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Access or Excess?
Discussion around reducing Ottawa’s oversupply of parking is frequently countered with the assertion that vast parking lots are necessary...
Feb 3, 20222 min read


They Planted a Paradise and Pulled up a Parking Lot
There are two ways to fix the stark segregation of residential from retail that characterizes almost all of the post-1945 built environment.
Feb 3, 20223 min read


Small, In-Person, and Outdoors
Our worlds have both shrunk and expanded beyond belief. Every bit of knowledge the world has ever recorded can be accessed in seconds.
Feb 1, 20223 min read


Religion Without Parking
Theologians of every faith debate the value of “faith” versus “good works”. What does this have to do with parking?
Feb 1, 20223 min read


The Wonderful World of R1
On October 14th and 15th 2021, the City of Ottawa Joint Planning and Rural Affairs Committee hosted public deputations on the New...
Jan 6, 20222 min read


My Compliments to the Cut-Through
During this past year of attending meetings related to Ottawa’s new Official Plan, I have been introduced to a new term: the “cut-through”.
Jan 6, 20222 min read


It Takes A Village
A much-favoured term in property marketing is “village”... it evokes a cute, low-rise, dense conglomeration of similar buildings...
Jan 6, 20223 min read


Tree. Human. Car.
Tree. Human. Car. The discussion around Ottawa’ Official Plan suggests that we have room for two, but not all three.
Oct 22, 20212 min read


The Wrong Weather for Walking
"...with the snowy season not far off, I’d like to make the case for year-round accommodation of pedestrians in our not-always-fair city."
Oct 22, 20212 min read


Even Cyclists Need Bike-Sharing
I encourage Ottawa’s considerable cycling community to get behind the Bike-Sharing movement.
Oct 22, 20212 min read


Flying Blind: the Value of Simulators
The value of modeling is clear. Simulation and modeling allow us to understand what is likely to happen under certain conditions.
Oct 12, 20214 min read


The City’s Intensification Strategy is Not Just About Adding Density…. Or is it?
The City’s new Official Plan includes some terrific language that suggest a much-needed revised approach to intensification.
Oct 8, 20214 min read


Intensification Doesn’t Have to Be So Hard – Just Ask the Locals
Why does intensification have to be so hard? ...Conflict around intensification is rooted in much more than just “resistance to change”.
Oct 6, 20214 min read


Unfortunately, Betty is Not a Crow
Imagine an elderly lady named Betty, living in a senior’s residence in Heron Park. She just witnessed the first snowfall of the season...
Sep 21, 20213 min read


A Bridge to Billings Bridge
No business can survive without customers. Most businesses will tell you there’s no such thing as too many customers.
Sep 21, 20213 min read


Live/Work Space in the Post-Covid Age
Through five thousand years of urban living, people have lived over the shop. Mostly because it was the only possible arrangement.
Sep 10, 20213 min read


I’m Dreaming of a Bikeable Walkley
Walkley Road connects two of Ottawa’s great recreation areas. On the east end, sits the Mer Bleue conservation area....
Sep 10, 20213 min read


Time to Face the Street
If there’s one thing everyone on the planet can agree on, it’s that we all hate traffic. We hate being in it, we hate being near it.
Sep 10, 20213 min read


It’s Time We Were Thru with the Drive-Thru
Nothing is as difficult to incorporate into a walkable streetscape as a Drive-Thru. The whole concept is to be served in the car.
Aug 18, 20212 min read


What We Can Learn from Harry the Dirty Dog
The most difficult part of advocating for walkable communities in this age, is painting the picture of what they might look like.
Aug 18, 20213 min read