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, ...

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="High Line Park, NYC - photo by CosmicAutumn"][/caption] ________ 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.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Urban food of the future, from 1940's Seagram's ad."][/caption] _____ 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, ...

"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.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Toronto's Dufferin Grove Park: people make the place"][/caption] ____ 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.

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.

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.