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:

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 ...

[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 ...

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 ...

[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. "]...

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.

-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.