Category: Chinatown

Chinatown, sidewalks, somerset street, streetscaping

Chicken pedestrians

Westsideaction

The City will reconstruct Somerset Street West between Booth and Preston later this year. As part of the streetscaping, a number of decorative granite pavers will be inserted into the concrete paver sidewalk. While the final designs haven’t yet been selected, the likely theme will be animals of the Asian zodiacs. In addition to the Chinese zodiac animals, the Vietnamese zodiac has some different characters, so there will be more than twelve designs. Each will be carved into a granite block that is then set flush in the sidewalk. These will be sure to delight children and amuse adults who watch where they … Continue reading Chicken pedestrians

bike path, Chinatown, chinatown arch, cycling in Ottawa, design, sewage and drains, sidewalks, somerset street, streetscaping, Uncategorized9 Comments

Somerset dog-and-pony show — new priorities

Westsideaction

The City held an open house last evening to explain to the public what is being done on Somerset Street this year. It was a mix of old news — the section west of Preston remains  unchanged from last year except for some details — and new news for the section east of Preston up to Booth. The new stuff comes in several formats. The consultants and city staff had all the public consultation team members on hand, with name badges, to explain what is proposed and to tell their neighbours about some of the tradeoffs that were made to get to these results. … Continue reading Somerset dog-and-pony show — new priorities

Bronson, Carling Ave, Chinatown, downtown, Laurier Ave, pedestrians, Preston street, sidewalks, Uncategorized4 Comments

More Empty Parking lots and underused streets

Westsideaction

There are turning moments in the urban paradigm whereby all that was “normal” before gets swept away and is replaced by a new version of “normal”. I think we are in the midst of a paradigm shift to a new normal with respect to parking and streets in central cities. We saw this once in the 70’s when the anti-freeway mobilizers successfully beat down the Spadina Expressway in Toronto. This inspired decades of courage to residents of Canadian cities coast to coast to object to road building. It was only a partial victory of course. Freeways were renamed parkways, or arterials. The Hunt … Continue reading More Empty Parking lots and underused streets

Chinatown, City Centre, condos, Elm Street, little Italy, Preston street, Spruce St13 Comments

The Secret West Side

Westsideaction

Everyone knows the traditional main streets: West Wellie, Preston, Chinatown, Bank Street … The very success of these streets ensure they attract popular businesses with enough clientele to afford the rents. But where are the retailers that cannot afford main street? Ottawa lacks many low-value retail spaces, where specialty niche businesses, startups, and some just-plain marginal businesses can locate. Gentrification and the revival of main streets are desirable, but have the effect of squeezing out these small firms. So they slip into little-noticed spots unattractive to mainstream, main street retailers. I previously mentioned the hotbed of nifty niche novelty firms on the west side*. … Continue reading The Secret West Side

Chinatown, chinatown arch, condos, infill, somerset street, streetscaping, Uncategorized6 Comments

Planning Exercise (v): Chinatown lives

Westsideaction

  For several years Chinatown has been struggling. The arrival of big-box asian-food supermarkets in the suburbs, and the shift of Asian families to suburban living, has resulted in a  number of vacancies along Somerset Street. The construction of the Chinatown Royal Arch is the first step in rejuvenating the area. The second step is the construction, in 2011, of new streetscaping from Preston up the hill to Booth. This will include new, wider brick sidewalks, lots more trees and plantings, new ped-scale lighting, benches and other street furniture. This has made a major improvement to Preston; similar but unique streetscaping should boost Chinatown’s … Continue reading Planning Exercise (v): Chinatown lives

Bayview-Carling CDP, Chinatown, design, pedestrians, Preston street, Primrose, sidewalks, streetscaping, Uncategorized, woonerf6 Comments

Planning exercise (i)

Westsideaction

The photo above is taken a few weeks ago, looking south along Cambridge. Primrose is behind us, Somerset and the new Chinatown Royal Arch is directly ahead. The street looks closed to automobiles, which is the idea. It was reconstructed years ago using the Dutch design principles called a woonerf. Getting closer to the woonerf, it is less constricted than it first appeared. There is, indeed, plenty of room for a car … or truck, or school bus, or fire truck … to get through. The high shrubs and planters deliberately block the view and sight lines, forcing motorists to slow down. It … Continue reading Planning exercise (i)

Booth St, Chinatown, sidewalks, somerset street, streetscaping, Uncategorized

Tex-Mex with a touch of China

Westsideaction

  Somerset Street will be reconstructed from Preston up to Booth next year (city budget permitting). After the underground utilities are replaced, the street gets repaved and new sidewalks, ped lights, trees, benches, garbage cans, the whole shebang gets set up for the next decades. Many of those streetscaping decisions are being made right now, and it is fun being on the committee debating the colour palette of the paving blocks, the crosswalk designs, selecting the benches, etc.  So … what Chinatown should look like is much on my mind. It is rather ironic therefore that the Southern Cross restaurant, which serves tex-mex food from its … Continue reading Tex-Mex with a touch of China

Chinatown, chinatown arch, somerset street1 Comment

Chinatown Dead

Westsideaction

There is another Chinatown in Ottawa, one less visited than Somerset Street. These photos are of the “Other Chinatown”: above: The entrance gateway is much more modest than the Somerset one. But then, the dead lead quieter lives. Pavillion with red posts, green roof tiles. The vocabulary of the construction is similar to the Somerset royal arch. The lane in the background goes out to the St Laurent Blvd entrance to Beechwood Cemetery. The Chinese interment grounds are close to St Laurent. In Chinese tradition, Dragon had nine sons. Chiwen likes high places, and is usually found on the roof ridge … Continue reading Chinatown Dead

Chinatown, chinatown arch, somerset street

No 2 resumes passage, further blockage expected

Westsideaction

On July 29 Somerset Street was reopened under the new Chinatown Royal Arch, after a two month closure to vehicles. The No 2 bus route resumed passage through Chinatown. The sidewalks have been relaid and provide a more comfortable and direct route for pedestrians again. The scaffolding remains around the Arch for the use of the painters coming from China who will apply 17 coats of paint to the make the arch more colourful. Meanwhile, just a few blocks further west on Somerset, construction has started for the new utilities and streetscaping. Major work will be completed this fall, but … Continue reading No 2 resumes passage, further blockage expected

Chinatown, chinatown arch, somerset street

No 2 resumes passage, further blockage expected

Westsideaction

On July 29 Somerset Street was reopened under the new Chinatown Royal Arch, after a two month closure to vehicles. The No 2 bus route resumed passage through Chinatown. The sidewalks have been relaid and provide a more comfortable and direct route for pedestrians again. The scaffolding remains around the Arch for the use of the painters coming from China who will apply 17 coats of paint to the make the arch more colourful. Meanwhile, just a few blocks further west on Somerset, construction has started for the new utilities and streetscaping. Major work will be completed this fall, but … Continue reading No 2 resumes passage, further blockage expected

Chinatown, chinatown arch, somerset street

Square Boston

Westsideaction

The squares above are just two of dozens embedded in the sidewalk piazza near the Chinatown Arch in Boston. Are they fossils? Rock carvings? Chinese characters? The Boston sidewalk squares shown below are definitely Chinese. They were located on the sidewalk leading up to the Chinese arch. The centre portion was scribed granite block, surrounded by ordinary concrete pavers, set in the join of regular poured concrete sidewalk. The Ottawa Chinatown BIA is considering something similar for the reconstruction of part of the Chinatown sidewalks in 2011. Continue reading Square Boston

Chinatown, chinatown arch, somerset street

Square Boston

Westsideaction

The squares above are just two of dozens embedded in the sidewalk piazza near the Chinatown Arch in Boston. Are they fossils? Rock carvings? Chinese characters? The Boston sidewalk squares shown below are definitely Chinese. They were located on the sidewalk leading up to the Chinese arch. The centre portion was scribed granite block, surrounded by ordinary concrete pavers, set in the join of regular poured concrete sidewalk. The Ottawa Chinatown BIA is considering something similar for the reconstruction of part of the Chinatown sidewalks in 2011. Continue reading Square Boston

Chinatown, somerset street, streetscaping2 Comments

The friendly streets of west side Ottawa

Westsideaction

Outside this never-quite-finished rona-vating house, an impromtu living room has appeared on the city boulevard. Your seating choice: floral sofa … or mod leather armchair? Or mid-century modern plastic chairs set out especially for Robert? The pink carpet marks the residents as breast-cancer savy. There are even coffee tables for your … coffee, sometimes served in unique stubby brown glass cups. I love it, if only because it would never work in Orleans or Barrhaven. Now, to wander down one block . . . In contrast to the informal sidewalk enhancement on Cambridge, is this corner lot at Somerset/Bell. The manufactured stone … Continue reading The friendly streets of west side Ottawa

Chinatown, somerset street, streetscaping

The friendly streets of west side Ottawa

Westsideaction

Outside this never-quite-finished rona-vating house, an impromtu living room has appeared on the city boulevard. Your seating choice: floral sofa … or mod leather armchair? Or mid-century modern plastic chairs set out especially for Robert? The pink carpet marks the residents as breast-cancer savy. There are even coffee tables for your … coffee, sometimes served in unique stubby brown glass cups. I love it, if only because it would never work in Orleans or Barrhaven. Now, to wander down one block . . . In contrast to the informal sidewalk enhancement on Cambridge, is this corner lot at Somerset/Bell. The manufactured stone … Continue reading The friendly streets of west side Ottawa

Chinatown, chinatown arch, somerset street1 Comment

Aloha Chinatown Honalulu (ii)

Westsideaction

Chinatown in Honalulu has a large reputation preceeding it, one that I felt on my visit wasn’t totally warranted. Pictured above is their Chinatown gate — pedestrian archway on a slightly arched bridge that crosses a canal waterway. Note also the small plaques mounted along the bridge. Much of Chinatown H has a uniform architecture. That was because of a fire in the early twentieth century. A fire that has been attributed to several causes: burning down the neighborhood as it was the centre of a plague sweeping the island; or it was an accident; or it was designed to … Continue reading Aloha Chinatown Honalulu (ii)

Chinatown, chinatown arch, somerset street

Aloha Chinatown Honalulu (ii)

Westsideaction

Chinatown in Honalulu has a large reputation preceeding it, one that I felt on my visit wasn’t totally warranted. Pictured above is their Chinatown gate — pedestrian archway on a slightly arched bridge that crosses a canal waterway. Note also the small plaques mounted along the bridge. Much of Chinatown H has a uniform architecture. That was because of a fire in the early twentieth century. A fire that has been attributed to several causes: burning down the neighborhood as it was the centre of a plague sweeping the island; or it was an accident; or it was designed to … Continue reading Aloha Chinatown Honalulu (ii)

Chinatown, chinatown arch

Aloha Chinese Architecture

Westsideaction

This is a modern building in Honalulu with an otherwise non-descript exterior. Typically, the bottom few floors are parking garage, apartments above. The front porch however has this generous canopy that celebrates chinese culture and influence. It was not located in Chinatown per se, but along one of the main streets in Wikiki Beach area. I do not recall what the tile mosaic above it on the wall of the garage was portraying. I did think this was a nice touch on a building, particularly if it was located in the Chinatown area. In Ottawa’s chinatown, there is one newish … Continue reading Aloha Chinese Architecture

Chinatown, chinatown arch

Aloha Chinese Architecture

Westsideaction

This is a modern building in Honalulu with an otherwise non-descript exterior. Typically, the bottom few floors are parking garage, apartments above. The front porch however has this generous canopy that celebrates chinese culture and influence. It was not located in Chinatown per se, but along one of the main streets in Wikiki Beach area. I do not recall what the tile mosaic above it on the wall of the garage was portraying. I did think this was a nice touch on a building, particularly if it was located in the Chinatown area. In Ottawa’s chinatown, there is one newish … Continue reading Aloha Chinese Architecture