Category: housing policy

housing policy, Primrose

A tale of two houses …

Westsideaction

Both houses are on Primrose Street. The top one had its second floor stucco exterior wrapped in “house wrap”, which prevents air infiltration but allows the passage of vapour (usually out of the walls). I am disappointed they did not put any additional insulation between the wooden strapping that has been applied for the new exterior cladding. I am a strong believer in insulation, but probably like for the City Living houses “renovated” along Albert, the person doing the renovation doesn’t pay the utility bill, the tennant does, so additional insulation is not installed. Next door is the green house … Continue reading A tale of two houses …

condos, hintonburg, housing policy, infill, intensificatioin

Small Houses

Westsideaction

The renovated house in the top picture is on Armstrong Ave in Hintonburg. I love tiny houses, there is something so doll-house-like, so intimate, so cute about them. Maybe it’s the little-child in me wanting to curl up in a cupboard. Hidden behind the renovator’s trailer to the right of the blue and white house there is a foundation in the ground for another thin house infill. I hope the vacant lot, now for sale, gets some more tiny infill houses rather than a McMansion. I would love to see more tiny houses built in the city. I feel there … Continue reading Small Houses

housing policy

East Berlin, c1976

Westsideaction

There are lots of stories in the papers and MSM these days about the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. After graduating from University I went backpacking in Europe for a few weeks. Airfare was $640 on a 747; it is not much more today for advance purchases. I crossed into East Berlin at Checkpoint Charlie. It was compulsory to convert some West Marks into East Marks at the (poor) official exchange rate. It was not permitted to reconvert the East Marks upon exiting the “Democratic Republic”. I had to wait for several minutes at the crossing while the … Continue reading East Berlin, c1976

City Living, drug issues, hintonburg, housing policy, transitional housing

Conversion to Transitional Housing

Westsideaction

This elderly blue-clad apartment building on Holland Avenue just north of the Queensway has been purchased by the Ottawa Mission for use as transitional housing. Acording to Ms Vicki’s neighborhood blog the Mission intends for its clientele to occupy about half the units. She does not identify who will occupy the other half – presumably it is market rentals. I support the move to transitional and supportive housing. I strongly feel they need close supervision and much more “tough love” than laissez-faire. I have three “second hand” experiences with apartment buildings undergoing similar changes. In one, my aunt was a long term … Continue reading Conversion to Transitional Housing

housing policy, infill, LeBreton Flats1 Comment

Naked Intersections, Naked Streets, Woonerf

Westsideaction

The net is an amazing place. Following links on the Greater Ottawa blogsite to stories on naked intersections, I end up a dozen sites away, I can’t remember how I got there, and sometimes only peripherally related to the original story that started the links. Other times the links are exciting reading, and I find myself wanting to subscribe to this or that RSS feed (astoundingly, so many sites do not make it easy to subscribe or follow them…). Naked streets, or naked intersections refers to the latest Dutch planning fad of removing all traffic signs, signals, and painted lines, … Continue reading Naked Intersections, Naked Streets, Woonerf

housing policy, infill, intensificatioin3 Comments

Is Smart Growth Smart?

Westsideaction

Most anyone reading this blog will be aware of “smart growth”, intensification, infill, the Portland nirvana example, the glorious Vancouver leadership, and other urban design trends. A number of posts back, I questioned whether the assumptions of high density redevelopment in the existing inner city areas made sense. Do people moving from suburbs to infills exhibit the behaviour of the inner city population or do they bring with them their suburban lifestyle and consumption patterns? It strikes me that there is an element of geographic determinism going on here: if the inner city population exhibits certain characteristics now, moving people … Continue reading Is Smart Growth Smart?

housing policy, Preston street2 Comments

What a difference a block makes … and who your neighbors are

Westsideaction

midway between Cumberland and King Edward east of Cumberland west of Cumberland These three pictures are taken on the same street in the Market, a few hundred feet apart. The red brick condo is a full block west of the Shepherds of Good Hope. It is a renovated building, open green lawn, no fence.– The gray building is gutted, windowless, abandonned. It is one half block east of the red brick condo in the other picture, on the other side of Cumberland cross street. The street is just as busy … it’s still far enough from King Edward to be … Continue reading What a difference a block makes … and who your neighbors are

condos, housing policy, pedestrians3 Comments

Is Infill Working?

Westsideaction

Proponents of ‘smart growth’ and higher density cities usually cite as benefits the smaller ecological footprint and lower cost of servicing higher density mixed use urban areas compared to suburban growth. I wonder just how true this is. In my neighborhood, on the west side of the urban core, it is possible to walk to multiple employment centres. Shopping is a bit of stretch to the Rideau Centre, and for groceries, well they do call it a ‘grocery desert’ for a reason. However, Loblaws in Westboro does deliver and with a family of teens that is well worth while (I … Continue reading Is Infill Working?

housing policy6 Comments

Small Lot Housing is a Big Deal

Westsideaction

I read in the Citizen the other day about West end residents complaining about single homes on 35′ lots. Heck, my lot is 29′ and I’ve got a great century single home, yard, neat garden, and tons of outdoor space and privacy. Perhaps these people should look a bit further, to find out what is really small. There is a development proposed for the corner of Gladstone and Cambridge, where there currently is a shocking-yellow house. There will be seven townhouses, each on 12′ lots. Judging by the plans and the elevations, should be quite nice neighbors. There is a … Continue reading Small Lot Housing is a Big Deal

housing policy

US Housing Policy in a Nutshell

Westsideaction

Over at the City journal.org website, there is an article on the repeating US housing crisis. I like their site because it often offers a contrarian view of what is conventional wisdom in the urban affairs sphere. It makes an interesting comparison to the Metropolis website. Here is a summary (first three para) of their most recent article on the US housing policy: In December, the New York Times published a 5,100-word article charging that the Bush administration’s housing policies had “stoked” the foreclosure crisis—and thus the financial meltdown. By pushing for lax lending standards, encouraging government enterprises to make … Continue reading US Housing Policy in a Nutshell