I thought this sign had a nice bit of moral persuasion in it. And, it was sponsored, so it didn’t cost the municipality anything. At the base of the sign was a dispenser of plastic bags. This sign is a bit more blunt: Continue reading No Poop Here, please
On a recent trip to Boston, I saw this generous bike parking shelter, with card-controlled door: And while on that same trip to Boston, I stayed in a hotel built on air rights over a commuter rail line and freeway. The hotel windows were thick, and sealed. Noise intrusion was minimal and I slept fine. For one night, OK; but I wouldn’t want to live above the freeway or rail line. At the present time, there are no intentions of selling or leasing air rights over any of the Ottawa’s new LRT lines, as the additional construction cost doesn’t warrant competing … Continue reading Cycle and Biped accomodation
There must be many models of how to pick up and handle trash and other waste. Ottawa, like most Ontario municipalities, opts for separate streams right at the input stage. Residents and businesses are obliged to separate the cardboard from the newspaper from the tin and glass, and the organics go here not there. The percentage of waste recycled or diverted from landfill is proportionate to everyone’s effort. Some might call it participation; others might call it rubbing the public’s face in the garbage. There is one eastern Ontario city that opted for the single stream. All garbage is collected together, and then … Continue reading Down in the dumps, but not in an Ottawa way
After a couple of days of mocking and criticizing high rises, it’s time to show a few that do work, in my humble opinion. At first glance, the Paris hotel (seen outside my window in a much much much cheaper hotel)(don’t ask) (OK, do ask, if you insist, it cost $69 taxes in) in Vegas looks quite ornate. But a longer study reveals it is quite simple, with the same pre-cast elements repeated numerous times. It has a hat (roof), a belt (mid height break) and its base is a 2-5 storey podium that goes up to the mainstreet frontage, keeping the high-rise tower … Continue reading OK High rises
Everything in Vegas is done bigger. Their City Centre complex is tich larger than Ottawa’s. Even our forever-proposed-but-never-built new City Centre project is about 2 million sq ft of space whereas the Vegas one is 16 million square feet. The Vegas one has lots of underground parking: 6900 spaces, in the 9.2 billion dollar project. It is impressive, but not always in a nice way. The architects belong to the make it bigger, make it odder school of architecture. There are few attempts to make it intimate, personal, pleasant: instead it’s all schlock and awe. How, exactly, does one feel entering your condo … Continue reading The Other City Centre Project
When work is what you have to do, then holidays become a chance to do something else. Entirely different. But when you can do what you want to do, then what is a holiday but a chance to do the same thing, elsewhere? OK, so I’m boring and predictable. Thus it was that February found me checking out new urbanism communities in the American southwest. I found one in Prescott, Az aimed at 55+. It had all the classic new urbanism characteristics: narrower streets, houses close to the curb, verandahs and porches, smaller lots, shared recreation in two parks — one … Continue reading New urbanism, smaller homes – not found in Ottawa
I have never seen another North American city with as many strip malls — Mac’s Milk Plazas — as Ottawa. There are so many of them they become characteristic of the city. It’s harder to notice something by its absence, but keep your eyes sharp when visiting other cities. Do you see as many strip malls? Sure, you see some, but not to the abundance we have here. Indeed, some Canadian cities severely restrict them or have no zoning provision for them at all. What would happen if Ottawa rezoned every strip mall as a five storey building? Well, there would … Continue reading Strip Mall loses its parking lot
Let’s go for a trip on the Phoenix LRT. The video at this link takes 10 minutes to play. The link may not be live, ie you may have to copy and paste to your browser. http://youtu.be/D3EANU4FmiI Leave the window size small, as the video is low resolution, taken from a handheld digital camera while sitting behind the driver. The Phoenix LRT is 20 miles long (32 km), and has 28 stations. It opened in Dec 2008. Ridership in 2011 averaged 40,600 pax per day. The peak day carried over 60,000 pax. The trains are two-car train sets, thus the … Continue reading Phoenix LRT (part iii) The Video
In the downtown Phoenix transit plaza there were these brightly coloured display boards. From a distance, I thought they were route maps or timetables. Upon closer inspection, they proved to be laser-cut metal sheets. Each one showed a subway or rail transit map from the major cities of the world. I felt a bit – discomforted – inspecting these. Was little Phoenix trying to cast itself in the Big Leagues, rather like Toronto (used to) cast itself as “world class” which simply proved it isn’t? Was it pompous? Or was it just Public Art? The station closeup (above) shows a number … Continue reading Phoenix LRT (part ii)
Phoenix has a somewhat different climate from Ottawa (why else would I go there in February?) and their LRT station designs have different functions. Mainly, they provide shade. The stations are simple raised platforms, about 16′ wide. Metal sails overhead provide dense shadows; tubes and fins provide dappled shade. Stations all along the 20 mile line were built on a common design.Most platforms had greenery, in the form of vines growing up between wire meshes. The mesh protects the greenery from damage, and provides support. Think of it as an ultra-thin hedge. Similar wire mesh fences have been installed between patios on … Continue reading Phoenix LRT station designs
Do our signs inform or amuse travellers to here? Recall the “joke” about every bridge in Ottawa having the same name: The Pont Bridge. Here is the sign at the entrance to the Elks Opera House in Prescott, Az. At least the villains in the performance were safe from Frontier Justice: You do have to pause a bit at the condition ” unless otherwise authorized…” Does that apply to any license to carry a concealed or unconcealed weapon? Would someone unlicensed hand in their gun to the usher like someone might check a coat? But wait, there’s more: here is a sign … Continue reading Signs of the times
Example of well-designed functional urban fountain that meets a whole variety of user needs. Continue reading Simple fountain
In Cambridge MA this neighbourhood commemorates people with signs. Virtually every corner was named after someone. A veteran. A resident. Nothing special was done the corner to designate it a “square” as far as I could see, it was still the small inner city intersection of two residential streets. But it certainly gave an amazing sense of history, of continuity, of neighbourhood, of topophilia, to the area. There were individuals here before you, who made a difference. Who were they? If I was doing this in my west side neighborhood, I think signs honouring residents would be the start, but … Continue reading Rememberance of people & things past …
In Cambridge MA this neighbourhood commemorates people with signs. Virtually every corner was named after someone. A veteran. A resident. Nothing special was done the corner to designate it a “square” as far as I could see, it was still the small inner city intersection of two residential streets. But it certainly gave an amazing sense of history, of continuity, of neighbourhood, of topophilia, to the area. There were individuals here before you, who made a difference. Who were they? If I was doing this in my west side neighborhood, I think signs honouring residents would be the start, but … Continue reading Rememberance of people & things past …
These two stainless steel sculptures or art installations were very entertaining. They proved to be irresistable attractions to many passers by. These girls used them for impromtu gymnastic exercises. The little boy in the picture spent a lot of time running up the slope trying to get to the top. He never did, but had lots of fun trying. These pieces were on the short part of the pier at Rowe’s Wharf in Boston. There is a gent sitting on the sea wall to the left. The arch through the buildings is on the immediate right. I cannot imagine Ottawa … Continue reading Sculpture you can use
These two stainless steel sculptures or art installations were very entertaining. They proved to be irresistable attractions to many passers by. These girls used them for impromtu gymnastic exercises. The little boy in the picture spent a lot of time running up the slope trying to get to the top. He never did, but had lots of fun trying. These pieces were on the short part of the pier at Rowe’s Wharf in Boston. There is a gent sitting on the sea wall to the left. The arch through the buildings is on the immediate right. I cannot imagine Ottawa … Continue reading Sculpture you can use
The Ashcroft proposal for redeveloping the Sr of the Visitation site on Richmond Road got a rough hearing the first time out. I am not a great fan of public meetings where dialogue and idea sharing is replaced by sound bites, but hey, it takes all types. And it does serve for some people to vent. The proposal had many reasonable elements, such as keeping the wall along the sides and back, additional setbacks for the 4-5 storey structures in the back half. It had some I didn’t like too much: the height and size of the middle building (a … Continue reading Our Lady of the Condos, archly
The Ashcroft proposal for redeveloping the Sr of the Visitation site on Richmond Road got a rough hearing the first time out. I am not a great fan of public meetings where dialogue and idea sharing is replaced by sound bites, but hey, it takes all types. And it does serve for some people to vent. The proposal had many reasonable elements, such as keeping the wall along the sides and back, additional setbacks for the 4-5 storey structures in the back half. It had some I didn’t like too much: the height and size of the middle building (a … Continue reading Our Lady of the Condos, archly
A bike box is a painted area in front of the stop line. It permits cyclists to advance to the head of the queue of vehicles and go into the intersection first. It is especially useful when making turns. The motorist must stop at an advanced stop line considerably short of the intersection where motorists are used to stopping. It protects the safety of cyclists for left, right turns and straight through motions. In Boston, I saw one hundred percent respect by motorists for the bike box. Otherwise, motorists were quite aggressive. Every car stopped at the advanced stop line. In … Continue reading Boston bike box
A bike box is a painted area in front of the stop line. It permits cyclists to advance to the head of the queue of vehicles and go into the intersection first. It is especially useful when making turns. The motorist must stop at an advanced stop line considerably short of the intersection where motorists are used to stopping. It protects the safety of cyclists for left, right turns and straight through motions. In Boston, I saw one hundred percent respect by motorists for the bike box. Otherwise, motorists were quite aggressive. Every car stopped at the advanced stop line. In … Continue reading Boston bike box
Note how the stadium seating cantelevors out over the public street. This would certainly save space at Lansdowne Park and add some interest to walking along Bank Street. Advertisement outside the stadium. Click to enlarge and read the text. How would Ottawa bureaucrats cope with signs that prohibited stopping on such variable dates, times, and durations? Around the outfield there were bars. Entrance was off the street. There was a garage door that opened up to permit viewing of the field. A wire mesh kept the balls away from the customers. I do not know if a game ticket was required for … Continue reading Fenway Park, Boston
Note how the stadium seating cantelevors out over the public street. This would certainly save space at Lansdowne Park and add some interest to walking along Bank Street. Advertisement outside the stadium. Click to enlarge and read the text. How would Ottawa bureaucrats cope with signs that prohibited stopping on such variable dates, times, and durations? Around the outfield there were bars. Entrance was off the street. There was a garage door that opened up to permit viewing of the field. A wire mesh kept the balls away from the customers. I do not know if a game ticket was required for … Continue reading Fenway Park, Boston
Conventional plastic-bag-lined garbage containers were rare. These compactor models were ubiquitous. There are solar panels on the roof of the can to power it. It was necessary to pull the door open quite a way before placing the garbage in the compartment and closing the door. It was not possible to insert a hand or arm into the container. Periodically, the compactor compresses all the garbage into a smaller pile, so the can needs not be emptied so often. Nothing blows around either. Here is a row of three containers, for bottles/cans, trash, and paper. The top two pictures were … Continue reading Boston trash
