There is more to Booth Street than the ignoble Freeway portion running north from Albert out to the War Museum intersection with Wellington/Sir JAM Parkway. There is the long suffering residential section to the south of Albert, running to the … Continue reading West Side Transportation Cornucopia, part ii
There are so many transportation bits and pieces related to the west side I’m just going to throw a whole bunch of stories up in the air like confetti, and you’ll have to try to figure out if what lands … Continue reading West Side Transportation Cornucopia, part i
After many years of LED lightbulbs being “tomorrow’s” wonderbulb, and watching prices creep downward as economies of scale kick in, tomorrow seems to have finally arrived. Out at a big box store I got 10 sixty-watt-equivalent bulbs for the princely … Continue reading LED’s have finally arrived
Bike racks are appearing at more and more buildings and destinations around the City. I noticed the Keys of Saint Peter turned into a bike rack here in Beechwood Avenue real estate sales office: Continue reading Imaginative bike racks
Miwate is the new autumn light show on the Chaudiere Falls. It is by the same folks who brought us the Kontinum, the light show in the underground subway station at Lyon Street. Like Kontinum, its all about the lights, … Continue reading MIWATE, dazzled by the lights
As west side portions of the Confederation Line advance in construction, more fall landscaping is going in, like these trees planted on the north side of Bayview Station: I vaguely recall that the terms of the NCC lending the rail … Continue reading Confederation Line Forest
Shoppers at the Real Canadian Superstore along Richmond Road in Westboro are certainly aware of the ongoing renovations during the summer. Re-opening is this Thanksgiving Weekend. What has happened, other than obvious things like replacing the gaudy “bargains here” yellow … Continue reading Real Canadian Big Box Blights Richmond Road
Recall that we spent the last four days in Barrhaven, specifically around The Haven, a multi-faith housing cluster near Longfields Station. The Haven design removes most “private” space in favour of “shared” spaces, per the model common in social housing … Continue reading Barrhaven, The Haven, and Cityview
The Haven multifaith housing initiative project is located very near Longfields transit station. The transitway and a rail line are right over the fence: The Haven’s entry point to the grande allee debouches onto the MUP: That entry is smokin’ … Continue reading Barrhaven outside the Haven
The wood-frame low-rise apartments at The Haven had a number of attractive touches. The individual front doors, for example, had a quality light fixture: And the doors had lever handles and two peepholes, since not everyone is made the same … Continue reading Barrhaven Haven, apartment living
Ahh, the artist’s image of what the finished project will look like ! Someday. Maybe. We hope. For now the trees are smaller and the landscaping thinner and gate posts were “valued out”: The housing cluster is cleverly arranged around … Continue reading Barrhaven: Faith in common elements
Occasionally I get out of my west-side-of-the-downtown shell. Last week, I headed out again to Barrhaven. The occasion: opening of the Multifaith Housing Initiative. So who built the 98 homes in Barrhaven? The MHI was established in 2001 and has … Continue reading Barrhaven: Faith in Place
When the Ottawa Humane Society left Champagne Avenue there was some sort of contractual agreement they had to offer the land to the city. For parkland. Nothing said the city had to buy it. So they didn’t. And as a … Continue reading City sleeps while mystery bridge decays
After years of seeing Photoshop planning drool shots of LRT equipment at downtown stations… … one LRT almost made it. Shown here is a LRT at Campus Station earlier this week, immediately east of the downtown. The Campus Station itself … Continue reading LRT spotted almost downtown
So much to learn from a simple picture. Take a gander at this bus stop from … somewhere… [ late edit: photo by Klaus Beltzner, in Santa Cruz, CA] So what’s so special? First, look at the bus stop. It’s … Continue reading Bus stop, bus stop, where’s the bus stop?
The Mosaic Canada topiary and garden exhibit runs until mid-October. Please get there soon. It is wonderful. What happens when it closes? Look closely at the groves of trees planted for the 2017 exhibition: Notice how the new trees are … Continue reading Mosaic Canada, exit the grove?
The Mosaic Canada landscaping event in Jacques Cartier Parc in Gatineau deserves all the kudos it has been getting. I think it is by far the finest 150 celebration element of the past year. One of things I was paying … Continue reading Mosaic Canada – in the grove
So YES, there are successful examples of place making from Ottawa streets. Let’s look at two. To promote a special autumn festival event, the Italian Canadian Community Centre has installed fall-themed decor at many intersections along Preston. They instantly change … Continue reading Placemaking on streets
Am I paranormal? Do I see opportunities where others (for eg, the City) see nothing? Are the skeptics about government right when they charge it cannot miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity? In the three short weeks since I … Continue reading When Opportunity knocks …
Recall that Booth Street between Albert Street and Wellington Street (out by the War Museum) was rebuilt with a grand overpass over the new LRT line. Before it was built, the design was hotly contested by local communities and advocacy … Continue reading Fixing the Booth Freeway fiasco
A few years ago the NCC decided to permit all-day parking at certain NCC lots, so that commuters could drive part way to work, then bicycle the rest of the way. Exercise = good. At first, these park and ride … Continue reading Park and Ride
In mid-September, the transfer walk from the OTrain to downtown-direction buses will change. This is also the transfer walk from buses coming from the west end connecting to the Trillium OTrain line. And its the walkway for local residents to … Continue reading OTrain Trillium marathon
Was it just a few weeks ago we looked at this new crosswalk at Fisher / Tunis / Farm Driveway? And then the situation yesterday… … as city crews grind down the asphalt and create a slope towards the catch … Continue reading The crosswalk puddle grind
Climate Change is Good. The extra rain made the damage to grassy areas more obvious to those whose view is limited to what they can see through a city hall window. There are many reasons for why the grass is … Continue reading On grass, city hall policies are mud
Some downtown blocks I am familiar with from regular use, at one time had somewhat healthy — well, at least ALIVE – trees. But these live trees are getting scarcer and scarcer. Many are anaemic, tattered, three quarters dead sticks. … Continue reading Tree Pits of Death
