We certainly hear continual wails of horror at that big empty space on the west side of the downtown business district. A wasteland. Toxic. A former charming quaint modest income neighbourhood of friendly folks always smiling who were cruelly expropriated. … Continue reading LeBetter Flats countdown (iv) – the mythical empty space

The NCC’s latest call for ideas on what to do with the Flats seems to me to be purpose-written with the idea for a stadium/arena. It won’t be the first, or the last, political document crafted with the results in mind. Strategic planning in Ottawa is never found in official strategic plans, it is found in developers’ foresight, aka spotting an opportunity. So what might an arena on the Flats look like? First, it shouldn’t have more than 20 surface parking spots, unlike, say Kanata. Here is the  current Sens arena and parking lots superimposed on the Flats: An arena with … Continue reading LeBetter Flats countdown (ii) the arenas

Bureaucracies can always be depended on to make everything complicated. So complicated, only they can figure things out. Thus creating a dependency on their expertise to get what we want. At great expense, of course. All those complicated rules, you … Continue reading You may run over a kid now

The ground level floors of the Bosco buildings were just plate glass. Heavily frosted at that, so you couldn’t see much past the wide shoulders of the security guards, err… doorman. It was so blah and disappointing and cold I … Continue reading Bosco Verticale, at ground level (part 3)

The climate of Milano is w-a-a-a-a-a-y milder than Ottawa. There, the temperature rarely dips below 0 Celsius, and only for a few days in January. Milan is classified as a sub tropical climate, with abundant rainfall year round. So, don’t expect similar forested condos in Ottawa until global warming continues for a long time. Wind is a factor in any high rise forest, just like it is for trees growing on mountainsides. The Bosco stabilizes its trees with vertical guywires. Enlarge the photos to see the wires. The trees have seatbelts too. Trees planted in the Somerset Street planters near … Continue reading Bosco Verticale, woodlot on balconies (part 2)

The Rapibus bus way runs parallel to a rail track. It is very straight. The rail tracks were left in place for (very) occasional trains, preserving some industrial opportunities. And more nicely from our point of view, it facilitates eventual conversion of the bus way to rail. (STO did not go immediately to rail for the same reasons — traffic volume and cost effectiveness — Ottawa went for a busway in the 1980’s instead of rail, a decision that still rankles some transit aficionados). The rapibus route has a number of intersections at grade with busy cross roads. The presence of … Continue reading Rapibus excursion – along the line, including a one way bridge

The stations had all the signs of a professional landscape architect at work.  There were textured pavements, architectural benches, artworks, big bold planters. Overall, the quality of the experience was excellent. But why the grossly undersized walkway at this loading and unloading platform? The expected has occurred: the grass is trampled down to hard pan, and those trees aren’t exactly happy riders either.   Landscaping on the roof is harder to abuse those, and this was a happy-looking green roof. Much happier than this row of cedars:   At risk of boring readers with yet more images of drainage swales, … Continue reading Rapibus: all is not Perfect Landscaping

This is a large station, at a  campus, and as you will discover, has washrooms, feeding facilities, ticket services, etc.  Indoors, the floors were finished with large porcelain tiles. I can’t get a straight answer as to what will be the floor finish for the Confederation Line stations, other than “what RTG decides…”   comfortable seating too:   A welcoming ticket and service wicket:     The opening hours are  generous (seven days a week) many transit users are in the service industries which requires them to work shifts and any day of the week. I like that someone took … Continue reading Rapibus: indoors at de la Cite

De la Gappe is a large station on the south side of Gatineau, beside a college campus. It had the rapibus road surface divided with a fence, overhead passageway, indoor waiting areas, and transfer area to local buses in the background. Let’s look at the minor waiting areas first, then the main building. Exterior siding was a slate-like ship-lap material that was very pleasing and durable and way warmer than concrete. It wasn’t sealed, which meant over time it accumulated these ghost images of passengers gone before (or who dematerialized waiting for a bus that never came):   Here’s more … Continue reading Mind La Gappe, fine features found here

  The Rapibus stations all employed a similar architectural expression. I liked the hockey stick roof slopes better than I thought I would after seeing them proposed for most of the Ottawa OTrain stations. The protected-from-the-weather undersides were wood, which warms up the sturdier areas where building meets passenger. Several stations had a large-ish main shelter, and a secondary shelter too: Secondary shelters can be built further down the platform, providing a mix of outdoor and indoor waiting zones. It also allows station platforms to be extended economically by simply adding another pavillion. these two pictures show a major transfer … Continue reading Rapibus excurison, stations along the route