough head count of the people walking past our camera it appears that about 700 set off from the staging point; more joined the procession en route.
Next City Café: The Future of Food
By Allegra Newman // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Urban food of the future, from 1940's Seagram's ad."][/caption]
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Everyone eats. What we eat, how we get it, the cost of our food and where it comes from are questions for everyone.
How do we plan our city with food in mind?
Let’s talk about it together.
“Planning for a Food Secure Ottawa”
October 19th 7:00pm
Alpha Soul Café, 1015 Wellington St W.
Next City Café is a new monthly discussion forum in collaboration with Spacing Ottawa that explores the spaces, places and ideas that matter in Ottawa. Every 3rd Wednesday of the month, urban enthusiasts, ...
October 19th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Bankruptcy, transit pass, commute times
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Harrisburg, PA filed for bankruptcy protection last week after failing to make debt servicing payments on its trash-to-energy incinerator. Bloomberg reports that Harrisburg is the second and largest American city to file for protection this year.
• In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel will require city employees to take transit when travelling on official business. The new policy is expected to save $1 million (in expense claims for car washes and parking tickets). (Grist)
• UK-based researchers are exploring the potential of synthetic protocells to capture atmospheric CO2. While scalability and commercial production remain concerns, the team suggests that such materials may one day improve the carbon footprint of the buildings they coat. (CNN)
October 21st, 2011
Food culture in Addis and Ottawa: Who is looking up to who?
By Kathleen Courtney // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Food security, Addis Ababa-style ––photo by author"][/caption]
Editor's note: In keeping with this week's theme, Spacing Ottawa contributor Kathleen Courtney has sent us this post on the topic of urban food security from her current city of residence – Addis Ababa. Kathleen has been close to food as a server and cook in Ottawa restaurants and involved in food security issues as a Food for All participant and former policy student.
I have been living in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, for one month. Through the Coady Institute, Nova Scotia, ...
FAVOURITE FRIDAY: Which piece of local public art is your favourite?
By Matthew Blackett // 3 Comments
Across the Spacing Blog Network today we are asking our readers in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Otttawa, and the Atlantic cities to let us know which work of local public art is your favourite (feel free to name more than one). We want to hear back from our readers on what they like/dislike about our shared public spaces so we plan to run this feature with regularity.
If possible, please provide a link to a photo you are commenting about. We suggest using Flickr as the photographers ...
October 22nd, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Walk 21, Local Food Systems and YIMBYism
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
At the closure of nominations for Vancouver's upcoming municipal election, Brian Gould takes a look at the early candidates and issues; asking if there is Rob Ford equivilant, who will back streetcars or bike lanes and providing a glimpse into Vancouver's interesting electoral system.
Brian Gould used the In Depth feature to highlight some of his experiences from the Walk 21 Conference. Themed around "Transforming the Auto City" the conference placed a heavy emphasis on public health and attracted a wide range of professionals and ideas.
Abad Khan profiles two significant projects that are taking two very different approaches to revitalization in the urban heart of Saint John, both offering their own set of challenges and opportunities.
The Atlantic Snapshots feature continues to provide fascinating looks at maritime cities and their history.
Guillaume St-Jean's Montage du Jour feature takes a look at the changing retail face of St Catherine Street as well as long vanished theaters and the former site of the Marché St-Laurent.
John Lorinc used his column this week to pick apart Rob Ford's assertions about the cost of the municipal civil service in response to the Mayor's escalating posturing ahead of upcoming contract negotiations.
Spacing profiles this weekend's YIMBY - Yes in My Backyard Festival which aims to turn the tables of the relationship between developers, politicians and community groups in order to build momentum for positive change.
October 24th, 2011
ParkMobiles: a perfect fit for winter cities
By Eric Darwin // No Comments
Quick, time to employ your detective powers! Just what is shown in the above picture?
Do you see two people sitting on a bench built into a planter? Look closer, notice how thin the planter walls are; they certainly aren’t concrete. And it looks sort of hollow under the planter. And the little tag over there on the right: it says Public Parklet.
What you are looking at is the first of six ParkMobiles rolled out in San Francisco in August. Defined as “robust moveable containers with lush gardens”, they could equally well be described as “dumpster flower boxes”. Yup, you are looking at a modified 16’x6’x40” dumpster. Each one has been planted with a different garden theme, and then plunked down in central San Fran to fill up one space otherwise occupied by a parked car.
Cars are ubiquitous in our downtowns. They use up 70-90% of the public space. This ParkMobile recovers some of that space, for a temporary period, as a park. The bench effectively widens the sidewalk and provides additional amenity space, which is sorely lacking on narrow sidewalks.
October 26th, 2011
The Rink That Was, In Centretown
By Dwight Williams // 1 Comment
Many regular readers will already be aware of the work now underway to build an outdoor ice rink as part of Marion Dewar Plaza in front of Ottawa City Hall. This has come as welcome news to many Ottawans for a number of reasons: once finished, the rink will be easily accessible and obviously central; a perfect compliment to the "world's biggest outdoor rink" just a block away under the Laurier bridge.
But if won't be the first time the advantages of having a outdoor skating rink in the downtown core have occurred to City planners.
This is something that most Ottawa hockey historians likely already know. But given the fact that it's not yet formally marked with any kind of plaque - at least not the last we checked - it might be easy for most of the rest of us to miss this detail of Ottawa's athletic history.
Whilst checking out the fire insurance maps for Ottawa as published in 1902 and revised in 1912, one would notice an ice rink just across Laurier from the Drill Hall, where Confederation Park's southeastern quarter is today. (the grey-shaded area in lower left of image - Ed. )This was the third rink built under the auspices of the Dey Brothers' shipbuilding operation in Ottawa, and the second arena to house the team we know today as the original Ottawa Senators.
World Wide Wednesday: Bridges, record playing bikes, Libyan development
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Transportation for America reports that communities across the U.S. are demanding repairs to aging and unsafe bridges. A staggering 9.8% of bridges in the Chicago metropolitan area are considered structurally deficient.
• The UBC School of Public Affairs profiles a recent report on the impact of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The study used 126 IOC-mandated indicators to assess the social, economic and environmental impacts of the Games. While the reported findings are somewhat vague, researchers note that the Games helped with the creation of new jobs and businesses and increases in visitor spending.
• At Next American City, Michael Hooper examines the role of public participation in infrastructure projects. While some prominent urbanists question the value of what they term 'excessive participatory requirements' - citing slower construction times, Hooper identifies other positive spillovers from public participation including user satisfaction, long-term economic and social sustainability and the development of social capital.
October 27th, 2011
City of Bath: UNESCO designation in no danger
By Clive Doucet // 8 Comments
Editor's note: For the past half-year Clive Doucet has traveled through Asia Minor and Europe examining some of the world's most ancient human settlements. In that time he visited ten Paleolithic and Neolithic sites, and dozens of still-occupied settlements from the Roman era. He reports that he toured the sites "by tram, bus, ferry, subway, overnight express train – and one private car rental".
This post is his last installment filed from abroad, and, as Clive has now returned to Ottawa to take up a position as a Visiting Scholar at Carleton University's College of the Humanities, the "On Cities" feature will once again be written from his home base.
There are no high rises in Jane Austen’s Bath. The one shopping centre I have been able to find is approached by foot and from the outside looks the same as an 18th century building. The buildings themselves are constructed from a honey-yellow limestone that glows in the sunlight and glowers in the rain.
You can find all of the houses and apartments that the Austen family ‘let’ in Bath, they’re all a comfortable walk one from the other. The Austen’s family wasn’t rich. Jane’s father was a clergyman, farmer and school teacher and with eight children had to work hard to make ends meet. Yet, they all did very well. Two of her brothers became Admirals of the Fleet. Another became a clergyman like his father and took over the parsonage at Stevenson where Jane had been raised. Like most families, the Austen’s had mixed luck. She had one brother who was born with a serious mental handicap. Another who went bankrupt as a banker and hurt many of his friends and family in the bank’s failure. Cassandra and Jane both lost their ‘men’ to sudden death.
October 28th, 2011
FAVOURITE FRIDAY: What is your favourite pedestrian bridge?
By Spacing Ottawa // 4 Comments
Across the Spacing urban blog network each week we're asking our readers in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Otttawa, and the Atlantic cities to let us know their favourite things about their respective city.
THIS WEEK: What is your favourite pedestrian bridge(s) in Ottawa?
If possible, please provide a link to a photo you are commenting about. We suggest using Flickr as the photographers that use this site usually provide the best quality images (and often with ...
October 31st, 2011
Street Names: Echoes of the Riel Rebellions
By Dwight Williams // 3 Comments
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It's starting to become a habit: research for one project hereabouts leads to surprising connections to other things that you didn't plan for. This is often a good thing, and it certainly was in this case.
First a bit of personal nostalgia: when I was growing up in Regina, there was this commercial on television that one could count on as a confirmation of summer's arrival being either complete or at least immiment. The commercial advertised a play that I never got to see before leaving Regina for Ottawa: The Trial of Louis Riel. As advertised by the title, the play was a dramatic re-enactment of that same trial of that twice-rebellious, doomed and martyred Métis politician.
Fast-forward to 2011 Ottawa. In the course of researching matters of Lowertown history, I stumbled across a heritage building with links to the North-West Rebellion, the ill-fated last of Louis Riel's two campaigns against the federal government in the spring of 1885 on the plains of what is now Saskatchewan.
November 1st, 2011
DARWIN: City takes tact lesson from the NCC
By Eric Darwin // 4 Comments
[caption id="attachment_7059" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Billygoat hill?"][/caption]
Recall the kerfuffle about the NCC closing and then reopening the Preston “Extension”, and then closing it again, then tossing he blame to the City, then reopening it with a promise to consult better in the future? Well, the City seems to have been watching closely for lessons in how not to treat pedestrians, because suddenly last week they posted signs closing the popular pedestrian path beside Tom Brown Arena, just a few hundred metres from where the NCC ran aground on the shoals of public indignation.
The paths in question are truly goat trails. They cover the slope behind the Arena and connect pedestrians between Hintonburg and Albert Street. It is a safe bet that most users are headed for the O-Train or transitway stations at Bayview.
November 2nd, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Healthy cities, arenas, historic sites
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Three Southern California cities are taking dramatic steps to improve the health and well-being of residents. Using a program designed by Dan Buettner, the cities are attempting to make the healthy choice the easy choice for local residents. Measures include walking schools buses for children, improving access to healthy food, enhancing bike infrastructure and pedestrian access and encouraging personal interactions. (CNN)
• Edmonton moved one step closer to a new home for the Oilers this week when council voted in favour of a new arena cost-sharing arrangement with team owner Daryl Katz. The new rink is the centrepiece of a slate of revitalized commercial-residential downtown development. But with the deal $100 million short and both the provincial and federal governments refusing to pony up tax dollars to fund private enterprise, the way forward for the new rink is somewhat unclear. (Globe and Mail)
• Meanwhile in L.A., plans to build a downtown football stadium as a way to boost the city's bruised economy are being met with scorn by Joel Kotkin at New Geography. Kotkin says "urban vanity projects like sports teams and convention centers add little to permanent employment or overall regional economic well-being... Certainly mega-stadiums have done little to boost sad-sack, depopulating cities such as St. Louis, Baltimore or Cleveland."
Pedestrian Paradise
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Spacing Ottawa was at City Hall this evening to hear Gil Peñalosa, the former Commissioner of Parks, Sport and Recreation for the City of Bogotá, speak at Urban Forum's Mobility Summit. Peñalosa is now the Executive Director of 8- 80 Cities, a Toronto-based non-profit that advocates for better walking and cycling infrastructure in cities.
Peñalosa creates a real sense of urgency around his topic and absolutely radiates enthusiasm for what can be done - and what is being done - to make cities around the world ...
November 3rd, 2011
Spacing’s next issue will be national
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
With the success of Spacing's first national issue — our special summer edition has sold twice as well as any previous issue we've ever published — our editors have decided that we will continue to provide our readers with pan-Canada coverage of everything urban.
Since 2003, Spacing has published 22 issues with all but one of them focused exclusively on Toronto urbanism. As we've expanded our blog network across Canada — Montreal in 2007, Ottawa and the Atlantic cities ...
November 7th, 2011
Street Names: Legends of the Highlands
By Dwight Williams // No Comments
This story might have started with the publication of Sir Walter Scott's historical novels such as discussed here previously, back in the first half of the 19th Century.
Or we could date it from 1910 and the founding of the Britannia Highlands syndicate, the group responsible for developing the neighbourhood that is home to these streets.
At that time, Nepean Township still existed on the maps and in the statute books of Canada and Ontario alike, and Britannia was a farming village in Nepean Township. The village dated from ...
November 8th, 2011
Contribute photos to Spacing’s next national issue
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
As we mentioned last week, Spacing will continue to publish a national edition of the magazine twice a year (plus two Toronto-centric editions a year). That means we need to expand our cast of contributors (more specifically photographers).
If you love to photograph your city — wherever that may be in Canada — we want to see your images. You can add us as a contact on Flickr, or if you really want to be helpful to our production team, you can add your photos to the national issue's Flickr group. ...
November 9th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Station art, transportation bills, health care savings
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Canadian transit stations are pretty, but we just can't compete with the likes of the Stockholm metro station pictured above which features pixel-art inspired by classic games. (BoingBoing)
•“Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century”, the US federal transportation authorization bill is up for debate in the Senate. Complete streets advocates were pleased to see that the draft bill makes bicycling and walking projects eligible under the core funding program and defines ‘road users’ as including people who walk and bicycle and use public transportation, as well as people with disabilities and older adults. (CompleteStreets.org)
November 10th, 2011
Considering Public Space in Ottawa: Library & Archives Canada Building
By Chris Warden // No Comments
Editor's note: This article is cross-posted from Spacing Ottawa contributor Chris Warden's new website dedicated to modernist architecture in Ottawa. As Chris explains, Capital Modern's inspiration is "a concern with the lack of value that is typically attributed to buildings and sites from this period in Ottawa’s growth as a city...[the] site is meant to fit into the growing attention this period is receiving and to provide a wide audience with the opportunity to consider and/or reconsider works from this period."
One of the key legacies of the Centennial celebrations in Ottawa was the construction of numerous public institutions aimed at promoting and protecting the collective memory and identity of Canada and its peoples. Perched at the western edge of the Parliamentary Precinct, the Library and Archives Canada building is a modernist landmark serving the role of providing storage for important documentation, providing access to this documentation and being a site for public use. In fact public use of the building is identified in the building's Heritage Character Statement: "as an important public venue in Ottawa". A heritage character statement, prepared by FHBRO (Federal Heritage Building Review Office) is a summary document that outlines key architectural, associative and cultural characteristics that define a building’s heritage value. The provision of gracious public spaces, significant artwork specifically designed for the building, an auditorium and other gathering spaces within the building all support the public functions and intent inherent in the original design and integral to the character of the building. Over the intervening years since its construction finished in 1967 the building and its public spaces have been incredibly well used by the citizens of the Capital Region. With the apparent shift in Government policy and addition of further procedural requirements it will be much more difficult to access this important public space (one of the few at this end of Wellington Street) and its usefulness as an indoor gathering space place within downtown Ottawa.
November 11th, 2011
Maintenant et avant: Sussex & Bruyère – vers 1940 & 2011
By Alexandre Laquerre // 1 Comment
Les résidences Élizabeth-Bruyère n’ont pas subi de changements notables. Par contre, le bâtiments au sud du Bruyère ont été remplacés par l’ambassade du Koweit. Fait à noter, la rue Bruyère s’appelait Water aux temps du premier cliché.
The Bruyere Continuing Care residence did not go through notable changes. However, the building south of Bruyere as well as a few houses have been replaced by the Kuwait Ambassy. Please note that Bruyere Street was then called Water Street.
November 12th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Lost Villages, Election Distraction and World Heritage Sites
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
As part of Spacing Votes Brian Gould looks at the media fixation on the Occupy movement at a recent mayoral debate and how coverage for this one issue comes at the expense of other issues such as transit funding.
Eric Villagomez reports on the upcoming launch of Vancouver's Interactive Building Permits Database which will unlock and disseminate the story of many of the city's historic buildings and sites.
Jacob Larson raises the alarm bell on a growing disparity between funding allocations for highways versus public transit. Despite a long standing trend of 10:1 spending, a recent funding push towards highways is dramatically tipping the balance in undesirable ways.
Following pressure from the Montreal Ouvert group, the City of Montreal has created a platform for open data and begun releasing data sets to the public. As Allanah Heffez reports, the move is promising but will depend on following through with promises.
Spacing Readers in the Maritimes respond to a recent Favourite Friday call out for stories about reader's favourite pedestrian bridges.
As part of the continuing transformation of Toronto's transit heart, Dylan Reid reports back on early plans for pedestrianization and an expanded public square in front of Union Station, along with an update of other pedestrian news in the city.
Sean Marshall brings a ghostly installment of the Lost Villages series from the former Hamlet of Clairville in Toronto's far northwest corner. Obliterated by shifting transportation infrastructure, the hamlet's few remaining elements lie abandoned or forgotten, isolated amongst industrial storage lots.
November 14th, 2011
O’CONNELL: Sidewalk Menace, or One Less Car?
By Erin O’Connell // 9 Comments
A few months ago I entered the glorious world of motherhood. While the first couple months were a bit of a blur, sleep has finally become more common and there are refreshing moments of rational thought. Some of these thoughts surround the urban environment and what it’s been like navigating the same neighbourhood and city as a parent with baby in tow instead of as an individual.
The stroller has become central to this navigation and days filled with lovely walks. I also use a baby carrier, but it was simply too hot much of the summer to do so and the stroller includes a space for groceries without breaking my fragile back. It is a must for multi-tasking and doing everything by foot. I get some exercise and sanity, my little one gets some fresh air every day, I can walk with other moms and share our experiences, the neighbourhood businesses get frequent patronage, my husband doesn’t have to spend his evenings and weekends doing errands and our car makes many less trips meaning everyone on the road benefits. Generally, the experiences have been fantastic. The majority of small businesses include employees and customers who rush to assist in opening doors and sharing the odd bit of advice about parenting.
November 15th, 2011
Next City Café on Wednesday: Reimagining Green Space
By Allegra Newman // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="High Line Park, NYC - photo by CosmicAutumn"][/caption]
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Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7.00 PM @ Alpha Soul Café, 1015 Wellington Street West, in Hintonburg.
Do you know of a green space in your community that is underused, that is uninspiring, that you avoid, that you wish could be something more?
This week's Next City Cafe is about how to reimagine these community spaces and make them into something wonderful.
Bring your imagination, a pen, and your wish list for a local community space -- and with some experienced panelists, we will dream big -- so come on out and spread the word!
Panelists:
Chris Osler, Community Developer of the Sandy Hill Community Health Center
Aamina Bedran, Co-founder of the Ottawa Children's Garden
After the bump, the notes from October's Next City Café, on the topic of Food Security.
November 16th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Avenue towards heaven, biking broadway
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Not for the faint of heart - if the top of China's Tianmen Mountain is your destination, your options are 1) The Avenue Towards Heaven - 99 turns and 1500m of elevation gain or 2) the world's longest cable car ride. (Kuriositas)
• Ever wondered what it is like to bike the length of Broadway? This video compresses the 13 mile ride into 5 minutes. The video includes great shots of some of the city's recent bike lane improvements. (Observer)
November 17th, 2011
The Changing Face of Vanier
By Mike Steinhauer // 2 Comments
The architect’s design slowly emerges as the curved concrete walls of the Wabano Centre are being poured. With the undulating forms of its façade and the massive dome that will top the new expansion, the centre is bound to become an iconic feature on Montreal Road. The building, designed by Douglas Cardinal, Ottawa’s preeminent architect, highlights the curvilinear style also evident in the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau.
A couple blocks south, just off McArthur Avenue and the Vanier Parkway, a much larger pit is visible. Bona Building & Management Co. is constructing a large office tower on one of the few remaining lots that housed a warehouse built in the 1940’s. Further north, also along the parkway, a second Claridge tower is growing tall. In addition to the two 20 storey buildings, this 10-acre site contains 54 townhouses and six three-storey condo buildings. A retirement home along Landry Street will complete the project. Today, few remember the controversy that erupted when the development was first proposed or the fact that this was once a steel fabrication plant.
November 19th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: The Fourth Wall, Affordable Housing and Montréalophobie
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
An infographic showing a 390 square foot apartment from Jason Pfeifers look at a Vancouver affordable housing program
Affordable housing has become a major election issue in Vancouver. Asking the question of what defines 'affordable'? Jason Pfeifer explains some fascinating research on one of Vancouver's current affordable housing programs that allows increased density in exchange for rental units as small as 320 square feet.
As part of the regular Book Review feature, Erick Villagomez discusses 'Infrastructure: The Book for Everything for the Industrial Landscape' and how the book is useful and engaging for those interested in the urban landscape to understand the fundamental workings of our infrastructure.
Alanah Heffez questions how the value of eyes on the street is effected in a place where people are often unwilling to speak up. Heffez shares some of her own stories and reflections on speaking up against wrong doing.
Joel Thibert looks at the new policies of the Coalition Avenir Quebec and how they address the long standing problem of montréalophobie in Quebec politics.
Lauren Mercer-Smail launched the first of her new series The Sunday Building Project with sketches and observations drawn from sitting for an hour somewhere on a Montreal Street.
Hillary Best began a new series this week complimenting The Fourth Wall, an ongoing exhibit looking at ways to break barriers to civic engagement. This week the series looked at how to teach municipal civics in schools and recognize contributors to public life.
Toronto's proposed Crosstown LRT project is amongst the largest public works projects currently underway in North America. John Lorinc questions whether the decision to put the entire project underground will result in financial boondoggle.
November 20th, 2011
Maintenant et avant: Coin Sussex & St-Patrick – vers 1940 et 2011
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
On peut voir au loin le bâtiment Connaught au loin qui est toujours en place. Les maisons en rangé ont laissé leur place au Musée des beaux-arts du Canada. L’ambassade des États-Unis occupe la majeure partie du terrain vacant au sud de St-Patrick.
The Connaught building at the back is still standing, but the row houses at the front have been replaced by the National Art Gallery. The American embassy occupies what used to be an empty lot south of St. Patrick Street.
November 22nd, 2011
Bank Street at Second Avenue: Avalon Theatre
By Evan Thornton // 4 Comments
It’s been more than seven years since Spacing Ottawa contributor Alain Miguelez published his much-esteemed book on the history of theatres in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, "A Theatre Near You”. The lavish 370-page volume, thick with archival photos, was a labour of love that joined up two parts of Miguelez; the inner child who never forgot the thrill of a Saturday afternoon matinée, and the urbanist the boy grew up to be -- a writer who laments the damage done to our civic culture by the closures of the grand "picture palaces" and their cousins, the neighbourhood theatres that were once found on every main street.
The book has been a treasure-trove for Ottawans curious to know more of the social history of their city, including writer and intern architect Chris Warden in these pages, but I am embarrassed to admit that it is only recently that I finally acquired my own copy.
November 23rd, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Occupy, Pocket Parks, Traffic Fatalities
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Sarah Fine at Next American City responds to recent incidents at the Occupy Oakland protest where drivers used their vehicles to injure and intimidate protestors. She considers the lessons from the Occupy movement for Complete Streets advocates.
• By its own standards, LA is park-poor (15,717 acres of parkland despite a standard of 10 acres for every 1,000 residents). But with a lack of available open space, LA will take the small is beautiful approach as it seeks to open 50 new "pocket parks" in urban neighbourhoods over the next two years. (LAist)
• Streetsblog DC has a powerful map of America's traffic fatalities, produced by British firm ITO World. The WHO reports 12.3 annual traffic deaths per 100,000 residents in the US.
November 24th, 2011
Tonight: last chance to stop wider/faster Bronson
By Spacing Ottawa // 4 Comments
If you can spare 30 or 40 seconds, watch the behaviour of the rushing vehicles in this video, and then compare the numbers of cars and trucks with how many pedestrians are using the sidewalks at this major intersection -- it's the corner of Somerset and Bronson.
Somehow the City's traffic engineers would have us believe that widening this road even further will be the best way to achieve a safer street - a street already notorious for its unfriendly pedestrian environment.
If you think the City's ...
November 26th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Good Neighbours, Unbuilt Toronto and Urban Screens
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Vancouver's Director of City Planning, Brent Toderian, shares his take on the early results of an exciting public design and ideas competition to re-imagine the city's downtown road viaducts. Links are provided to the submissions in the reCONNECT design contest.
Urban Screens with interactive facades, buildings projections and networked communication are spreading to all kinds of urban environments around the world. Erick Villagomez showcases a an event held this week to discuss the issue of how these projections positively engage audiences and contribute to the experience of society.
Of course, this week also saw the conclusion of the municipal election in Vancouver. Spacing was quick to provide interesting analysis and cartographic representation of the results.
Alex Bozikovic discusses his recent piece in Architectural Record talking about the building boom currently reshaping the skyline of Toronto and other Canadian cities. Contrasted with the building stagnation in many American centers our situation is hope for both caution and optimism.
John Lorinc used his column this week to talk about Mark Osbaldeston's new book Unbuilt Toronto 2 which looks at proposed major developments that were never built. Lorinc shows that book reveals several close calls with monstrosities as well as a possible origin of second guessing on transit.
Emile Thomas shares a recent experience which revealed his deep and previously unbeknownst daily relationship with the neighbours in his building. Thomas uses this as an opportunity to reflect on how to treat ones neighbours and expectations of urban living.
This week's Sunday Building Project offers up a little piece of the town of Mount Royal with a heavy theme of the city as provider, of curbside freebies.
November 28th, 2011
Space for schools: why were planners oblivious to inner city growth?
By Jay Baltz // 1 Comment
[caption id="attachment_7319" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Devonshire Public School in family-friendly Hintonburg"][/caption]
Watch NFB: Territories
By Julie Matlin // No Comments
Editor: Spacing is pleased to continue our partnership with the National Film Board of Canada to showcase films and interactive projects from their online screening room. Julie Matlin of the NFB will be occasionally posting films here on Spacing that explore public spaces, Canadian or international cities and anything urban. The NFB is one of Canada's greatest resources. Click here to view their entire online collection.
Over the weekend, in conjunction with ...
November 30th, 2011
Maintenant et avant: Elgin @ Laurier – 1939 c. 2011.
By Alexandre Laquerre // 1 Comment
Cette photo a été prise en 1939 après l’élargissement d’Elgin. On peut voir à droite les appartements Roxborough qui furent démolis (ainsi que plusieurs autres bâtiments) pour faire place au parc de la confédération tel que dicté par le plan Gréber. L’église « First Baptist Church » que l’on peut entrevoir est toujours débout. À noter que l’hôtel Lord Elgin est absent de la photo puisqu’il ne fût érigé qu’en 1941.
This picture was taken in 1939 just after Elgin Street was widened. Roxborough apartments (as well as many other buildings) ...
World Wide Wednesday: Lots to Parks, Sidewalks to Roads, New Transit and Play
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Can a little greenspace reduce crime? That's the thesis advanced by a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology which analyzed a ten-year project in Philadelphia to turn 4,436 empty lots into park space. Researchers suggest the significant drop in crime is attributable to the way potential criminals view and interpret the space. (Grist)
• In London, traffic planners are experimenting with reduced barriers between motor vehicles and pedestrians on Exhibition Road. The planners are attempting to draw pedestrians back to the cultural centre of the city, using visual cues and textures to communicate proper behaviours while encouraging all road users to slow down. (GOOD)
• The New York Times explores three unconventional but highly successful modes of transportation. In Maine, the Brunswick Explorer is a small fare bus that affords independence to people living in rural communities without access to a car. In Brooklyn, private dollar vans provide an option to folks travelling where other options don't exist. Across the country, the Independent Transportation Network allows users to share rides with those unable to get around on their own. Users can transfer rides earned to those in need or bank them for a future time when they are unable to drive. These alternative models demonstrate that transit solutions require ingenuity and not necessarily major infrastructure investments.
December 1st, 2011
The cycling Lansdowne situation, in short.
By Alex deVries // 5 Comments
Over the last week, on my own blog I've been writing about details of the cycling aspect of the Lansdowne transportation plans. Those five articles are all pretty deep; this one will summarize the situation. This is all relevant for tonight's open house on the topic.
The Lansdowne Park stadium in Ottawa is scheduled to be reconstructed over the next few years. The location in the Glebe, just south of downtown, makes it impossible to build new transportation infrastructure, yet the commercial success of the park depends on there being ...
December 3rd, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Downtown Schools, Participatory Budgeting and Development Wars
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Gordon Price used his Prince Points column this week to talk about the drawn out of history of a West End Vancouver condominium proposal. That the final proposal will likely result in the loss of a heritage building shows how extended community consultation must be accompanied with a willingness to compromise.
Christine McLaren, resident blogger with the BMW Guggenheim Lab, tells the story of a trip to the first post-war planned suburb of Levittown, New York and subsequent interactions with leading authors with ideas of how to retrofit it.
This week's installment of The Sunday Building Project comes complete with anecdotes about the first substantial snowfall in Montreal this year and how winter serves as a test of the true passion of Montrealers.
Guillaume St-Jean uses the Montage du Jour feature to look back in history at the changing face of the intersection of Rue Saint-Catherine Ouest and Rue Guy.
As part of the ongoing Fourth Wall series looking at ways to break the barriers of citizen engagement at City Hall, Hillary Best takes a look at ways to help facilitate community association organizations and also examines the idea of participatory budgeting and its international best practices.
Continuing the discussion from the food theme in the latest issue of Spacing Magazine, Allie Hunwicks launches a series that will look at cafes and restaurants around the city that are expanding on their role to become community spaces.
December 5th, 2011
Besserer’s Legacy
By Dwight Williams // No Comments
We recently received a request to look into Sandy Hill's Besserer Street. It's not one of the most noticeable streets in town. Even though it outlines the northern edge of Sandy Hill as it runs from Daly (originally from Sussex Drive) to Wurtemburg Street near the Rideau River, it is busy Rideau Street a block to the north that defines the boundary of the district for most Ottawans.
After some digging into assorted books and web pages, though, it seems we once more have proof that author Will Ferguson was right: Canadian history cannot possibly be boring. It's just a matter of knowing where and how to look for the key details.
Therefore, consider this man: Louis-Théodore Besserer...born a child of Québec in 1785, veteran of the War of 1812, doomed to self-imposed exile in Bytown as a consequence of his stance on the Rebellions of 1837.
The child of mixed German and French-Canadian parents, his early life was unremarkable by all accounts. He became first a student at the Petit Séminaire de Québec and eventually became a public notary in 1810, developing a decent reputation within the field.
December 6th, 2011
Photo of the Day: Bayview Station
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
photo by Erinn Cunningham
December 7th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Digital placemaking, highway canopy, ferris wheel
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Project for Public Spaces is experimenting with digital placemaking in revitalization efforts for downtown San Antonio. The online platform, Placemap, allows residents to suggest interventions and illustrate their ideas with links and pictures. Participants have noted the advantages of the digital placemaking approach over limited public meetings.
• In 2012, a 5km stretch of Germany's Autobahn 7 will be transformed into a public park - the largest of its kind. The 10 ft tall canopy will reconnect districts divided when the highway was built thirty years ago. (The Weather Network)
• Canadian firm, Bombardier, is piloting a wireless above-ground transit vehicle that recharges its batteries from cables embedded underneath the track. The technology, Primove, eliminates the need for overhead wires or stationary charging stations. Transportation experts anticipate cost and winter-readiness concerns. (Globe and Mail)
December 13th, 2011
Inside Downtown Moves
By Eric Darwin // 7 Comments
[caption id="attachment_7410" align="alignnone" width="419" caption="Photo: Noah Kazis/Streetsblog"][/caption]
The City is running a study to produce an integrated urban design and transportation strategy for the future of downtown Ottawa streets. The triggering factor are the circulation patterns to be caused by the new LRT stations, the removal of some/many/but not all buses, and to restore a balance amongst users (surely a reference to the auto-domination of the previous decades).
The study team held workshops earlier this fall, and brought in significant guest speakers who gave well-attended ...
December 14th, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Power washed murals, bike couriers, pavillions
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• In Leuven, Belgium, street artist Strook uses moss and a power washer to shape living murals on bare walls. (Colossal)
• Officials in Flanders are taking a serious look at the role that bike couriers can play in reducing vehicle traffic and emissions. Recent studies of local bike courier firms highlight the additional flexibility and reliability of this mode of delivery. Moving forward, the Flemish government will evaluate which packages could be switched over to delivery by bike couriers. (Dutch Mobility)Â
December 16th, 2011
Small Downtown Moves
By Eric Darwin // 4 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Cars, buildings. and precious few pedestrians. Photo by Canadian Tourism."][/caption]
Editor's note: Part 1 of this article was posted earlier this week
The City of Ottawa “Downtown Moves” process has a number of fine sentiments expressed in Council’s direction:
Vibrant, safe, accessible streets for pedestrians
Improve sidewalks, crosswalks, and walking routes
Enhance the public realm and on-street amenities
Continuous, safe, and convenient cycling facilities
Framework to guide future planning
To date, the planners have tried to package together the improvement ideas generated at the public forums. They distilled these into The Big Moves.
Planners and engineers are problem solvers. Identifying some key streets and their problems is one approach. If the study was being run by public policy boffins and advised by policy wonks then they would come up with process-oriented measures: What do we do that generates the unsatisfactory current state and how do we fix the process to produce a better city?
December 17th, 2011
Spacing Saturday: Downtown Moves, Cosmopolitanism and Ho Chi Minh City
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Erick Villagomez recaps the results of the exciting re:CONNECT design competition to rethink the space currently occupied by Vancouver's downtown traffic viaducts. The story includes links to the winning designs.
As part of the ongoing Video Vancouver series Caroline Toth features an incredible video by Rob Whitworth of the captivating flows of traffic in Vietnam's emerging metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City.
Gregory McCormick's Montreal Lit feature returned this week featuring excerpts from author Dany Laferrière reflecting on the Point St-Charles neighbourhood and the experiences of a newcomer.
The Regionalist Joel Thibert explores the question of whether regionalism, rooted in the systems that surround us, and cosmopolitanism, concerning itself with the broader human community, are really fundamentally at odds with each other. In doing so Thibert looks back to the origins of both ideas and their respective strengths and shortcomings.
Hilary Best continued the discussion on breaking barriers to citizen engagement through The Fourth Wall series this week. The series looked at the increasing size of local government, analyzing the history of Toronto's amalgamations and comparing councillor to constituent ratios around the world. The series also began a look at the election process by suggesting ways improve outreach to run for office.
Concerned about the way that cities are often neglected or portrayed darkly in children's books, Todd Harrison presents a selection from his family library of books for children that celebrate and take place in cities, just in time for Christmas.
December 19th, 2011
Spacing now offering national issue subscription
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
That's right, Spacing is now offering a subscription to readers who only want to get our national edition! It'll cost you $15 for 2 issues, or $25 for 4 issues. Even better, you can buy it as a gift subscription for someone else!
Up until the summer of 2011, the print edition of Spacing had been primarily focused on Toronto urban issues. We happily launched a special national issue in June (we even had an event in July at the NAC's 4th Stage in Ottawa to celebrate the release).
The editors of Spacing have ...
December 21st, 2011
World Wide Wednesday: Busways, SMS tickets and haikus
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• The Atlantic Cities looks at some key lessons learned from America's busway systems (segregated roads left exclusively to bus traffic) - Boston's Silver Line, Los Angeles' Orange Line, the Miami Busway and the Pittsburgh Busway. Best practices include off-board fare collection, elevated boarding platforms and signal priority at intersections with auto traffic.
• Belgian transportation company, De Lijn, is pioneering the SMS ticketing system on public transit systems in Antwerp and Gent. Users text a number and receive confirmation of their purchase by text message which they can then show to the driver and use to transfer between lines. SMS tickets are applied to mobile bills and save users up to 28% of the cost of standard tickets. (Dutch Mobility)
• It's "poetry in motion" according to NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. Known for her innovative approach to safer streets, JSK's new poster campaign to improve road safety uses haikus and bold images by artist John Morse to catch attention. (Transportation Nation)
December 23rd, 2011
CITIES AS CRUCIBLES: Reflections on Canada’s Urban Future
By Mark Brandt // 5 Comments
By Francois Lapointe
Invenire Books, 2011, softcover, 266 pages
“…’place’ is the dominant feature of civilization.”
-John Ralston Saul
“Across Canada, people are awakening to urbanism…..Let us commit to rebuild the ‘city by design’.”
-Larry Beasley
This new book by urban planner Francois Lapointe is many things: it is a kind of journal of his professional experiences in urbanism; it is a kind of text book on getting cities and their governing structures right; it is a type of call-to-arms; it is most importantly a cogent, comprehensive volume outlining the fundamentals of a Canadian ‘urban agenda’ and why it must be a collaborative national imperative. Lapointe, currently Vice-President, Capital Planning, for the National Capital Commission, has a broad urbanism background in public and private sectors. His style is not “preach for on high”; it is personal yet professional.
December 29th, 2011
Somerset West at Lorne Avenue: Rexy Theatre
By Evan Thornton // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Lines on brickwork: traces of the old Rexy Theatre marquee?"][/caption]
A small Vietnamese grocery now occupies the entrance hall to what was once a popular neighbourhood movie house in the heart of Chinatown. It was the last of a series of theatres at Somerset West and Lorne Avenue, in various incarnations known as the Rex Fireproof Theatre, the New Rex, and finally the Rexy.
With the possible exception of one or two large and lavish Chinese restaurants, modern-day Ottawans don't usually associate ...
January 3rd, 2012
OPINION: Ten reasons to be optimistic about Ottawa in 2012
By Alain Miguelez // 12 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="331" caption="Alain Miguelez has much to look forward to -- including the day they knock down the Rideau Street overpasses."][/caption]
2011 was the year in which urban planning and development became the confirmed fashionable topic of conversation around town. What with real estate having boomed as it has and with the amount of development Ottawa is (finally) seeing in its urban core, not a week went by without some intense debate about one project or another. And, true to Ottawa fashion (although hopefully this fashion will evolve into something more constructive), it always starts with vigorous opposition. Stepping back, however, here are ten reasons why not only “all is not lost”, but why Ottawa is in fact the city to watch in Canada when it comes to urban development.
1. The LRT. Rail rapid transit has been debated way too long. We now have a plan, and it’s the right plan. Subway downtown, east-west first, north-south to the airport next, then add spokes to the corridors with the mose density (and ridership potential). This will completely transform our city for the better. Rapid transit will truly be rapid. The system will be worthy of a big city and support our growth for at least a century.
2. Lansdowne. This is Canada’s first and most serious attempt at requalifying an urban stadium and knitting it better into its neighbourhood. Not only will we reclaim our rightful place in the CFL and gain a pro soccer team, we will also gain a park, a new market, and a network of pedestrian-friendly streets and blocks that will be animated day in and day out. This project will be studied by other cities.
3. Westboro. A neighbourhood that started as a distant streetcar suburb is now an urban hotspot, and its main street is starting to come along nicely. The new mixed-use buildings that line it are creating a much more enjoyable, coherent, populous and animated street.
January 4th, 2012
World Wide Wednesday: Ghettos, hospitals and green zoning
By Hilary Best // No Comments
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.
• Which Canadian cities are seeing the fastest ghettoization? Researchers from Queen's University, University of Toronto and StatsCan released a working paper in December showing increasing segregation by income in virtually all of the country's major cities. (Huffington Post)
• Cradled next to the State Department, the Vietnam and Korean War Veterans Memorials, the World War II Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial, architect Moshe Safdie's design for the U.S. Institute of Peace transformed a navy parking lot into a monument for humanity. (Huffington Post)
• Behold Boxpark - the world's first pop-up shopping mall. The London retail location is comprised of 60 shipping containers (five wide, two high). Owner Roger Wade calls it the most environmentally friendly shopping mall ever built and promises "after five years, we'll return the land back to its owners in exactly the same condition as we got it, and then the community can decide if it wants a more permanent retail space there." (CNN)
January 5th, 2012
Book Review: River, Road and Rail — Woodroffe Memories
By Dwight Williams // No Comments
From time to time, the residents of a particular neighbourhood will try to sum up their perspective on the history of their corner of the world for anyone who wants to read or watch or listen.
On November 10 this past year, it was the turn of the people of Woodroffe, via the pages of River, Road and Rail — Woodroffe Memories, launched with fanfare at the Carlingwood Mall by the Woodroffe North Community Association. It is co-authored by Katherine Day, Philip Goldring, Bob Grainger, Wayne Jackson and Peter Jenkins.
Personal ...
January 7th, 2012
Spacing Saturday: Optimism, Falling Crime Rates and the Vancouver Special
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Yuri Artibise tells the story of a specific group of the 'Vancouver Special,' a stock housing design developed in the 1960's which was made cheaply available and manifested in several thousand houses throughout Vancouver. The group of houses tell a unique story of the history of the Strathcona neighbourhood.
Cameron Barker examines the striking architecture of the new Visitors Centre recently opened at Vancouver's Van Dusen Gardens.
Alanah Heffez looks at the history of traffic lights on the island of Montreal, illustrating some of the process of how traffic signals became standardized and how some problems still haven't changed.
Joel Thibert provides a glimpse inside Montreal's regional politics through a look at the tumultuous final approval of the area's first regional plan the Plan métropolitain d'aménagement et développement.
Toronto's homicide rate hit a 25 year low in 2011, John Lorinc reflects on the reasons behind this success as well as the shifting politics behind public safety in the city under Rob Ford.
Alex Bozikovic's No Mean City architectural feature asks tough questions about the soullessness of international waterfront redevelopment based on recent states from leading architect Rem Koolhaas.
In a separate post No Mean City also pays homage to the walk-up apartment, advocating how this residential form could fill an important niche in Toronto's housing market which is currently neglected.
January 9th, 2012
Canal Rideau: maintenant et avant
By Alexandre Laquerre // 13 Comments
Canal Rideau 1933 - 2012
Vue du canal pointant vers le nord. On peut voir la gare centrale toujours en opération, l'absence du centre Rideau et en arrière plan le bâtiment Daly.
Rideau Canal 1933-2012
Rideau Canal looking north. We can see the central train station, but notice the absence of the Rideau Centre -- and at the far back of the photo, the Daly Building can be seen.
January 10th, 2012
OPINION: Top Ten Ways To Restore Confidence In City Planning
By Donna Silver // 8 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599" caption="Image courtesy City of Ottawa (http://ottawa.ca)"][/caption]
It’s no secret that residents of Ottawa find themselves pitted against the City far too often on planning issues. I was intrigued by a recent "Top Ten Reasons for Optimism" list in Spacing Ottawa by Alain Miguelez, especially his comment about the need for a more constructive discourse around planning.
Here’s my own Top Ten list of the obstacles we need to overcome before we can reach that goal:
1. Revise the Planning Primer Courses. The City’s Planning Primer courses are in need of a major overhaul. Aimed to bridge the knowledge gap, the courses are overly long and cover too much territory. Trimming the content considerably to the basic level that residents need at the introductory level and making the information available on-line rather than only being available as evening credit classes would be beneficial. Even better, as some Canadian cities do, would be to deliver smaller seminar-styled presentations that are designed for a specific community - in that community, upon request with a pre-determined number of registrants.
2. Drill down to find the relevant language in the Ontario Planning Act (OPA). Most planning matters undertaken at the city level occur within the parameters laid out in the Ontario Planning Act. Understanding how this impacts what is and isn’t allowed is complicated, and hindered by cumbersome legal language. Most people won’t bother to wade into it until something impacts them or their community -- by then it’s usually too late, and they are labeled ‘nimbyists’ when their arguments against something are powered by emotion instead of being legally based. An on-line simplification of the Act, undertaken by the province, would benefit Ontarians, not just Ottawans.
January 11th, 2012
World Wide Wednesday: Dark and empty places, neighbourhood names and parking lots
By Hilary Best // 2 Comments
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.
• While most global cities boast round the clock activity, made possible by armies of streetlights, many cities are moving to reduce nighttime lighting to save money on electrical bills. Citizens have expressed concern about safety, environmentalists welcome a darker night sky and others are exploring solar or concentrated lighting systems to reduce costs and focus the illumination where it is needed. (NYTimes)
• A photographer in London, a city famous for 24-hour hustle and bustle, captured what happens when the streets are empty on Christmas morning. (Flickr)
• Forget the metropolis. The new unit of urbanity ought to be the megapolitan area, argue Arthur Nelson and Robert Lang, authors of the new book Megapolitan America. By 2040, they forsee a United States carved up into 23 "megapolitan" areas - large regions of interconnected metropolitan areas. While issues such as housing and education will be controlled at a smaller scale, the authors argue that the megapolitan area will be the unit of choice for transportation, economic development, and environmental planning. (The Atlantic Cities)
January 12th, 2012
Forgotten Vanier: The Butler Motor Hotel
By Mike Steinhauer // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Photo: Postcard of the Butler Motor Hotel, 1960s; Photographed and published by W. Schermer, Montreal, Quebec."][/caption]
The following article by Spacing Ottawa contributor Mike Steinhauer is cross-posted from VanierNow.ca, a new blog about the one square-mile neighbourhood called Vanier.
By the mid 1950s Canada boasted over 3000 motels. The family-run establishments, located on the outskirts of cities along the main entry points, offered free parking and homemade meals at an adjacent restaurant. Ottawa, being a tourist town, had its fair share with almost all located along the Prescott Highway, Montreal Road and the Pembroke Highway.
Many of the city’s motels have disappeared but the ghost of Vanier’s Butler Motor Hotel, complete with a stylish 1960s façade, is still visible today.
January 14th, 2012
Spacing Saturday: Urban Screen, City Place and the Family Motel
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Toronto's City Place Neighbourhood Rises
Don Schuetze continues the theme of urban screen, sharing his experience of stumbling across the opening night of a Surrey art exhibition and witnessing the reactions to it.
Yuri Artibise reviews The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver written largely by Chuck Davis, the city's unofficial historian, and completed posthumously by friends and admirers. Artibise concludes that the book is perhaps the most accessible history of Vancouver yet written, talking down the idea that city has no history.
Guillaume St-Jean looks at an attractive redevelopment on the site of a former hospital for infectious disease which has sat abandoned since 1978. The proposal tastefully incorporates key structures of the old site surrounded by low-rise condominiums.
The Montage du Jour feature once again highlights that while time has dramatically altered some parts of Montreal, other parts remain very much that same, at least in built form.
Could you cycle between Montreal and Toronto in three days? Niki Siabanis presents the first in a series of posts intimately and honestly describing a summer three day cycling journey between Canada's two largest cities.
The jury is still out on City Place, the forest of sleek glass condominiums taking shape on Toronto's former railway lands. Ryan Bolton gives readers an inside scoop from a resident of the community, finding it far from a ghetto but still in need of some love.
Next City Café 2012: Toxic Cities, Creative Collaboration, Art in the Streets
By Allegra Newman // 1 Comment
Spacing Ottawa's Next City Cafe is taking a break in January but we will be back with more exciting discussions in February, March and April, 2012.
Next City 2012: mark your calendars now.
Wed. Feb. 15th 7:30 pm- Healing Toxic Cities: who is doing what to make Ottawa a healthier place to live
Wed. March 21st 7:30 pm- Curated Collaboration: innovative spaces that foster collaboration
Wed. April 18th - 7:30 pm Art in the Streets: sculptures, murals and gardens
So, ...
January 16th, 2012
WALKSPACE: Gunning it to Greely with Ottawa’s traffic engineers
By Eric Darwin // No Comments
Faithful readers will recall the many posts on Bronson Avenue. How it is so poorly designed for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists. And how it blights the neighborhood. Instead of lively street, the City seems determined to give us more blight, by widening the lanes 2 ', thus removing numerous trees and more front yards/greenspace, all in a vulgar attempt to get the cars to go a little bit faster. Gotta get to Greely quicker! [*]
Rescue Bronson has been nagging the traffic engineers to redesign the awful, pedestrian-unfriendly corners at Somerset and at Gladstone. You wouldn't send any kid less than about 14 to school by him/herself if you valued their child benefit cheque. You wouldn't send your mother in law out to those crossings unless you were in a hurry to inherit.
Le Canal Rideau – Maintenant & Avant – 1901-2011
By Alexandre Laquerre // 1 Comment
Cette photo pointant vers le nord montre que l’entrée du canal rideau n’a guère changé. Son environnement a par contre maturé avec l’ajout du Château Laurier qui fut construit de 1909 à 1912. Parallèlement, le paysage sur la rive-nord du pont Alexandra a beaucoup évolué. Le pont Alexandra fut exclusivement ferroviaire jusque dans les années 50. En 1966, aucun train ne pourra plus jamais l’utiliser.
Fait important à noter, le Canal Rideau n’a jamais ...
January 18th, 2012
Urban Planet: How the Dutch Got Their Cycle Paths
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Today, World Wide Wednesday becomes Urban Planet (please no jokes!), a daily roundup of 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.
• The Netherlands has the world's largest number of cyclists. But this low-lying country wasn't always a two-wheel paradise. This video, posted by markeniel, documents the country's tumultous cycling history: a focus on car travel, the proliferation of surface parking lots, protests, the oil crisis, and the advent of pro-cycling policies.
For more stories from around ...
January 19th, 2012
Urban Planet: Saving Modernism’s Treasures
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
They are the buildings you love to hate. "The machines for living in". The brutal structures of High Modernism, constructed in the 1960s and 70s, are beginning to show their age. Now, historic preservation laws in many countries will attempt to keep these buildings in tact - protecting their ...
In transportation planning, drivers never lose
By Alex deVries // 6 Comments
[caption id="attachment_7692" align="alignnone" width="601" caption="Ottawa Sun headline when new signage was put up for the Laurier Segregated Bicycle Lane pilot."][/caption]
Here's the golden rule that is applied whenever a municipal project is being planned:
No change can come at a cost to drivers.
Here's how this breaks down:
1. Travel time can't ever get worse.
2. Taxpayer-subsidized parking is sacred.
3. Drivers can never be inconvenienced in any other way, and change is inconvenience.
We're blessed in Ottawa with having a somewhat sane Transportation Master Plan. It says the goal is to reduce auto dependence by making walking and cycling more attractive. So why do countless city projects not follow the city's own guideline?
Working around the rule
We can and do improve bike facilities, but we always need to work around this axiom. Adding a bike lane is acceptable as long as you don't remove a driving lane (unless you have proof that Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) isn't lowered). Bike paths far away from roads are celebrated. Politicians herald these to mark how they support sustainable transportation.
January 20th, 2012
Urban Planet: Smart Cities
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Fast Company asks: what makes a city smart? Boyd Cohen, author of this ranking of the top ten smartest cities on the planet, defines them as "cities [that] use information and communication technologies (ICT) to be more intelligent and efficient in the use of resources, resulting in cost and ...
January 21st, 2012
Spacing Saturday: The Golden Rule, Planning Politics and Little Mountain Rennoviction
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Following the recent release of new redevelopment plans, Andrew Witt tells the story of the controversial Little Mountain social housing redevelopment. The project has been criticized for decade late return dates, encouraging gentrification and falling short of new affordable housing units.
As part of his Price Points feature Gordon Price looks at the history of the Burnaby Metrotown as a harbinger of a growing regional awareness and planning initiative in the 1970's in light of thesis work by David Pereira.
Devin Alfaro correctly predicted that the island of Montreal would be a battle ground in last spring's federal election. Predicting a similar groundswell of change in Quebec's coming provincial vote, Alfaro paints a picture of how all parties will vie for votes in Montreal and what this will benefit the city.
As declining patronage and financing force the conversion of churches across Quebec into other uses, Alexandre Campeau-Vallée asks the question of what will happen to the sound of church bells, noting that such bells are some of the last sounds to enjoy immunity in our quest to reduce urban noise.
Adria Young features a provocative public art installation on the site of Halifax's new downtown convention centre. The installation, Town Square by Scott Saunders draws on the site's public consultation controversy by populating the site with ghostly business figures.
Abad Khan provides an update on a story which appeared in the fall issue of Spacing Magazine about two different strategies to road widening proposals in Moncton and Halifax. Moncton's bold approach of reducing car lanes has received vindication while Halifax's road widening has become tangled in politics.
Spacing's Dylan Reid reports back from the fascinating proceedings of a recent University of Toronto conference "Is there Planning Law or just City Politics?" The conference provided a lot of insight and opinions on Ontario's convoluted planning process.
Niki Siabanis continues taking readers along her summer cycling journey from Toronto to Montreal, with the second day including a brief stint on the 401 and the beauty of the thousand islands.
January 23rd, 2012
Photo of the Day: Hintonburg Street Hockey
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Another use has been found for Hintonburg's recently improved Parkdale Park facilities. This past weekend, the park's new clubhouse helped volunteers to host the historic district's first official street hockey tournament, played in front of the renowned Carleton Tavern.
Besides the recreational value of the outdoor activity itself, organizer Jeff Leiper said events like the tournament are valuable because "a close-knit community is a safe community".
More photos from the event can be seen here.
Urban Planet: Flash! Comics Explain Transportation Demand Management
By Hilary Best // 1 Comment
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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 there's too much congestion, why not build more roads? The laws of congestion and transportation demand management aren't necessarily intuitive. Which is why Brent Toderian, chief planner for the City of Vancouver, was so pleased to see comic book hero The Flash discuss ...
January 24th, 2012
Bentley in Alberta: Edmonton Does Not Suck!
By Adam Bentley // 2 Comments
Editor's note: This past fall Spacing Ottawa contributor Adam Bentley moved to Edmonton to take up a position with the provincial government. Adam was well-known in Spacing Ottawa circles as the creative mind behind concepts such as Ottawa's Transit Map Of The Future and the inter-city Urban Gondola.
Adam has had several months to form some impressions of his new home, and he recently posted the following piece to The Charette, Edmonton's planning and design blog. It is cross-posted here with the author's permission.
I remember one of the first things I noticed when I moved to Edmonton this past fall was a local interpretation written on a bench of the Van Morrison quote that said “Edmonton. Don’t like it? Get the fuck out”. That comment encapsulated the initial conversations I had with Edmontonians of various political and cultural stripes about urban planning in the city. Edmonton is what it is. Edmonton is not meant to look good or sound exciting. Its purpose is to provide the basic necessities for the individual to prosper—at least financially. However as I learned more about my new home city, I realized Edmonton is a breeding ground for progressive ideas about ecologically sustainable living. As a new resident and urban planner, I would like to share with you my initial observations and suggestions about Edmonton’s land use patterns, built form, and transportation infrastructure. These observations are not based on much background research. I apologize in advance if I pass judgment without knowing the context.
Urban Planet: Pedestrian behaviour
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
When trying to plan pedestrian environments, the answer may be to follow the crowd. Mehdi Moussaid of the Max Planck Institute and Dirk Helbing of ETH Zurich study pedestrian behaviour. Using computer models and particle theory, they analyze decision making patterns of people travelling by foot. ...
January 25th, 2012
“Urbanized” and Andrew Cohen tonight at SAW City Debates
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
This just hit the Spacing Ottawa inblox from the organizers of SAW City Debates:
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 7PM
Galerie SAW Gallery
Screening and Panel Discussion: $5 / Students and Seniors: $3 / Members: Free
Galerie SAW Gallery will launch its new multidisciplinary speaker series entitled SAW City Debates with the Ottawa premiere of the feature-length documentary Urbanized by New York City- and London-based filmmaker Gary Hustwit (director of Helvetica and Objectified), which will be followed by a no-holds-barred debate with invited speakers Andrew Cohen from the Ottawa Citizen, Deborah Margo from the University of Ottawa and Barrie McKenna from The Globe and Mail. They will discuss their ideas for the future of Ottawa's cityscape.
Urban Planet: Temporary Architecture
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
We often think of architecture as a permanent art form, but temporary installations are becoming more and more pervasive. Think pop-up shops, post-disaster shelters, mobile food carts, streets cafes and pocket parks. Allison Arieff at the New York Times considers the challenges and advantages that ...
January 26th, 2012
Urban Planet: Rem Koolhaas
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Spiegel speaks with starchitect Rem Koolhaas about the magazine's new building, generic urban design, the changing role of the architect and the negative outcomes of commercial and bureaucratic impulses.
Image from Spiegel
For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on Facebook and Twitter. Do ...
McClelland: a regional transit system that needs time
By David McClelland // No Comments
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Gorgeous! Now, what time is the next bus back to town?"][/caption]
Editor's note: continuing on this week's theme, today's post is from a Spacing Ottawa contributor who has recently relocated to another city. Like Adam Bentley in Edmonton, David McClelland has taken his curiosity and urbanist point of view with him to a new home in the Niagara region.
A geographer by training, Dave was also the editor of the excellent "Ottawa Project", now in hiatus while he works through a a post-graduate certification in Environmental Management and Assessment at Niagara College.
I came across this article in the St. Catharine Standard last week, and it's been on my mind since then. In the fall, when I first moved to the area, the Regional Municipality of Niagara introduced a regional transit system, which runs between the major urban areas in the region: St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Port Colbourne, and Fort Erie. In theory, it seems like the perfect place for such a system, as these five cities contain a total of approximately 313,000 people, including over 30,000 post-secondary students. But the buses are extremely quiet, and I've seen some criticism on the Internet that the system is just a waste of money. So what to do? Does it make sense to continue throwing money into a regional transit system that has seen very slow ridership growth? If you know me, you may not be surprised to learn my answer is "yes."
January 27th, 2012
Urban Planet: Highway Caps
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Highways can carve up and scar urban neighbourhoods, which is why many North American cities are looking for ways to cover this infrastructure and restore community. The Chicago Tribune explores the experience of Columbus, Ohio which saw increased pedestrian traffic and business for local stores following the ...
January 28th, 2012
Spacing Saturday: Wellington Barracks, a Leslie Street Gateway and Dispatches from Edmonton
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
The Video Vancouver feature presented its first original video this week, capturing the atmosphere of Vancouver at the winter solstice, a feeling described as unique amongst Canadian cities.
Yuri Artibise reviews new work by Emmanuel Buenviaje who uses mix of photography and graphic design to create images of his Mount Pleasant neighbourhood that capture the intricacy and history of Vancouver's older and industrial districts.
Jacob Larson gives an update on the latest twist in the saga to replace Montreal's aging Turcot Interchange which involves a significant delay caused by sinking ground and wonders if this could be an opportunity for sober second thought.
With an opportunity to share her findings at an upcoming conference, Alanah Heffez seeks reader feedback on Montreal's electronic fare payment system initiating a conversation about intricacies of the City's OPUS fare card.
As part of the ongoing Altantic Snapshots series Stephen Archibald profiles the Wellington Barracks. Hidden within an active Canadian Forces Base, the barracks is amongst Halifax's most important mid-nineteenth century buildings, retaining significant elements of grandeur.
Like the ends of many north-south streets in Toronto, the bottom of Leslie Street presents a fantastic opportunity to become a gateway to the waterfront. Dylan Reid presents a detailed plan to capitalize on an excellent opportunity at the bottom of Leslie despite heel dragging from the City.
Niki Siabinis completes the tale of her three day cycling journey from Toronto to Montreal within a marathon last day that includes construction obstacles, night riding and lots of sore muscles.
January 30th, 2012
BALTZ: Section 37 loopholes now big enough to drive a bus through
By Jay Baltz // 6 Comments
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="599" caption="And not just any bus, either."][/caption]
In a previous post here last May , I talked about the City’s plans to finally implement the powers granted by “Section 37” of the Ontario Planning Act, which have been on the books in Ottawa since 2003 but never put into practice. As described in the previous post:
“The way it works is this: A developer proposes to have a property rezoned, say from 6 to 12 stories. Without Section 37, the increased value of the rezoned property goes to the developer alone. Instead, under [Section 37], the increase in value is calculated, and an agreement put in place for a percentage (usually about 20-30%) of the increase to be provided for benefits that must be in the nearby community. … Possible benefits include tangibles like renovating a park, public art, conserving a heritage building, public streetscape improvements, artist live-work space, affordable housing, daycare space, and specific projects listed in a Community Design Plan for the area.”
At least, that’s the way it has worked for a decade in Toronto and was originally also proposed for Ottawa.
Urban Planet: Citizen Cartography
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
“The map user has now become the map creator,” says Fraser Taylor, Director of the Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre at Carleton University. In a recent article on This Big City, author Christine McLaren explores the phenomenon of citizen cartographers. With the proliferation of ...
January 31st, 2012
Urban Planet: Anamorphic Gardens
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
The Smithsonian Magazine explores Who to Believe?, a Parisian garden in front of City Hall designed by Francois Abelanet. Playing with the traditions of the French garden and Anamorphosis, Abelanet shows that the view of City Hall is quite different depending on where you stand.
Video from WorldScott
For more stories from around ...
February 1st, 2012
WALKSPACE: Drowning the Good Neighbour
By Eric Darwin // 1 Comment
The weather was atrocious. Mind you, the design of our streets doesn’t help. Our carefully engineered sidewalks deliver the wetfoot experience to every pedestrian. Motorists are not ignored. Here are two of the puddles on Booth. Note the splash zone includes all of the sidewalk.
First, the Good Neighbour comes out with a shovel to uncover the catch basin:
As vehicles approach, he waves the shovel, signaling drivers to slow down. But do they? Let’s see now…
Nahh, whatever the trip, it’s ...
Spacing party in Vancouver this Friday!
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
WHAT: Spacing's 2nd national issue release party
WHEN: Friday February 3rd, 2012, 9pm-1am
WHERE: Canvas Lounge (99 Powell St. in Gastown)
HOW MUCH: free! (mag costs $5)
RSVP: Let us know if you can come at our Facebook event listing
The editors of Spacing and contributors of Spacing Vancouver are excited to announce that the magazine will host a release party at the Canvas Lounge in Vancouver to celebrate the publication of the newest national issue. We will have some fun activities and a few door prizes.
This event is held in conjunction with the annual conference for the Canadian Association of Planning Students (CAPS).
Urban Planet: Urban Highway Removal
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Anthony Flint at The Atlantic Cities explores the expansion of urban highway removal across more North America centres and notes the cultural tensions that can flare when such a major piece of infrastructure is slated for demolition. Also worth checking out, the Atlantic Cities has ...
February 2nd, 2012
Urban Planet: Witold Rybcyznski vs Richard Florida
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Grist talks to urbanist Witold Rybczynski about his recent efforts to call out Richard Florida for playing "fast and loose" with income statistics for American urban centres. Florida posited a positive relationship between density and household income, using figures for metropolitan areas rather than city ...
Sim City: Welcome to Spacington
By Dylan Collie // 2 Comments
Well, here it is: Spacington. The new look of 21st century urbanism- well, kind of. The truth is there is nothing here yet, and that is because this is just the beginning. Every week this plot of land, slowly or quickly, will become our Sim City version a 21st century urban city.
During the week the Spacing team and myself will attempt to develop Spacington into a walkable, densely populated, diverse cityscape. Borrowing some suggestions from urban theorists such as Jane Jacobs, Jan Gehl, and Ken Greenberg, as well as the LRT focus of 21st century urbanism, Spacington will become a simulated version urban city we all want. Check the blogs every Thursday and keep on track with our city's evolution.
February 3rd, 2012
Urban Planet: Super tall
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Mark Lamster and Alexandra Lange at Places:The Design Observer discuss Supertall - a recent exhibit on the world's tallest buildings at New York's Skyscraper Museum. The exhibition focuses on buildings built between 2001 and 2016 that are taller than the Empire State Building (100 stories ...
February 4th, 2012
Spacing Saturday: Transit Planning, the Tall Building Century and Founding Spacington
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
A new city was founded this week, the city of Spacington . Spacing staffers will use Sim City to attempt to turn Spacington into a 21st century utopia over the coming weeks using feedback from reader commentary. Comment early, comment often and help build the city.
Gordon Price uses the Prince Points feature to look into the story of a cluster of towers at Lougheed Town Centre. Through the work of David Pereira, Price explores the tower's connections to Simon Fraser University and why such density was built in the midst of what was significant greenfield at the time.
While many questioned the future of the skyscraper after September 11th, Sean Ruthen shows that the last decade may have precipitated a century in which the tall building will be zeitgeist. Through his review of Andres Janser's new book Highrise Idea and Reality, Ruthen discusses the global phenomenon which has seen the number of high rise buildings on earth double in the past 10 years.
Joel Thibert explores the hotly debated question of what really influences people's decisions on where to live. Delving into a variety of related studies conducted around the world Thibert proposes ways to make increased density more acceptable to the next generation.
Devin Alfaro provides a glimpse inside Montreal's complex municipal governance, analyzing the potential outcomes in an upcoming by-election that promises to be a tough fight with implications for the city's opposition parties.
As Saint John enjoys the completion of its new Official Plan, Morgan Lanigan comments on how the next step will be a thorough review of the Zoning By-law in light of the lessons learned over the 40 years of urban planning.
As disagreement on council continues to leave Toronto's transit planning in shambles, John Lorinc weighs in on the roles of various actors in the debate and who needs to step up to restore order.
Shawn Micalleff uses the Toronto Flaneur feature to react to John Tory's appointment to head up the revitalization of Ontario Place, making a compelling argument that the rethink should stay rooted in the site's rich past while emphasizing its role as a public space.
February 6th, 2012
Urban Planet: Pedestrian Desire Lines
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Two major road revitalization projects in London, England have planners talking about pedestrian priority and behaviour. As The Economist reports, improvements to Oxford Circus and Exhibition Road have required a fundamental re-examination of pedestrian "desire lines" - the paths individuals choose to take, as ...
February 7th, 2012
Urban Planet: White Ribbons in Moscow
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
In Moscow last week, drivers adorned their vehicles with white flags and ribbons to show their support for protests against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The city's Garden Ring highway was jammed with cars, demonstrating the widespread involvement of the urban middle class in ...
February 8th, 2012
It Pays To Be Urban: How New Urbanism saves money — Urban Forum, Thursday February 9th
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
This is from our friends at Urban Forum:
7.00 PM, Champlain Room, Ottawa City Hall
FEATURING: Peter Katz, Planning Director, Arlington County, Virginia; author; consultant
Peter Katz is a key founder of New Urbanism, a movement that takes the good aspects from the old cities we love – walkability, density, mix of uses, and even the front porch – and melds them into today’s cities.
Join Peter, as he reflects on the evolution of New Urbanism beyond its design and environmental roots. Peter’s discussion will demonstrate that New Urbanist mixed-use neighbourhoods not only satisfy ...
Urban Planet: Walking, talking and texting
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Can you walk and text? Researchers at Stony Brook University suggest that while you may be able to multi-task, you likely walk a bit differently when you do. Participants in the study walked 16 per cent slower while talking and 33 per cent slower ...
February 9th, 2012
VIDEO: Scott Street bus corridor
By Spacing Ottawa // 6 Comments
With this week's serious collision on the transitway still fresh in commuters' memories, it was interesting to read OC Transpo chief Alain Mercier's memo to the Transit Commision concerning the Tuesday afternoon accident.
Mercier rightly points out that with 60 million kimometers driven annually by OC drivers, such incidents are still very rare. That's quite true, and something else that was very rare was the sight of an endless stream of articulated buses crawling west on Scott Street through Mechanicsville, Hintonburg, and all the ...
Urban Planet: Pedestrian Signals
By Hilary Best // 1 Comment
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Walk. Don't Walk. Could urban designers get a bit more creative when it comes to pedestrian signals? This cute animation by designer Li Ming Hsing illustrates the possibilities when pedestrian signals are given free reign. (...
February 10th, 2012
Urban Planet: Demolition Dilemmas
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Many American cities, facing shrinking populations and vacant buildings, are deconstructing and redeveloping large swaths of land. But as Next American City reports, while the vision of revitalization has been sold to the masses, communication about the hazards of demolition have not been so ...
Sim City: Week One in Spacington
By Dylan Collie // No Comments
It's not much of 21st century urban city yet, but in the first week of Spacington's developments we have focused on a couple things.
With the amount of great suggestions we received since Spacington's launch last week, we have taken the majority of them into consideration (skipping over some of the more anti-Rob Ford suggestions such as adding ferris wheels and extensive subway to low-density neighbourhoods) and added the Network Addon Mod, the Street Addon Mod, and additional LRT stations ensuring the best possible results.
February 11th, 2012
Spacing Saturday: Ontario Place, Suburban Versailles and Imperial Kitsch
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Building on the idea of the 100 mile diet which encourages consuming local foods, Eric Villagomez profiles an ideas competition into the design of a 100 mile house. The competition aims to explore ways that a modern house could be constructed from local materials.
Gordon Price brings readers the story of how the towers and striking gardens of the City in the Park development were successfully built in an unlikely location. The story is a another look at the history of town centers throughout Metro Vancouver and holds lessons for successful public consultation.
Devin Alfaro concludes a series of photographs documenting the monumental legacy of the British Empire around the city of Montreal, this week looking at a monument to Queen Victoria in light of the milestone in the current monarch's reign.
The montage du jour feature also began taking a look at some of the striking decommissioned silos in Montreal's Old Port this week.
Shawn Micallef continues his look into the potential future for Ontario Place, the now defunct attraction on Toronto's Waterfront, bringing his own personal ideas as well as those of a host of other prominent planners and designers.
Dylan Reid follows up on a previous post about the potential to develop lower Leslie Street into a gateway to the waterfront. His experiences at a recent public meeting show the interplay of politics and long-term planning as well as the need to rethink the EA process.
February 13th, 2012
Urban Planet: Extending the Lives of Bridges
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
The U.S. is home to nearly 73,000 structurally deficient bridges. Though you'd think that such bridges would be high priority infrastructure projects, the waiting list for replacement spans several decades. Enter Mohamed Saafi, a civil engineer at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, who has developed ...
Is “winter fix” for Sparks Street already on view – in Belgium?
By Marie-Judith Jean-Louis // 1 Comment
Editor's note -- the following is cross-posted from the author's own blog: MoOT - Modern Ottawa Blog
There is no question that Sparks Street needs a major makeover and new life injected back into it. What better way to jump start its makeover with a spectacular annual outdoor light exhibit during the holidays and Winterlude? Who would not want to go see something like this? It would be an awesome tourist attraction and it would help the businesses on that street as well.
This beautiful light artwork was created ...
February 14th, 2012
Attention all map lovers: Spacing’s Creative Mapping Contest!
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Spacing magazine presents the CREATIVE MAPPING CONTEST
Do you love maps? Are you an illustrator, graphic designer, or visual storyteller? Spacing wants you to submit your original creative maps inspired by a Canadian city.
WHAT MAKES A MAP CREATIVE?
The art of map-making has taken tremendous strides in the digital age. In the last decade, there has been an explosion of maps that are not necessarily meant to be used for directions, but instead are considered works of art and inspired imagination. We want you to create an illustrative map that reflects a Canadian city (or a neighbourhood, community) or is inspired by the urban elements that make up a city (examples: waterfront, transit, cycling, walking, graffiti, parks, architecture, laneways/alleys, streets, traffic, taxis, weather, sewers, infrastructure, etc....)
DEADLINE: Monday, April 30th, 2012
KEEP UP TO DATE: Visit the Creative Mapping Contest web page for updates and feel free to "RSVP" to our event listing on Facebook in order to receive reminders about the deadline and other announcements.
Come to Spacing’s release party in Toronto on Thursday!
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
WHAT: Release party for Spacing's 2nd national issue
WHERE: CSI Annex, ground floor (720 Bathurst, 1 block south of Bloor)
WHEN: Thursday. Feb. 16th, 8pm-1am
COST: free! (mags for sale for $5)
RSVP: Feel free to let us know you're coming at our Facebook listing
Come out to celebrate the new edition of Spacing, the magazine's second national issue. We are taking over the ground floor of the Annex location of the Centre for Social Innovation. We'll have a DJ playing music, a photobooth station, lots of merchandise and back issues.
We've ...
Urban Planet: Outdoor Ad Ban in São Paulo
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
This 10 minute documentary explores São Paulo's experiences in banning outdoor advertising and the political maneuvers that led to the implementation and evolution of its Clean City law.
Video from pansouthproductions
For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on Facebook and Twitter. Do you have an Urban Planet worthy article you'd like ...
February 15th, 2012
Urban Planet: Before & After Photos of London Riots
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Riots in London, England caused massive damage this past summer. The Guardian's interactive photo feature allows users to fast forward six months to see the way buildings, streets and neighbourhoods have recovered.
Image from The Guardian
For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on ...
February 16th, 2012
Urban Planet: Jay Walkers
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
On Mother Nature Network, Chris Turner asks, where did the term "jay walker" come from? Back in the early twentieth century, "jay walkers" were those who carelessly wandered in the way of other pedestrians and later motorists. 'Jay' was a derogatory term for a ...
Intersection Sussex & Rideau – ~1910 versus 2012
By Alexandre Laquerre // 1 Comment
Source : Bibliothèque & Archives Canada
Emplacement : Sussex Drive & Rideau Street
February 17th, 2012
Sim City: Walking and LRT in Spacington
By Dylan Collie // 1 Comment
Spacington is slowly getting bigger. The population is still low at around 1,500 residents, but nevertheless the city has adopted it's first LRT system. The current LRT system consists of only one line, but the square-shaped route replaces previous car commutes to the opposite side of the city. Although thet LRT in Spacington isn't heavily used, it more importantly initiated the groundwork for future transit.
The city is divided into mixed use streets and sections. Therefore, the majority of residence commute by walking at most a couple of blocks or in some cases only across the street (shown in the picture above).
Urban Planet: Best Cities for Street Food
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
It's lunch time. Are you angling for some street meat? Chances are good that you'll have to wander a little further from home if you are looking for a great street meal. Food and Wine Magazine profiles the top ten cities for street food, including ...
February 18th, 2012
Spacing Saturday: Affordability, Lighting Winter Space and LRT
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
European Lights Festivals may be a way to enliven public space in the Canadian winter.
With Vancouver having been many times named one of the world's least affordable cities Mayor Gregor Robinson has appointed a 'Blue Ribbon Affordability Task Force.' Sean Antrim profiles the appointees to the task force and critiques its composition.
The theme of affordability was tied heavily with a discussion about the Downtown East Side, another major theme on the Vancouver Blog this week. Sean Ruthen profiles the interesting redevelopment of the historic Burns Block while Caroline Toth's Video Vancouver feature showcases an interview on the Gastown Project.
Allanah Heffez writes about the challenges, opportunities and frustrations of dealing with the CP Rail tracks that separate Montreal's Plateau and Rosemont-Petite-Patrie neighbourhoods; the barrier is not the tracks themselves but bureaucratic inflexibility.
The Photo du Jour feature took a look this week at, amongst other things, various scenes of outdoor pick-up hockey in Montreal's parks.
In response to Mayor Ford's claims that LRT technology is the same as streetcars and trams, Noah van der Laan has undertaken a new feature showcasing some of the world's most impressive modern LRT systems. This week the feature looked at the world's largest LRT system in Melbourne and an impressive suburban system in Stockholm.
Responding to the need for traffic calming on urban streets, Dylan Reid looks beyond the speed bump at examples of other effective design features in use both in Canada and around the world.
February 20th, 2012
Urban Planet: Los Angeles Sidewalk Lawsuits
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
L.A. has never been known as a sidewalk friendly city, but with a recent spate of lawsuits, sidewalk users are beginning to fight back. In several cases before the courts, disabled plaintiffs contend that the broken sidewalks which make it impossible for them to ...
February 21st, 2012
Urban Planet: Public Perception and the Economic Benefits of Light Rail Transit
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
It's generally accepted that light rail transit spurs positive economic impacts along the length of the planned corridor. Property values rise, commercial sites experience more customer traffic, and further development is encouraged. But as a recent article in The Atlantic Cities points out, the window of time one looks ...
February 22nd, 2012
Urban Planet: Chattanooga’s Type Face
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
GOOD asks "can a font help a city make a comeback"? Designers D.J. Trischler and Jeremy Dooler are trying to do just that. They believe their font, "Chatype", to be the first of its kind - a grassroots font developed specifically for city ...
February 23rd, 2012
Elgin & Sparks – 1901 c. 2012
By Alexandre Laquerre // 5 Comments
Source : Bibliothèque & Archives Canada
Emplacement : Elgin & Sparks Location
Urban Planet: London’s New Recycling Bins
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
A new fleet of recycling bins are coming to the streets of London. The Renew bins feature two LCD screens which will provide news updates to pedestrians. The designs are intended to improve recycling and reduce the threat of terrorism. Each unit costs £30,000 ...
February 24th, 2012
Urban Planet: Unique Manhole Covers
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Manhole covers can be the most mundane pieces of urban infrastructure. But as this collection of photographs at The Atlantic Cities shows, they can also be the most distinctive.
Image from The Atlantic Cities
For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing ...
Sim City: Heritage buildings in Spacington
By Dylan Collie // No Comments
It’s development time here in Spacington and we've made the jump from small town to big town. To celebrate the small but substantial development, Spacington has designated a few of its own historical buildings.
One of our favourite features in Sim City is the “make historical” option which allows for any building to be designated as heritage. This feature proves to be very similar to the work of heritage preservation acts and allows us to choose particular buildings that we wish to preserve. The home shown above is designated “historical” and is preserved not only architecturally but in its current zoning of high density residential.
Spacing Saturday: Gary Webster, Brent Toderian and Transit Futures
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Brent Toderian has been in focus in the urbanist community ever since the visionary and articulate former Vancouver Planning Director's contract was terminated early several weeks ago. Spacing Vancouver sat down with Toderian this week and presents the conversation in a two part interview about his legacy in Vancouver and the trajectory of Canadian urbanism. [Part One] [Part Two]
Vancouver has set the ambitious goal of having over 50% of all trips in the city taken by biking, walking or transit. Spacing presents part two in a series showing the results of work by a team of UBC planning and landscape architecture students on how the city can realize this goal.
Following the recent announcement by Halifax's Mayor Peter Kelly that he will not run for re-election after 12 years in office, Jake Schabas proposes a basket of issues that should shape the city's next political period.
In a nod to this weekend's Montreal Nuit Blanche, Andrew Emond profiles an event that will pay tribute to the path of the Rivière St Pierre, one of the city's most significant buried rivers.
Allanah Heffez reports back on her presentation and other insights from this week's Conference on Urban Mobility in the Age of Electronic Payment .
Alex Bozikovik's No Mean City architectural profiles a fascinating addition to a historic home in Toronto's Cabbagetown neighbourhood that is beginning to collect some prestigious awards.
Gary Webster's termination as the Chief General Manager of the TTC continued a string of dramatic transit events in Toronto. John Lorinc provides some his characteristic political analysis on the decision and its broader context.
February 27th, 2012
Urban Planet: Alleyways
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
On The Atlantic Cities, Seattle architect Daniel Toole speaks about his passion for alleyways. These out-of-the-way infrastructure corridors, he argues, can pull together communities, improve service delivery and add colour to city-dwelling.
Image from The Atlantic Cities
For more stories from around the planet, ...
February 28th, 2012
Urban Planet: Underground Parks
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
New York City's High Line has been universally praised as an inventive re-imagining of urban infrastructure. But as Fast Company reports, developments underground are equally exciting. The LowLine, now seeking funding on kickstarter, is a 13-acre underground park located in former Delancey St. subway stations.
Image from Fast Company
For ...
March 1st, 2012
Coin Bank & Somerset – vers 1935 c. 2012
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
Intersection Bank & Somerset regardant vers le nord.
Bank & Somerset intersection looking north.
Source : Bibliothèque & Archives Canada/ Library & Archives Canada
Urban Planet: Yarn Bombs
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Cracks and potholes rarely endear us to our cities, but artist Juliana Santacruz Herrera has made a valiant attempt. Her yarn bombs have added colour to Parisian streets. (ApartmentTherapy)
Image from ApartmentTherapy
For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on Facebook and Twitter. Do you have an Urban ...
March 2nd, 2012
Urban Planet: Moscow’s Human Chain
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Thousands gathered on Moscow's 15-kilometer "Garden Ring" road last Sunday, attempting to form a human chain to express their discontent with Russia's disputed parliamentary elections. (CNN)
Image from CNN
For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on Facebook and Twitter. Do you have an Urban Planet worthy article ...
March 3rd, 2012
Spacing Saturday: Transit Politics, Regional Migration and Olympic Legacy
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Vancouver Olympic Village
Brent Toderian, former director of planning for the City of Vancouver, makes his debut post in part one of a new ongoing series looking at Vancouver's Olympic legacy and the challenges and opportunities of Olympic city-building in host cities around the world.
Victor Ngo presents the results of a study looking into the best sites with potential for major Transit Oriented Development along Vancouver's SkyTrain lines using GIS mapping techniques and Statistics Canada housing data.
Alanah Heffez reminds readers that the practice of removing snow from Montreal's streets is not that old, illustrating that there was a time when snow was simply piled in the streets to form elevated carriageways.
Is there really an ongoing Francophone exodus from Montreal? and if so then who is buying all the new condos? Joel Thibert unpacks the questions of regional migration around Montreal in the latest installment of The Regionalist.
As the political drama around Toronto's transit planning continued this week Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler got into the details of an Angus Reid poll exploring what options Torontonians really support. In another post, Dylan Reid explored the positives of Rob Ford's push to start the debate on new funding sources for transit.
Noah van der Laan continues the LRT Today series, looking at the Gold Line in Los Angeles as a system which passes through a variety of environments and may bear similarities to what could be built in Toronto.
March 5th, 2012
Urban Planet: Energy Use Mapping
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Inhabitat profiles the work of Columbia University engineering students who mapped the energy usage of buildings in NYC. It's hoped that the mapping project will allow planners to more effectively design and implement energy saving plans.
Image from Inhabitat
For more stories from around the planet, ...
March 6th, 2012
Urban Planet: Historic Buildings as Parking Lots
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet: Historic Buildings as Parking Lots
Sim City: A detailed look at Spacington
By Dylan Collie // 2 Comments
This week's post is all about showing off Spacington to give readers a closer look at our newly established city. The images display an overview of Spacington as well as the details of what's going on at ground level.
This is our first photo update so give us your feedback on the current state of Spacington and what you'd like to see close up next time.
Here is Spacington from above, it's situation, and the available space for future growth.
March 7th, 2012
Enter Spacing’s creative mapping contest!
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
Spacing magazine presents the CREATIVE MAPPING CONTEST
Do you love maps? Are you an illustrator, graphic designer, or visual storyteller? Spacing wants you to submit your original creative maps inspired by a Canadian city.
WHAT MAKES A MAP CREATIVE
The art of map-making has taken tremendous strides in the digital age. In the last decade, there has been an explosion of maps that are not necessarily meant to be used for directions, but instead are considered works of art and inspired imagination. We want you to create an illustrative map that reflects a Canadian city (or a neighbourhood, community) or is inspired by the urban elements that make up a city (examples: waterfront, transit, cycling, walking, graffiti, parks, architecture, laneways/alleys, streets, traffic, taxis, weather, sewers, infrastructure, etc...). The above map — featured in our current issue — is a good example of creative mapping.
DEADLINE: Monday, April 30th, 2012
Urban Planet Weird Wednesday: New South China Mall
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Since it's opening in 2005, the New South China Mall in Dongguan has held the world record for largest mall in terms of gross leasable area, which is also the problem.
With Dongguan's population of over seven million people, developers projected the mall to attract ...
March 8th, 2012
Somerset & Metcalfe – vers 1935 – 2012
By Alexandre Laquerre // 1 Comment
Regardant vers le nord. Looking north.
N'oubliez pas la présentation le 21 mars prochain intitulée: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A historical tour of planning in the National Capital
Don't forget the next urbanforum event on the 21st of March : The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A historical tour of planning in the National Capital
Urban Planet: DIY Crosswalks in Baltimore
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Fed up with a lack of action on pedestrian infrastructure, citizens of Baltimore are taking to the streets to install their own crosswalks. And while some residents reported the incident as a destruction as civic property, authorities appeared indifferent to the development. (Baltimore Brew)
Image from Baltimore Brew
For more ...
March 9th, 2012
Urban Planet: Insull’s Chicago Transit Posters
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Salon.com explores the unlikely artistic legacy of Samuel Insull, former assistant to Thomas Edison, co-founder of General Electric and owner of many Chicago area utilities and regional transit lines. Borrowing from the style of London's underground posters, Insull's branding campaign enticed riders to take ...
March 10th, 2012
Spacing Saturday: Downtown Halifax, Evolving Big Box and Demographic Bombs
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Vancouver's astronomical housing prices are well documented, the effects of the situation are beginning to show in rapidly falling numbers of school-aged children as Patrick Condon explains in the third instalment of his series on a long term vision for Greater Vancouver.
Yuri Artibise profiles the new Constructing a Village, Creating a Community photography show by Leslie Hossack documenting the rise of the Vancouver's innovative and controversial Olympic Village neighbourhood.
With a spat of recent development proposals calling the relevancy of the HRM by Design document into question, Spacing profiles a student conference at Dalhousie School of Planning aimed at engaging those concerned with shifting the debate around downtown Halifax.
Stephen Archibald explores the abundance of historic iron fences and railings in central Halifax, looking at their history and their art.
Joel Thibert looks at the trend of big box retailers abandoning their large formats in favour of smaller, more efficient locations and wonders if this could actually be bad news for main streets.
Sharing an incredible find discovered while working on another story, Alanah Heffez flips the pages of the Montreal People's Yellow Pages an independently published guide to Montreal's underground from the 1970s.
As turmoil continues around leadership at the TTC, John Lorinc provides strategic advice for LRT advocates, making the case for keeping moral authority in the messy debate.
The No Mean City feature by Alex Bozikovic profiles a weekend architecture conference that will pay tribute to George Baird, a long time architecture professor and former Dean at UofT considered one of the most influential people in Canadian architecture.
March 12th, 2012
Urban Planet: The Urban Genome Project
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
In the video above, Urve Tiidus, mayor of the city of Kuressaare, Estonia, speaks of city's challenge to retain young people. Imagine if she could connect with the hundreds of other small cities facing this challenge and better yet, tap into a network of relevant solutions. Curated by Joseph Grima ...
March 13th, 2012
Urban Planet: Habitat 67 in LEGO?
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67 may have received the world's highest architectural honour. The distinctive Montreal landmark won LEGO Architecture's online competition for the next building to be immortalized in LEGO. While the win doesn't secure Habitat's LEGOization completely, it does bring the modular building ...
Urban Planet: Habitat 67 in LEGO?
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67 may have received the world's highest architectural honour. The distinctive Montreal landmark won LEGO Architecture's online competition for the next building to be immortalized in LEGO. While the win doesn't secure Habitat's LEGOization completely, it does bring the modular building ...
March 14th, 2012
Urban Planet Weird Wednesday: Grand Central’s dirty secret
By mikebulko // No Comments
Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world.
High above commuter's heads, there is a small, black stain on the ceiling of Grand Central Station's main concourse.
The distinctive rectangle (half on the teal background of the astrological mural, half on the beige bordering) is what the ceiling looked like before restoration efforts in the mid '90s. The black residue was long thought to be caused from years of exposure to ...
March 15th, 2012
Intersection Kent and Somerset – around 1935 – 2012
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
Regardant vers le nord. Looking north
Urban Planet: Participatory Mapping
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
The City Fix examines the practice of participatory mapping - a consultation method that involves citizens in the spatial planning of their cities. From identifying common cycling routes in Moscow to group gatherings to sew a map of Bushwick, planners and citizens are ...
March 16th, 2012
Urban Planet: Pothole Advertising
By Hilary Best // 1 Comment
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Are potholes the next frontier for outdoor advertising? In Montreal this week, morning commuters were caught off guard by a sedan which appeared to have been swallowed by an enormous pothole on de la Cathédrale. The stunt was the work of an ad agency ...
Sim City: Density Growth
By Dylan Collie // No Comments
Spacington has grown from a little town to a city. Plenty of single-family homes in each of the neighbourhoods have changed their faces and transformed into residential buildings. We have pushed Spacington forward to try and able our city with what it needs to become a real simulated 21st century urban city.
Next City Cafe This Wednesday
By Allegra Newman // No Comments
Spacing Ottawa's Next City Cafe presents:
Wednesday March 21st at 7pm at the Alpha Soul Cafe - 1015 Wellington Street West in Hintonburg
Creating Collaborative Spaces
How does collaboration happen? What are the benefits? How do we foster a collaborative culture within Ottawa?
join the conversation, share your experiences, help shape Ottawa with special guests:
Vinod Rajasekaran from Hub Ottawa,
Julie Dupont from the City of Ottawa,
Diane Touchette from Under One Roof
and Clive Doucet
as they talk about their experiences, exciting new collaborative spaces in Ottawa and how collaboration can change this city.
Share your ideas and experiences on twitter at #nextcity
March 17th, 2012
Spacing Saturday: Food Hub, Market Street and Local Democracy
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Vancouver first lost its public market in 1897 when its building was converted into City Hall, Jeff Nield explains why the concept of a food system is still essential to a city's well being, profiling the hubbub around a soon to open new food hub.
Peacock sits down with Jak King, the unofficial historian of Commercial Drive, the 'back door to Vancouver.' King uses his detailed knowledge of businesses, technological change and personal stories to look back on a unique part of a city which tends to spend more time looking forward.
Allanah Heffez shares stories and observations from her time volunteering giving out free hotdogs to Montreal's homeless. The hot dog truck, which served as a connection to further services, played witness to a range of experiences.
Emile Thomas reports back from his experience observing local democracy in action, noting the decidedly bitter tone of citizen question period at local council Thomas questions what to make of the array of complaints and grievances.
With Toronto's municipal political theater taking a twist towards mayoral impeachment this week, John Lorinc questions the merits of the strategy and its implications for the Mayor's opponents.
Alex Bozikovic uses the No Mean City architectural feature to look at a recently approved plan to drastically improve Market Street, next to Toronto's Saint Lawrence Market. The improvements will open the street to patios and frame the last project advanced by noted developer Paul Oberman.
Home of Friendless Women, 412 rue Wellington – vers 1900 c. 2012
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
Source : Bibliothèque & Archives Canada/ Library & Archives Canada
N'oubliez pas la présentation le 21 mars prochain intitulée: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A historical tour of planning in the National Capital
Don't forget the next urbanforum event on the 21st of March : The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A historical tour of planning in the National Capital
March 19th, 2012
Urban Planet: Beautiful Streets
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
What makes a beautiful street? Tree-lined sidewalks? Brightly coloured homes? OpenPlans is trying to crowd source the answer to this age old question. Their platform, Beautiful Streets, uses Google Street View to provide users with images of two randomly selected streets in ...
March 20th, 2012
Urban Planet: “Broken Windows” for Traffic Crimes
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
"The running joke on blogs like Gothamist and Streetsblog is that if you want to kill somebody in New York and get away with it, a car should be your weapon of choice," writes Sarah Goodyear at The Atlantic Cities. Pointing ...
March 21st, 2012
Urban Planet Weird Wednesdays: Roadtown, history’s longest utopia
By mikebulko // No Comments
Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world.
In 1910, Edgar Chambless released his plans for his utopia Roadtown, a completely linear city with everything the community needed housed in one miles-long stip and completely self-contained (picture an excessively large skyscraper laid on it's side).
The idea was for the building to be three storeys high, and two units wide, with three subway tunnels running directly beneath. ...
March 22nd, 2012
Urban Planet: Walk Raleigh Wayfinding Signs
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
In Raleigh, NC, neighbours and businesses are copying one resident's initiative to provide guerilla walking and wayfinding signage. The pop up signs direct residents to visit a neighbourhood businesses by providing estimated travel times to the destinations. (New Raleigh)
Image from New Raleigh
For ...
March 23rd, 2012
Urban Planet: Urbanology
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
"A company wants tax credits to convert a vacant skyscraper downtown to a juvenile detention center. Will you allow this?" The answer you select will determine the city you create in BMW Guggenheim Lab's new game, Urbanology. By answering a series of question ...
Rideau Club – Now & Then
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
The Rideau Club was demolished in 1979 after being damaged by a fire.
Le Rideau Club a été démoli à la hâte en 1979 après avoir été endommagé par le feu.
Source : Bibliothèque & Archives Canada/ Library & Archives Canada
March 24th, 2012
Spacing Saturday: Robson Street, Water Politics and Regent Park
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Kathleen Corey presents a plan to address the lack of places to sit on busy Robson Street that builds on the area's traffic calming mini-parks, drawing inspiration from abroad to create an exciting and much needed new public space.
Patrick Condon presents the final instalment in a series of collaborative student work on the future sustainability of Vancouver, summarizing the group's push for new connections, good jobs and affordable places to live.
Allanah Heffez tells the story of how the development of Montreal's public water works helped to extend the municipal vote to renters, connecting the private home to the public sphere and paving the way for urbanization.
With street food rapidly growing in popularity and trendiness across North America Jonathan Lapalme gives a background into the uneven landscape of street food tolerance while exploring why it largely remains illegal.
With High Park's fantastic, labrynth-like play ground in ruins following a recent incident of arson, Emma Feltes shares the story of how the playground brought the community together, acted as a hub and is inspiring a new collective spirit in the drive to rebuild.
As the redevelopment of Canada's largest public housing project continues at a remarkable pace, My City Lives brings a video previewing the exciting new Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre opening this Fall.
March 26th, 2012
Sim City: Neighbouring Cities & Updates
By Dylan Collie // No Comments
Spacington hasn't grown very much this week: the population is still sitting around 50,000 people, there was is no new major business or residential developments, and waterfront looks the same. However, there are some interesting things to talk about.
Spacington's empty waterfront.
Urban Planet: People-Powered Street Lights
By Hilary Best // 1 Comment
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
In dense urban environments, can we harness the power generated by thousands of feet on the street? Viha thinks so. Their “producer" sidewalk slabs turn power generated by the movement of walking into electrical energy that is used to power LED street lamps. (Living Labs Global Awards)
Image from ...
March 27th, 2012
Urban Planet: Open Spending Budgeting App
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
An increasing number of cities are engaging their citizens in the budgeting process. Even so, many participatory budgeting initiatives present citizens with abstract choices and ask them to prioritize. OpenSpending.mobi - a public service delivery app tries to engage the public in a more tangible way. The mobile application ...
March 28th, 2012
Urban Planet Weird Wednesday: Yemen’s 16th century skyscrapers
By mikebulko // No Comments
Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world.
Residential high rises weren't exactly a "new" idea in the mid 1500s—Rome has its insulae since the days of the empire, and many medieval European and Middle Eastern cities had buildings in excess of ten floors—but the Yemeni city of Shibam bears special mention as one of the earliest examples of vertical urban planning.
While the area of Shibam has ...
March 29th, 2012
Wellington Street Looking East between Bay and Lyon
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
Comparaison de la rue Wellington entre la rue Bay et la rue Lyon. La photo d'archive a été prise en 1939 et la photo récente en 2012.
Archive picture was taken in 1938.
Source : Bibliothèque & Archives Canada/ Library & Archives Canada
Urban Planet: Houston’s Crosswalks
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Houston, Texas is not known for its innovations in planning, but check out the vibrant crosswalks outside its Museum of Fine Art. This post on Drilling for Art examines the diversity of crosswalks across America (many of which are named after animals) and ...
March 30th, 2012
Urban Planet: Retrofitting Parisian Towers
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
French public housing, as in many other locales, has had mixed success. Low-income high rise communities are characterized by high unemployment and more recently, unrest. Like many American cities, the conventional approach to these planning failures was to destroy these buildings and start from ...
One month left to enter our Creative Mapping Contest
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Spacing magazine presents the CREATIVE MAPPING CONTEST
Do you love maps? Are you an illustrator, graphic designer, or visual storyteller? Spacing wants you to submit your original creative maps inspired by a Canadian city.
WHAT MAKES A MAP CREATIVE
The art of map-making has taken tremendous strides in the digital age. In the last decade, there has been an explosion of maps that are not necessarily meant to be used for directions, but instead are considered works of art and inspired imagination. We want you to create an illustrative map that reflects a Canadian city (or a neighbourhood, community) or is inspired by the urban elements that make up a city (examples: waterfront, transit, cycling, walking, graffiti, parks, architecture, laneways/alleys, streets, traffic, taxis, weather, sewers, infrastructure, etc...). The above map — featured in our current issue — is a good example of creative mapping.
DEADLINE: Monday, April 30th, 2012
April 1st, 2012
Elgin @ Queen Looking North – around 1890 versus 2012
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
Source: From Ottawa with Love, by Peter Hessel, NCC, 1979
April 2nd, 2012
Urban Planet: Train above the High Line
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
New York City's High Line may soon be home to a unique piece of public art. The sculpture, entitled 'Train', is the work of Jeff Koons. Train would be a full-size replica of a 1943 Baldwin 2900 steam locomotive, suspended in the air above ...
Sim City: Waterfront
By Dylan Collie // No Comments
Spacington has gained a waterfront. Surprisingly, Spacington does in fact have a waterfront, and much like Toronto, we've endured little interaction with it. We have offices and homes next to the water, but have seen the type of little interaction most commonly seen between strangers sitting next each other on the TTC: not a peep, not a look; nothing. It's two separate worlds next to one another, existing individually without knowing the other exists — or at least pretending the other doesn't exist. Either way, we've fixed this problem and begun a waterfront to interact with, the type of space that Toronto's waterfront will hopefully soon become.
April 3rd, 2012
Urban Planet: Roll-Up Crosswalk
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Are you miles away from a streetlight? No problem. Just roll out this handy cross walk and you're all set. Artist Florian Rivière, part of the Démocratie Créative collective in Strasbourg, created the cross walks which sell for 10 Euros. While they don't change ...
April 4th, 2012
Urban Planet Weird Wednesday: Hanshin Expressway
By mikebulko // No Comments
Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world.
Ever heard of William O'Dwyer's proposal of running a Mid-Manhattan elevated expressway through the 10th and 11th floors of the Empire State Building? Crazy, right? Well, Japan did it.
In the mid '80s, the Hanshin Expressway Company needed land to build the Umeda Exit of the Ikeda Route of the expressway in Osaka. However, that land ...
April 5th, 2012
Urban Planet: Argentinian Book Patrol
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Argentinian artist, Raul Lemesoff, has transformed a 1979 Ford Falcon into a roving library. The vehicle, which used to belong to the Argentine armed forces, is now a 'Weapon of Mass Instruction.' While the Falcon generally roams the streets of Buenos Aires, it occasionally ...
April 6th, 2012
Sim City: Creating A Waterfront Community
By Dylan Collie // No Comments
Since the name "The Beaches" has recently become available for the taking, we've transformed a piece of Spacington's waterfront into our very own The Beaches. Discussed and shown last week, we added a waterfront. New shoreline amenities are now part of the city. They allow Sims to interact with our waterfront, water gaze, and dive into some water activities. So in The Beaches it was all about providing a waterfront community to live in.
The community is not entirely residential; we've added a couple commercial ...
April 7th, 2012
Rideau Canal Looking South – about 1900 versus 2012
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
Source: From Ottawa with Love, by Peter Hessel, NCC, 1979
Spacing Saturday: Public Squares, Gould Street and The Dominion Building
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Canadian planning students gathered in Vancouver this past February for the annual CAPS Conference. Andrew Cuthbert recaps the keynote messages delivered there by various planning luminaries while Cameron Barker profiles some of the conference's walking tours.
Eve Lazarus looks at the interesting history of the eccentrically designed Dominion Building in downtown Vancouver, which for a brief period following its completion in 1909 was the tallest in the British Empire.
Allanah Heffez continues her discussion of Montreal's tendencies to marginalize its homeless population at Berri Square, citing conflicting desires to simultaneously clean up the area while keeping tourists away from it.
Continuing the theme of public squares, Allanah Heffez also looked at the history of Square Chaboillez a space currently occupied by the Montreal Planetarium which as seen it boundaries re-drawn numerous times and now faces another period of uncertainty.
Spacing's Shawn Micallef was fortunate enough to be part of a University of Toronto Architecture laneway studio this past semester. Micallef brings the intriguing results of this studio in a series of posts on ideas of laneways uses at sites throughout the city.
Ryerson University students have finally succeeded in their long running campaign to close Gould Street to cars in the heart of the campus. Daniel Viola discusses the vote that lead to the creation of Ryerson Square and the site's future potential.
April 9th, 2012
Urban Planet: Seasteading – Floating Tech Cities
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Silicon Valley has long been known as a hub for tech innovation, but unfriendly US immigration policies sometimes keep foreign innovators out. Marty Max, a Cuban immigrant, and Dario Mutabdzija, of the former Yugoslavia, have proposed a floating city for foreign innovators to get around ...
April 10th, 2012
Urban Planet: Chalktrail
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
What's more fun than sidewalk chalk and a bicycle? Scott Bauman of Washington has found an ingenious way to combine the two in Chalktrail - a bicycle attachment that allows a rider to leave a chalk trail behind them. Bauman is currently raising funds ...
April 11th, 2012
Urban Planet Weird Wednesday: Plan your zombie escape route
By mikebulko // No Comments
Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world.
Ever visit a new city and have a hard time getting the lay of the land? What will you do once you check into your hotel, turn on the news and find out that legions of undead picked your vacation week to rise up with brain-eating fervor?
Map of the Dead has you covered.
Using data ...
Musée canadien de la nature – Canadian Museum of Nature
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
Source: From Ottawa with Love, by Peter Hessel, NCC, 1979
April 12th, 2012
Urban Planet: Jungles in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
The population of New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward has decreased by 85% since 2000. Without owners to tend the lots and given the region's fertile soil, much of the neighbourhood has been reclaimed by nature. Nathaniel Rich at the New York Times writes, "trees that ...
April 13th, 2012
Urban Planet: Ikea Neighbourhood
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Move over Ektorp and Lack - Ikea is moving out of the living room and into the world of urban planning. The furniture giant's land development arm, LandProp, is developing a series of all-rental private neighbourhoods. The first, Strand East, will be located in ...
Sim City: A Better Look at Spacington.
By Dylan Collie // No Comments
While Spacington gets a little bit larger (the population is now up to 100, 000), and we try to get a jump start on the two things we are going to talk about next week — city slums and public transit — here are some photos to give a closer look at Spacington. Like always, let us know your feedback on what has been going on in Spacington.
High-density commercial building next to the university. This building is one of the few new business "tower" buildings in Spacington.
Just over 2 weeks left to enter Spacing’s Creative Mapping Contest
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Spacing magazine presents the CREATIVE MAPPING CONTEST
Do you love maps? Are you an illustrator, graphic designer, or visual storyteller? Spacing wants you to submit your original creative maps inspired by a Canadian city.
WHAT MAKES A MAP CREATIVE
The art of map-making has taken tremendous strides in the digital age. In the last decade, there has been an explosion of maps that are not necessarily meant to be used for directions, but instead are considered works of art and inspired imagination. We want you to create an illustrative map that reflects a Canadian city (or a neighbourhood, community) or is inspired by the urban elements that make up a city (examples: waterfront, transit, cycling, walking, graffiti, parks, architecture, laneways/alleys, streets, traffic, taxis, weather, sewers, infrastructure, etc...). The above map — featured in our current issue — is a good example of creative mapping.
DEADLINE: Monday, April 30th, 2012
COST: Free!
Canal Rideau – around 1920 versus 2012
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
When the post office was still up.
April 14th, 2012
Spacing Saturday: Vague Terrane, the Missing Middle and Place d’Armes
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
As the Vague Terrain exhibit closed at the Surrey Art Gallery, Don Schuetze noticed the strange coincidence that another exhibit opened at the new downtown library in Surrey's emerging center; a fitting basis for a discussion of the relationship between city and suburbs.
Gordon Price uses his Price Points feature to show a surprisingly traditional looking easter home in the heart of Vancouver's West End. A further look at the building reveals a lot about the issue the missing middle in Canadian residential construction.
Allanah Heffez assesses the redesign of the historic Place d'Armes, which has been central to Montreal for over 300 years. The new design strives to integrate the square into the surrounding area and to better organize traffic.
Guillaume St-Jean uses the Montage du Jour feature to look at the intensification and reorganization which has taken place over 80 years along boulevard de Maissonneuve in central Montreal.
As talk of Ford's subway notion subsides, transit advocates are turning their attention to a badly needed downtown relief line. But in light of urban/suburban divide and conquer politics, the search is on for a better name for the proposed line. Spacing put the question to readers and received over a hundred ideas.
With the Hot Docs film festival set to get underway, Jacqueline Whyte Appelby starts a look at some the screenings which may of particular interest to Spacing readers.
April 16th, 2012
Urban Planet: Comparing Transit in Toronto, Montreal and Los Angeles
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
What happens when a Los Angeleno rides Toronto's TTC and Montreal's Metro? Blogger Tim Adams did just that and his discovered some interesting contrasts between the three transit systems. Adams take-aways include: Canadian politicians don't take transit; our subways are graffiti-free; our stations leave ...
April 17th, 2012
Urban Planet: Remarkable Parking Garages
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
The classic brick and limestone building pictured above is a beautiful feature of Michigan State University’s campus. But would you believe that this gem is actually a 730 car parking facility? Rana Florida of the Creative Class Group catalogues some architectural beauties that serve ...
April 18th, 2012
Urban Planet Weird Wednesday: That’s elephants over the bridge
By mikebulko // No Comments
Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world.
One year after it was opened, the Brooklyn Bridge was still a topic of skepticism for New Yorkers—many still believed that it would crumble into the East River under the weight of commuters.
In 1884, P.T. Barnum organized a publicity stunt to show off the structural integrity of the bridge. With much spectacle, he held a procession of elephants and ...
April 19th, 2012
Urban Planet: Old Maps Online
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Google Maps has revolutionized the way we approach cartography, but really old specimens have a je ne sais quoi that is tough to replicate in digital form. Old Maps Online, an initiative of the The Great Britain Historical GIS Project and ...
April 20th, 2012
Urban Planet: Scoring Walk Score
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Launched in 2007, Walk Score is a popular website for evaluating the walkability of a particular address or neighbourhood. Embraced (for the most part) by both the planning and real estate communities, Walk Score provides a single number which translates a variety of complex ...
Sim City: City Amenities, Inconveniences, Opportunities
By Dylan Collie // No Comments
Among the many features in Spacington—A university, city hall, jail and courthouse, major league baseball station, golf course, harbour, boat docks and shops, a beach, medical research center, a municipal airport, a convention center, etc -there are some unique features readers may not be aware of. Some of these features are cherished amenities, a few of them are inconvenient eye sores, and some are simple opportunities for community rebirth, space for development or growth. Anyway, here are some things you maybe didn't know were in Spacington:
April 22nd, 2012
VIDEO: The Social Life of Small Places
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
William Whyte got it right: the legendary urbanist created the film "The Social Life of Small Places" that has become one of the best learning tools for students, professionals, and urbanists about understanding the dynamics of public spaces.
The films is almost an hour long, but its worth that watch on a Sunday afternoon.
Elgin & Sparks – ~1900 versus 2012
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
The building on the right is the Russell House. It got damaged by a fire in 1928 and then demolished.
Next City Cafe -Seeing the Suburbs
By Allegra Newman // No Comments
Wednesday May 16th at 7:30pm is your last chance this season to come out and participate in the Next City Cafe.
Pass the word.
Seeing the Suburbs
Wednesday May 16th 7:30pm
Alpha Soul Cafe 1015 Wellington Street West, Hintonburg
What are the misconceptions and realities that are shaping Ottawa's suburbs? What does the future hold? What are the possibilities?
Join the conversation, share your experiences and ideas.
Contribute on twitter at #nextcity
We will post more info including guests in the next few weeks.
Help Spread the Word! Pass it on (particularly to your friends in the suburbs)...
April 23rd, 2012
Urban Planet: Dumpster Camera
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Colossal reports on the artistic exploits of a group of garbagemen in Hamburg, Germany. By drilling a hole and suspending a sheet of photo paper inside, this group has turned dumpsters into pinhole cameras. The results are incredible - check them out at ...
STRAPHANGER: A week of excerpts from Taras Grescoe’s new book
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
This week, Spacing presents five excerpts from Straphanger, the new book by Montreal-based author Taras Grescoe. The book examines the success stories, challenges, and future hurdles of 14 transit systems from across the world, including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
TODAY: Shanghai, China
For first-time car buyers on the floor of the Shanghai Auto Show, the future looks bright, if not downright dazzling. Throughout the cavernous showrooms, lithe motor-show girls in shimmering nylon evening gowns and leatherette mini skirts drape themselves over aerodynamic fenders, like molten watches drizzled over branches in a Dalí landscape. On rotating platforms, surrealistic concept cars languidly pirouette: the Geely McCar, a tiny hybrid with an outsized hatchback that pops up to release a three-wheeled electric motorcycle, and the chrome-grilled Engrand GE, which features a V-8 engine, rear seat massagers, and a built-in refrigerator that, according to the brochure, “gives access to mobile joy.”
Caught in the crush, a visitor is torn between amusement and awe; it’s hard not to chuckle at cars with names like the Great Wall Wingle Pick Up, the Jiangling Landwind, or the Book of Songs. At the same time, the audacity of China’s carmakers is impressive: the Noble is a near replica of Daimler’s Smart, the Lifan 320 appears to be a clone of a Mini Cooper, and the Dongfeng Crazy Soldier looks like the love child of a Humvee and a Tonka truck. Every few minutes, cameras flash and applause ripples through the showrooms as another “delivery ceremony” is completed: a proud owner is presented with flowers, a framed photo, and a bag of gift s as he is handed the keys to his brand-new Lavida, Cowin, or Beauty Leopard.
The lust to buy is almost palpable. Fourteen million cars were sold in China last year, which means the country has overtaken the United States as the world’s largest automobile market. Over eight days, three-quarters of a million people will pass through the seventeen hangar-like halls of the Shanghai Auto Show — which has now surpassed New York’s to become the world’s largest — lining up for their chance to caress vinyl, shift gears, and slam doors, publicly dreaming of owning modernity’s ultimate consumer item: the private automobile.
The big news at this year’s auto show is that subcompacts are no longer at center stage, and major manufacturers have relegated hybrids and electrics to the sidelines as they promote old-fashioned gasoline-powered sedans. For years, the Chery QQ, a fuel-efficient, jellybean-shaped bumper car that retailed for less than $5,000, was the nation’s most popular automobile. Lately, though, the aspiring middle class has set its sights higher. China’s best-selling car is now the BYD F3, a four-door sedan that bears more than a passing resemblance to a Toyota Corolla, with a sticker price of $9,300. The popularity of the F3, which sold over a quarter of a million units in 2010, is a sign that Chinese consumers have made the Great Leap Forward from economy to midsize.
April 24th, 2012
Urban Planet: Cracking Down on Chicago’s Food Trucks
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
“You can’t get me for premeditated selling of a cupcake,” says Chicago truck vendor Lupita Kuri. A police officer noted her intended location from a Facebook post and ticked her for parking in a loading zone. Food trucks are very popular in the windy ...
STRAPHANGER: Vancouverism and smart transit planning
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
This week, Spacing presents five excerpts from Straphanger, the new book by Montreal-based author Taras Grescoe. The book examines the success stories, challenges, and future hurdles of 14 transit systems from across the world, including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
TODAY: Vancouver
It’s hard not to see Vancouver, British Columbia, and Portland, Oregon, as the long-lost twins of Cascadia, separated when they were still young. Both were born as Gold Rush boomtowns, and both grew up as Pacific Northwest regional centers with thriving ports and economies based on logging and resource extraction. Both developed streetcar and interurban networks, and count smaller areas of postwar suburban sprawl than similar-size North American cities. Both opted for regional governance in the 1970s, Portland with Metro, Vancouver with the Greater Vancouver Regional District (now Metro Vancouver).
Vancouver doesn’t have a growth boundary, but it has de facto limits to growth, both geographical — the Pacific Ocean to the west, steep mountains to the north and east, and the United States border to the south — and legal, in the form of a large stock of agricultural land forever protected from development. Both have central city populations of 600,000 in regions of just over two million. It is only now, in their early adulthood, that the twins are showing signs of following distinct life paths. Portland remains a regional center, a city comfortable with incremental growth. Vancouver has lately become an international hub, a model for its own brand of urbanism, and a futuristic city of glass towers bound together by the soaring elevated tracks of streamlined rapid transit.
I grew up in Vancouver. It was here, working as a courier, that I witnessed one too many accidents, and developed a lifelong aversion to traffic and cars. My family arrived in the ’70s, settling in a neighborhood of single family homes near the university. Streamlined Brill trolley buses, drawing power from overhead wires, ran down the nearest major artery, Dunbar Street, where only recently streetcars had run. The local housing ran from Tudor-style manses in Shaughnessy Heights, a neighborhood built on an eccentric garden city street plan, to stucco-coated Vancouver Specials, boxy working-class homes with low-pitched roofs and second-floor balconies. Coming from Toronto, Vancouver felt like the edge of the world, an outpost of the British empire experiencing a few timid blooms of alternative culture. This was the place I became a pre-adolescent urbanist, pacing out our block and building a model showing how, if you removed the cars, city streets could be made into parks.
When I visit these days — my parents and sister still call Vancouver home — I barely recognize the place. The shock begins when I get off the plane, walk among the totem poles of the coolly West Coast–themed airport, and wheel my bags to the elevated SkyTrain station. The Canada Line, completed for the 2010 Winter Olympics, whisks passengers in Koreanmade electric trains at 50 miles an hour toward the West End. As the driverless light-rail train crosses the Fraser River, I marvel at how thickets of office and condo towers, each cluster corresponding to a SkyTrain station, have cropped up at intervals of about a mile and a half, where once there was only low-rise suburbia. The single-family homes on small lots, which make Vancouver’s west side so reminiscent of East Portland, still exist, but they are now bordered by slickly designed, European-inspired condo blocks with names like City Square and Arbutus Walk. Arriving at the station in Yaletown, once a downtown district of forlorn ware houses, I’m surrounded by “see-throughs,” the slender condominium towers of pale green glass that rise against the snow-dusted coast mountains. After Manhattan, Vancouver’s downtown is now the second densest in North America. In my absence, the backwater of my youth seems to have morphed into a temperate-zone Singapore, a transformation that has spawned a new buzzword among urbanists: “Vancouverism.”
April 25th, 2012
STRAPHANGER: The Copenhagen Syndrome
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
This week, Spacing presents five excerpts from Straphanger, the new book by Montreal-based author Taras Grescoe. The book examines the success stories, challenges, and future hurdles of 14 transit systems from across the world, including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
TODAY: Copenhagen
I was prepared to admire Copenhagen, grudgingly, as you might a doughty Lutheran aunt who prides herself on her strong opinions and sensible shoes. I didn’t expect to become infatuated with the place, jealous of those who got to live there year-round, and, to my wife’s annoyance, an advocate for an eventual emigration to Scandinavian climes.
I’ve been to more striking cities. Copenhagen is like a greatest hits of more glamorous destinations: it has the canals of Amsterdam, the squares of Florence, and the Baroque architecture of Vienna; there is even a single, New York– style modernist skyscraper (the SAS building, all of twenty stories). I’ve been to more exciting cities. Copenhagen’s biggest attraction is the Tivoli Gardens, a nineteenth-century amusement park complete with Ferris wheel and carousel, though the Lego Store and the Bodum Hus, where you can splurge on interlocking plastic bricks and functional coffeepots, are close runner-ups. And I’ve definitely been to balmier cities.
Copenhagen is windblown and rainy, and because it is at the same latitude as Ketchikan, Alaska, the winter sunset — when the sun deigns to appear at all — tends to come at mid-afternoon. Yet the scale of the place is perfect: Copenhagen is big enough to keep you interested, but small enough that you feel comfortable. In truth, though, the depth of my affection probably comes from the way I discovered Copenhagen.
During my first couple of days in the city, I walked and rode the two-line Metro. The brand-new system has state-of-the-art platform doors in its deep underground stations, and gleaming automated Italian-made trains, the kind that allow kids to sit in the front and watch the lights in the tunnel rush by. This being Northern Europe, there are no turnstiles, and passengers board on the honor system. (When I blundered on ticket-free on my first day, a platform attendant smiled indulgently and rode the escalators back to street level to give me a lesson on the proper use of the ticket machines.) From the central train station, eleven commuter train lines, run by Danish State Railways, extend deep into the suburbs. Cheerful orange buses, with low floors to allow easy entry for strollers and wheelchairs, run along most major streets. In fact, Copenhagen is the only city I’ve been where people complain there is too much public transport. When the Cityringen, a circle line that will add fifteen new stations, is completed in 2018, only the residents of the city’s most isolated districts will be more than a 600-yard walk from a Metro station.
April 26th, 2012
STRAPHANGER: The Trouble with Downtown Los Angeles
By Spacing Ottawa // 1 Comment
This week, Spacing presents five excerpts from Straphanger, the new book by Montreal-based author Taras Grescoe. The book examines the success stories, challenges, and future hurdles of 14 transit systems from across the world, including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
TODAY: Los Angeles
In spite of heroic efforts at revival, downtown Los Angeles can be a pretty forlorn place, filled as it is with polo-shirted security guards on Smith & Wesson mountain bikes fruitlessly trying to herd panhandlers back to the “Nickel,” the city’s skid row. If you know where to look, though, you can catch glimpses of the future Los Angeles once imagined for itself, of enduring architecture and walkable public places, stitched together by rail rather than roads. My favorite piece of Southern California retro-tech is Angel’s Flight, a funicular railway whose two slant-floored cars still haul passengers 300 or so feet up to Bunker Hill, the skyscraper, museum, and concert hall — topped incline that is traditionally considered the heart of Downtown. On Broadway, a plaque in the sumptuously restored Bradbury Building, whose sky-lit interior is all lacquered filigree and exposed cog-works, informs visitors that its architecture was inspired by the 1888 novel Looking Backward, whose author imagined a future in which densely settled American cities would be full of colossal public buildings. One block away, on Hill Street, the words Subway Terminal Building are engraved in the pavement outside an old commercial building that has been converted into upscale condos and lofts. This was where the now-condemned Hollywood subway used to emerge from underground, a mile of tunnel completed in the 1920s in an attempt to solve the congestion problem once and for all by channeling streetcars beneath the pavement and out of the way of cars.
It is a reminder that Los Angeles was supposed to turn out a lot differently. Even as engineers were planning the freeway system that would blow the metropolis apart, ambitious rail schemes were being devised to reassert the hegemony of downtown. After the war, hundreds of business owners campaigned under the slogan “Rail Rapid Transit — Now!” to have mass transit rights-of-way built alongside freeways. In 1963, the Alweg Monorail company of Germany even offered to build Los Angeles a 43-mile monorail operation, for free. “Between 1948 and 1980,” writes transportation historian Martin Wachs, “at least six different plans that included some form of rail transit were placed before the citizens, and all failed to be enacted.”
Urban Planet: Unique Hydro Pylons
By Hilary Best // 1 Comment
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Hydro pylons can be a bit of an eyesore. In response, Russian creative collective Design Depot has proposed a set of creative approaches to beautify this challenging piece of infrastructure. Spacing asks: is there potential to use these modified pylons in the urban environment? ...
April 27th, 2012
Sim City: Bus Shelters & International Buisness
By Dylan Collie // No Comments
Bus transit is big in Spacington. The city has adopted new lines, extended a few, and created a multi-city connection. Not bad, eh? Still not great. The Spacington folks are still only using 40% of the bus transit- 40% of the different routes and overall capacity. We have observed the lines, relocated a few things, but still the number teeters under 50%. Why don't they like buses? We tried losing the amount of buses for the optimal transit system- LRT -but for some reason Simingtons were even less trilled to use it.
So here is a map of a bus route in Spacington. This great route connects folks to a baseball stadium, local jobs, and residences from all over the top northern tip of Spacington. The route is straight, on major roads and avenues, and connects a slew of amenties in the city.
Urban Planet: Detroit’s 40 Square Miles of Vacant Land
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
It's well known that Detroit has experienced a large population decline leaving large swaths of land abandoned. The oft cited number is 40 square miles. But as Kate Davidson at Changing Gears reports, nobody is quite sure where that number came from. New ...
STRAPHANGER: The Toronto tragedy
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
This week, Spacing presents five excerpts from Straphanger, the new book by Montreal-based author Taras Grescoe. The book examines the success stories, challenges, and future hurdles of 14 transit systems from across the world, including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
TODAY: Toronto (last excerpt)
I’d always planned to end up in Toronto. After all, it was the city where I started.
I was born at the old Women’s College Hospital, near Queen’s Park station on the Yonge-University line, in 1966. At the time, my parents were renting a top-floor flat in a house on Lytton Boulevard, a short stroller’s push from Yonge Street; an auspicious first address for a newborn, it turned out, as it had belonged to one of the inventors of Pablum (his widow spoon-fed me the vitamin-rich baby mush, which may explain why I never developed rickets). When I was only four years old, my parents joined the exodus to suburbia, and we moved to a cookie-cutter bungalow on a curvy street in Burlington, twenty-five miles west along the shore of Lake Ontario from Union Station.
I used to wonder if this early exile from the city was the foundational trauma that led to my lifelong bias against subdivisions, but my Kodachrome-hued memories of Riverside Drive—of netting crayfish in the nearby creek, of walking to Frontenac Elementary School, and of pretending I was Bobby Orr in street hockey games—are for the most part fond, and at worst emotionally neutral. My parents tell me they bought the house as a short-term investment, but if they were hoping the suburbs would be a healthier setting than the city, they seriously misjudged Southern Ontario. Less than a mile from our carport were the multimillion-gallon storage tanks of the Oakville refinery, where British Petroleum was busy making jet fuel, and beyond a tiny stand of oaks known as Sherwood Forest Park lay the Queen Elizabeth Way—six lanes of rushing traffic that, in the days before emissions controls, must have created a formidable cancer corridor of leaded gas exhaust. My parents lasted two years in Burlington, before giving up on the land of loops-and-lollipops and bundling my sister and me onto a westbound train.
Creative Mapping Contest deadline on Monday!
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
Spacing magazine presents the CREATIVE MAPPING CONTEST
Do you love maps? Are you an illustrator, graphic designer, or visual storyteller? Spacing wants you to submit your original creative maps inspired by a Canadian city.
WHAT MAKES A MAP CREATIVE
The art of map-making has taken tremendous strides in the digital age. In the last decade, there has been an explosion of maps that are not necessarily meant to be used for directions, but instead are considered works of art and inspired imagination. We want you to create an illustrative map that reflects a Canadian city (or a neighbourhood, community) or is inspired by the urban elements that make up a city (examples: waterfront, transit, cycling, walking, graffiti, parks, architecture, laneways/alleys, streets, traffic, taxis, weather, sewers, infrastructure, etc...). The above map — featured in our current issue — is a good example of creative mapping.
DEADLINE: Monday, April 30th, 2012
COST: Free!
April 28th, 2012
Spacing Saturday: Large Urban Parks, Urban Alleyways and Transit Funding
By Marcus Bowman // No Comments
Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
As Saint John heads into a municipal election Abad Khan recaps a tumultuous year while attempting to frame the upcoming vote and the challenges the city faces moving forward.
My City Lives, takes readers on a three part guided tour of the historic 'Old Town Toronto' neighbourhood with guide Bruce Bell. The first installment introduces the broader neighbourhood, while the second looks at the iconic Gooderham Flatiron Building.
John Lorinc focuses on the topic of GTA transit funding, as the region looks to build off the momentum of the populist subway debates. Lorinc shares the results of a Spacing-Environics poll showing wide support for a gas tax and later goes into detail about the political difficulties ahead.
Alanah Heffez discusses how plans for rejuvenating a Montreal school yard were dashed when it was realized the green space will be expropriated for the impending expansion of the controversial expansion of the Turcot interchange.
A special guest contribution by Michael O'Shea reveals a fantastic winter use for underutilized urban alleys in the winter by showing an example of how one Montreal alley was converted into a hockey rink that created a neighbourhood gathering space.
As cities around the world continue to push for titles of largest new urban parks, Christine McLaren looks at the pros and cons of large urban parks and in the process strikes at the comparative value of smaller parks that are responsive and well integrated to their specific community.
Ian Lowrie contributes to the Cartographically Speaking feature with the first two of three installments in a series using mapping to show the relationship between crime an urban form in Greater Vancouver. First looking at broader areas of crime intensity and then focusing in on the details of these areas.
April 30th, 2012
Urban Planet: Street Vendors’ Guide
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
New York City's 10,000 street vendors face myriad rules and regulations. Add to that many first languages other than English and it becomes easy to see how cart owners could face steep penalties for simple infractions. To address this issue and empower the city's ...
Today is deadline for Creative Mapping Contest!
By Matthew Blackett // No Comments
Spacing magazine presents the CREATIVE MAPPING CONTEST
Do you love maps? Are you an illustrator, graphic designer, or visual storyteller? Spacing wants you to submit your original creative maps inspired by a Canadian city.
WHAT MAKES A MAP CREATIVE
The art of map-making has taken tremendous strides in the digital age. In the last decade, there has been an explosion of maps that are not necessarily meant to be used for directions, but instead are considered works of art and inspired imagination. We want you to create an illustrative map that reflects a Canadian city (or a neighbourhood, community) or is inspired by the urban elements that make up a city (examples: waterfront, transit, cycling, walking, graffiti, parks, architecture, laneways/alleys, streets, traffic, taxis, weather, sewers, infrastructure, etc...). The above map — featured in our current issue — is a good example of creative mapping.
DEADLINE: By the end of the day today! If you want to submit and cannot meet today's deadline please send us an email [ creativemapping@spacing.ca ] and we can work something out. We're more concerned with quality entries than with strident deadlines!
COST: Free!
May 1st, 2012
Urban Planet: LA’s First Pedestrian Plaza
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Welcome to Sunset Triangle - LA's first pedestrian plaza. The street-to-plaza conversion opened in March, modeled after the successful installations in NYC. The street is demarcated with green polkadots and planters, and first reports suggest that LA residents are enjoying their new open space. ...
HEADSPACE: Author Gabriel Campanario discusses the Art of Urban Sketching
By noahvanderlaan // No Comments
Sketching is a way of discovering communities, showing lively streetscapes, soaring architecture and intriguing faces. Gabriel Campanario's book The Art of Urban Sketching presents a visually arresting, storytelling take on urban life driven by artists drawing their cities and sharing their visual dispatches. Starting tomorrow, Spacing will showcase three excerpts from this book.
Spacing: What is the link between urban sketching and the public realm? How does urban sketching contribute to city building?
Gabi: Urban sketching connects space with the people who use it. It increases awareness of place. You need to spend time looking at something to be able to draw it. An urban sketcher always has his eyes peeled when out and about in the city. I see with those sketchers eyes, often tracing the skyline or the outline of buildings. One of the benefits of urban sketching is that it brings appreciation to the spaces one inhabits and the subtle beauty which can be found even in the texture of a wall or brick.
Spacing: Do you consider the visual art as an important tool for engaging citizens and bolstering public participation?
Gabi: Art is very individual. Sketching creates an interpretation of a space that is then shared with others. It's a very unique transaction. People like this book even if they don't draw, because they can see cities through the artists' eyes. I see art more as a communication tool, rather than meant to be put in a frame on the wall. My background is in journalism, and sketching is a way of communicating my experiences. If I can show you my experiences then I don't need to tell you, you see how I'm interpreting my own city. Art is important in experiencing your own city because anybody can understand it, it's in a universal language. it crosses borders, languages, and backgrounds.
Former Sparks & Wellington Intersection – 1938 versus 2012
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
For a bit of history on that former triangular block Bay-Wellington-Spark on OpenFile Ottawa.
Source : Bibliothèque & Archives Canada/ Library & Archives Canada
May 2nd, 2012
The Art of Urban Sketching: Montreal
By noahvanderlaan // No Comments
This week, Spacing presents excerpts from The Art of Urban Sketching, the new book by Seattle-based artist and journalist Gabriel Campanario. The book examines a global movement driven by urban sketchers drawing their cities and sharing their visual dispatches.
MONTREAL
Montreal's small, walkable city center makes the second-largest city in Canada ideal for urban sketching. Local artist Marc Taro Holmes is drawn to the ornate architecture of French and English historic buildings around the Old Port, as well as the many intricate lines of cathedrals and churches.
Urban Planet Weird Wednesday: Kansas City’s Community Bookshelf
By mikebulko // No Comments
Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world.
Parking garages usually don't make it very high on a city's list of urban beautification projects — most end up looking pretty similar to each other.
Kansas City, MO is one of the citys who have broken the mould. The parking garage of city's downtown public library branch has a 25-foot tall "bookshelf" facade made from signboard mylar that features the spines of a number of local stories as well as many famous works.
Event: Jane’s Walk Ottawa kickoff talk with Spacing editor Shawn Micallef Thursday May 3rd
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
Spacing Senior Editor Shawn Micallef will be in Ottawa tomorrow, May 3rd, to give a talk on walking at the Jane's Walk Ottawa kickoff event at the Hub at 7PM. Come on out and get your pre-walk walk-on (or something like that). More from our friend's at Jane's Walk:
Jane's Talk will be held at The Hub, 71 Bank Street (6th Floor)
Shawn Micallef loves to walk--and he's thought a lot about why. Since moving to Toronto in 2000, he's been taking to the streets and has captured his wandering in his writings, micro-blogging, and ultimately in his book Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto, (Coach House, 2010).
As we launch Jane's Walk 2012, we've invited Shawn to help us re-think how we walk. How can wandering the streets of Ottawa help us better understand our city? How can we have fun getting to know our city through psychogeography and what are some practical tools we can use to engage with our city though walking? (And just what is psychogeography anyway?)
May 3rd, 2012
The Art of Urban Sketching: Toronto
By noahvanderlaan // No Comments
This week, Spacing presents excerpts from The Art of Urban Sketching, the new book by Seattle-based artist and journalist Gabriel Campanario. The book examines a global movement driven by urban sketchers drawing their cities and sharing their visual dispatches.
TORONTO
From red rockets to tall towers, Toronto's iconography is ubiquitous. Architect Eugene Zhilinsky likes to sketch while strolling with his family. Find artist and Spacing contributor Jerry Waese along Dundas Street, drawing streetcars. His column, Street Scene, appears twice a week on Spacing Toronto's site.
TODERIAN: Discovering the worlds of Twitter and urbanism
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
This special column is from Brent Toderian, the former chief urban planner of Vancouver.
Last week I had lunch with a friend and fellow urbanist, Bob Ransford. Lunches with Bob are never boring, as we get right into things, and often debate. Bob’s a communications specialist and a longtime member of the Twitteratti (@BobRansford), so amongst discussions about strengthening urbanism in the Cascadia Region, and affordability debates in Vancouver, I asked him a question that’s been on my mind for the last month: Is Twitter a positive tool for Canadian urbanism? Put another way, is twitter facilitating smarter discussions on the country’s urbanism, or are we all getting dumber, 140 characters at a time?
I had been very dubious about Twitter while I was a municipal leader, even though I had been blogging as the Director of City Planning for years (I had never sought official permission to do that, and there had been no official rebuke or order to desist, although there was some passive disapproval that I was generally aware of that never became an official issue).
A few of my planning, design and architecture friends working in other city halls were tweeting, some as “citizens”, and others referencing in various ways their official positions. I wasn’t sure what to make of that. I saw many public officials (mostly politicians) getting in big trouble from poorly thought-out tweeting. Although I’ve always had the disciplined approach that I don’t write or say anything in social media that I wouldn’t be prepared to say on the record to a reporter, or “shout from the street-corner at Robson and Burrard” (a thought process I used through 6 years of blogging from City Hall), I had always concluded that the risk wasn’t worth it when it came to Twitter.
As I was leaving the Vancouver Chief Planner role in February, one of my former colleagues took the liberty of setting up an account for me, strongly encouraging me to use it as part of the “free voice” I would have after leaving city leadership. Indeed, the reasons and circumstances under which I was leaving City Hall, I was told, were already “burning up the Twitter-verse” and if nothing else, I would want to monitor that.
Urban Planet: Mapping the World’s Road, Shipping and Air Routes
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Welcome to the Anthropocene - the era where human activity is the greatest single force shaping the surface of the earth. This video from Gizmodo charts the many ways we are changing the planet and the incredible connectivity we have achieved as a result. (LA Curbed)
Image from LA ...
May 4th, 2012
The Art of Urban Sketching: Victoria
By noahvanderlaan // No Comments
This week, Spacing presents excerpts from The Art of Urban Sketching, the new book by Seattle-based artist and journalist Gabriel Campanario. The book examines a global movement driven by urban sketchers drawing their cities and sharing their visual dispatches.
VICTORIA
For local architect Matthew Cencich, Victoria's Chinatown neighbourhood and downtown ornate architecture are favourite sketching subjects. The climate in the western Canadian city is relatively mild, but it's often wet and chilly, so sketching outdoors can be a challenge. Still, Cencich says he has done some of his best sketches in winter, often making it back to a coffee shop chilled to the bone and vowing not to return until spring.
Urban Planet: Changing Fault in Traffic Accidents
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Sarah Goodyear at The Atlantic Cities comments on our changing understanding of responsibility for traffic accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians. Headlines from the 1930s suggest that the driver, by nature of their heavier vehicle and the purpose of a street, was nearly always ...
Sim City: Fire!
By Dylan Collie // No Comments
A fire broke out in Spacington. In fact, two fires broke out in the little city this week. There has been a couple close calls with fire before but this week with the combination of derelict buildings sitting side by side, the flames broke out and spread the neighborhood. Since this is the first semi-major disaster In Spacington, we thought we'd share:
May 7th, 2012
Urban Planet: Errors in New York’s Subway Map
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
In 1979, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority unveiled a redesign of its iconic subway system map. The redesign was an attempt to bring clarity to the tangle of colours and lines that crisscross the five boroughs. But as Matt Flegenheimer at the New ...
May 8th, 2012
Urban Planet: Growing Vegetables in Vancouver’s Parking Garages
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
What's tall and full and leafy all over? Vancouver's parking garages. Valcent Products recently signed an agreement with several garage owners to build the 6,000-square-foot vertical farm. The "VertiCrop" farming structure will feature 12-foot-high stacks of growing trays that will move around to catch ...
May 9th, 2012
Urban Planet Weird Wednesday: Neft Dashlari, a community on the sea
By mikebulko // No Comments
Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world.
While it looks like an unused set for the movie Waterworld, Neft Dashlari isn't just the world's first offshore oil rig, it's elevated platforms have become home to a fairly unique urban community with nothing but waterfront property.
Somerset & Cartier – 1938 versus 2012
By Alexandre Laquerre // No Comments
Source : Bibliothèque & Archives Canada/ Library & Archives Canada
May 10th, 2012
Urban Planet: Foursquare Checkins and the Structure of Cities
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Is a neighbourhood defined by geographical borders or by the set of people that flow in and out of it? This is the hypothesis being tested by researchers at the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Their platform, Livehoods, uses foursquare check ...
May 11th, 2012
Creative Mapping Contest deadline extended to May 31
By Spacing Ottawa // No Comments
DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MAY 31st
Spacing magazine presents the CREATIVE MAPPING CONTEST
Do you love maps? Are you an illustrator, graphic designer, or visual storyteller? Spacing wants you to submit your original creative maps inspired by a Canadian city.
To date we have received an amazing assortment of submissions. But we also had a whack-load of requests for late submissions. In the spirit of openness, we've extended the deadline until the end of May.
DEADLINE EXTENDED: Thursday, May 31st, 2012
COST: Free!
WHAT MAKES A MAP CREATIVE (see examples at bottom of page)?
The art of map-making has taken tremendous strides in the digital age. In the last decade, there has been an explosion of maps that are not necessarily meant to be used for directions, but instead are considered works of art and inspired imagination. We want you to create an illustrative map that reflects a Canadian city (or a neighbourhood, community) or is inspired by the urban elements that make up a city (examples: waterfront, transit, cycling, walking, graffiti, parks, architecture, laneways/alleys, streets, traffic, taxis, weather, sewers, infrastructure, etc....)
Sim City: City Slums
By Dylan Collie // No Comments
Like we mentioned a few weeks ago, Spacington has developed a bit of a slum. As displayed above, this once thriving neighborhood has become an area of little growth, dirty abandoned buildings, and a limited amount of available work. We get it, this slum isn't nearly as "slummy" as it could be- there is still a strong mix of wealths, mixed use, and utilized transit- but the neighborhood has lost it's drive.
Usually in the game, a no job logo hovering above a building represents the lack of jobs in a commutable distance. Basically, it takes too long for a Sim to get to work, or they can't find work.
Urban Planet: Copenhagen Philharmonic Flash Mob
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
A Friday treat: listen to the sweet sounds of the Copenhagen Philharmonic serenading Danish commuters. (Huffington Post)
Image from Huffington Post
For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on Facebook and Twitter. Do you have an Urban Planet worthy article you'd like to share? Send the link ...
May 14th, 2012
Urban Planet: Why Kids Don’t Ride to School Anymore
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Did you ride your bike to school as a kid? According to this piece on NPR, back in 1969 nearly half of children got to school on foot or by bike. Today, that figure is closer to 13%. Reporter David Darlington talks about ...
Next City Cafe – Seeing the Suburbs
By Allegra Newman // No Comments
This Wednesday May 16th at 7:30pm is your last chance this season to come out and participate in the Next City Cafe
Seeing the Suburbs
Wednesday May 16th 7:30pm
Alpha Soul Cafe 1015 Wellington Street West, Hintonburg
Join:
Julia Valley - Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre
Mandy McCrone- Barrhaven Without a Car -Jane's Walk 2012
Akash Sinha - Dharma Developments
Arras Hopkins - AOE Arts Council
What are the misconceptions and realities that are shaping them? What does the future hold? What are the possibilities?
Join the conversation, share your experiences and ideas.
Join us on twitter at #nextcity
Help Spread the Word! Pass it on.
...
May 15th, 2012
Urban Planet: Bike Score
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
From the makers of Walk Score and just in time for "Bike to Work Week" comes Bike Score - the online tool for assessing neighbourhood bikeability. The tool uses data including the locations of bicycle infrastructure, amenities and hills. And Canadian cities are ...
May 16th, 2012
Urban Planet Weird Wednesday: Welcome to Fucking, Austria
By mikebulko // No Comments
Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world.
It's been in international headlines throughout the past few weeks over false reports that it will be changing its name, but this tiny Austrian hamlet has been "Fucking" (or close to it) since the Dark Ages.
May 17th, 2012
The City, the act, and Lansdowne Park
By Tim Lash // 3 Comments
Last month, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that as a matter of law under the present Ontario Municipal Act, the City's June 2010 decision to move ahead on development of Lansdowne Park by the Ottawa Sports & Entertainment Group (OSEG) was OK, despite financial errors that would need to be corrected.
Earlier, the City had cancelled its own public design competition for the Park, to become a partner proponent with OSEG, without competition, of a development project that would turn control of most of the park over to private commercial development — predominantly high intensity retail, residential and entertainment, with a promise of return of CFL football as the draw.
Urban Planet: Lego’s California Modern Paradise
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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 dreamed of living in LEGO paradise since you were a child, Dwell has the home for you. In partnership with ...
May 18th, 2012
Urban Planet: Japanese Manhole Covers
By Hilary Best // No Comments
Urban Planet is a daily roundup of 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.
Booooooom.com has a great collection of unique and colourful Japanese manhole covers.
Image from Boooooooom
For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on Facebook and Twitter. Do you have an Urban Planet worthy article you'd like to share? Send the link to urbanplanet@spacing.ca
