Build

In addition to ensuring that we have taken into account key urban policies and listened to the valuable input from residents, city staff and key stakeholders about Downtown Ottawa, we have also drawn out key urban design principles that are of particular relevance to the Downtown. These principles will help drive the development of the Strategy and guide the transformation of Downtown Ottawa. Key urban design principles are identified in this section.

Celebrating the unique function of Ottawa as the Capital

The Civic experience of Ottawa must capture and build on the many unique opportunities provided by the City's Capital dimension. This unique role should be celebrated across the downtown area.

Safeguard, expand and diversify the retail sector

Retail acts as a key economic driver for many downtowns. Much of Ottawa's stronger retail is clustered around the Market/Rideau Centre area. In many cases, these successful developments have eclipsed the retail function of the City's traditional Main Streets. There are several opportunities for improving and expanding Ottawa's retail along its Main Streets.

Encourage more residential living in the downtown core

City centre living is essential for creating safe, animated, active and economically prosperous downtowns. Although this trend has taken root in Ottawa to a degree, there remain significant opportunities for additional residential infill and intensification across the downtown area.

Create usable, accessible and safe urban open spaces

Green spaces are a critical component of a healthy urban environment. Ottawa is blessed with an abundance of green spaces - particularly along its rivers and the Canal and at the fringes of the core. However, much of this space is inaccessible, unanimated and passive. There is potential to introduce an expanded, accessible and user-friendly network of green spaces across the downtown area that include existing spaces as well as new pocket parks and play areas.

Protect and celebrate distinctive places

Ottawa's downtown comprises of a number of sub-areas that reflect different historical, land use and physical characteristics. To avoid a landscape of blandness and sameness, it is important that these areas are recognized and protected. This will allow these locations to reinforce their unique identity and contribute to the overall success of the downtown by acting as city-wide destinations and anchors for new development.

Recognize the value of civic views

Key views shape the image of a city and create an immediate impression. Historically, Ottawa has carefully safeguarded the views of important Federal buildings and monuments through regimented height limits across the downtown. While respecting these views, there are opportunities to recognize the importance of key Civic Views that will help inspire a new image of the City.

Preserve local heritage

The Presence of historic buildings and monuments help to shape the image of a city and are irreplaceable assets. Ottawa benefits from an abundance of quality heritage buildings, monuments and landscapes. These should be protected and, where appropriate, more fully integrated into the fabric of the city.

The City has the power to make change happen

The City of Ottawa owns significant land assets in the downtown area. The value of these assets needs to be more fully recognised. Through strategic land management and development, there are opportunities for the City to make a significant contribution towards the improvement of the downtown area and to use the standard process of civic building to affect such improvements.

The Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy 20/20 was not completed in isolation

To ensure that we are proposing workable solutions to real and clearly identified issues, as well as to ensure that we are in line with current thinking for the downtown area, a significant part of the process has involved reviewing existing reports, strategies and other documentation, as well as talking to individuals and groups. This section identifies key principles from City of Ottawa and National Capital Commission strategies that have helped to form the foundation for the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy.

One of the most important documents grounding the Urban Design Strategy is the new Official Plan for the City of Ottawa. This progressive new document will guide the social, economic and physical development of Ottawa over the next 20 years. The Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy is mandated in the Official Plan and will become operational through the Plan.

Importantly, the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy also identifies issues that have arisen from very broad-based public consultation on how to improve the civic image and livability of Downtown Ottawa. In total, more than 400 residents, business leaders, councillors, city staff and other stakeholders were consulted. Some of the issues they identified will not be easy to resolve and will require different thinking than what has been done in the past. Some solutions may not yet be available and further technical analysis may be required. Some strategies may take years to complete or may only be possible after significant infrastructure changes are made. Nevertheless, it is clear that we need to continue this broad-based, community-focused strategy that balances transportation, urban design, civic image and downtown living into a successful equation for re-imagining downtown Ottawa.

By building on work already completed to date and recognizing what stakeholders desire for the future, we have ensured that value has been added to existing work and a solid foundation for the new strategy created.

The New Official Plan

• A design-oriented Strategy that places a greater emphasis on quality design.
• The Central Area will be the economic and cultural heart of the City and a vital and active place to be.
• Enhance the image, diversity and attractiveness of downtown.
• Encourage new suitable infill residential development across Central Area.
• Protect neighbourhoods in and near the Central Area.
• Improve access to water and green spaces.
• Promote mixed-use development within the Central Area.
• Ensure new development is compatible with established areas and new Vision for the City.

The Transportation Master Plan/Vision

• Give walking, cycling and public transit priority in the Central Area.
• Reduce reliance on the car.
• Transportation services that make communities more liveable by minimizing impacts on adjacent neighbourhoods.
• Maximize the efficient use of existing infrastructure and services.
• Design transport facilities that are compatible with land uses and users, that maximize greening opportunities and offer supportive opportunities for walking and cycling.
• Maximize greening of transport corridors.
• Encourage compact, mixed-use development to reduce transport demands.
• Minimize the amount of land dedicated to parking.

Heritage Conservation District Plans

• Safeguard designated and other historically important buildings, monuments and landscapes.
• Enhance the environs of heritage resources
• Use design guidelines to develop appropriate and compatible new buildings in heritage rich areas
• Promote conservation and appropriate reuse of heritage resources

National Capital Commission Mandate

To prepare plans for and assist in the development, conservation and improvement of the National Capital Region in order that the nature and character of the seat of the Government of Canada may be in accordance with its national significance (1958).

To organize, sponsor or promote such public activities and events in the National Capital Region that will enrich the cultural and social fabric of Canada (1988). To create an Ottawa that is:

• Beautiful: With fine architecture, ceremonial boulevards, scenic parkways and pathways
• Meaningful: Featuring Canadian institutions, monuments, heritage and programs, and
• Liveable: Where nature and the urban environment exist in harmony

Ottawa is a city with many strengths. It is a well-established and economically successful city that is home to Canada's Federal Government, world class businesses and internationally recognized universities. It draws on its rich history as a regional industrial centre and has carefully retained some important reminders of its long history, including numerous heritage buildings, a finely grained urban street grid, the Rideau Canal and many other artefacts of its days as Uppertown and Lowertown. Situated on the banks of the Ottawa River, Ottawa is uniquely positioned as the bridge between two culturally different provinces, Ontario and Quebec, and greatly benefits from the contrasts and cultural diversity this locale offers.

Today, there is no doubt that Ottawa as a city remains strong and economically successful. However, like all urban centres, if it is to remain a prosperous destination, Ottawa cannot rely on its past history to provide for the future. It must move forward and evolve, responding to changing urban realities. This Strategy recognizes that there are many challenges that Ottawa needs to address if it is to remain competitive and desirable as a place to live, visit and do business. The Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy 20/20 identifies three key opportunities, which are outlined overleaf. These opportunities underpin all proposals presented to reposition Ottawa and help realize its full potential.

Redefining Downtown Ottawa

The traditional view of Ottawa's Downtown as being confined to the Central Business District is no longer accurate or relevant. The City must recognize that it has a much larger, complex and diverse Downtown Core Area than presently acknowledged. Key areas such as LeBreton, Gatineau, the University of Ottawa and even parts of Centretown should be included when considering Ottawa's downtown area.

Expanding the definition of Ottawa's downtown is a wonderful opportunity to create a stronger anchor for the City by taking advantage of the authentic urban environments and mixed-use areas that characterize the downtown. Clearly defining the downtown in a more realistic manner also helps to identify where the downtown is not located - namely local neighbourhoods - and safeguards these fragile areas from invasive and inappropriate development. This is an opportunity to rethink how Ottawa works as a city and to develop a meaningful understanding of the role and opportunities of Ottawa's redefined Downtown.

New Partnership Opportunities

The strength of Ottawa's key public institutions and buoyant private sector, coupled with the presence of the Federal Government, create many significant - and often times unique - opportunities for city building. Identifying appropriate partners is critical for establishing an achievable, responsive and sustainable design strategy and action plan.

In a city that is so defined by the presence of the Federal Government, partnership working is imperative if the Ottawa's civic conditions are not to be overshadowed by its Federal function. Although this study represents a solid start, greater partnership working in the name of city building should be encouraged between all sectors and governmental levels. The divide between the Civic Realm and the Capital Realm must be more subtle. Opportunities exist for Ottawa to extend the quality of the Capital Realm seamlessly into its Civic Realm resulting in the creation of distinct local identity within a capital city.

One City, One Downtown

The recent amalgamation of Ottawa creates significant new opportunities for the downtown core. Now servicing Canada's fourth largest city with a population projected to reach almost 1.2 million residents by 2020, Ottawa's downtown can no longer perform the same functions as it did when serving a city of 360,000 residents. An amalgamated city means the power and resources of a single jurisdiction and an opportunity to create a dynamic downtown that is able to meet the needs and demands of its more than one million citizens.

Many cities and towns across the country are experiencing a renaissance in town centre living. Driven by changing lifestyles and a demand for the conveniences of city centre amenities, downtown living has become a very welcome new reality for cities. Ottawa needs to capture this opportunity by anticipating, preparing and responding to this demand at a scale that matches the opportunity.

The Potential for Change: Ottawa 20/20

Recognizing these opportunities provides the starting point for an improved Downtown for Ottawa. The Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy 20/20 captures these opportunities and maps out the potential for change in the City towards 2020.

In addition to a policy and strategy review, another critical component of the strategy development was undertaking community consultation and stakeholder meetings. These important sessions identified some of the concerns that the people who live and work in the downtown area on a daily basis have. These meetings helped to identify some of the targeted actions and area-wide strategies that are detailed later in the report.

Here is a sample of what was heard:

• We need to adopt a higher standard of development for downtown
• The Region is just starting to recognize the value of the downtown
• The University is one of the most important downtown features
• The city needs better design guidelines - the process is unclear and not creating good results
• Ottawa is always behind other cities
• We only look at our waterways we don't really use them or the parks against them
• I hate standing on Albert Street the most Somerset Village is a jewel - how do we get more of them?
• More people need to live downtown  The Market must keep its balance as a mixed-use place and a place to live to be successful
• Pedestrians need greater priority
• We need more parks downtown not just for tourists
• Why are there so few street trees left? Too much emphasis is placed on getting cars around
• Transit is a good thing but there are way too many buses downtown
• King Edward is ugly   Clean up the sidewalks, there is too much stuff on them
• Get Sparks Street back alive, make it a real street again, why are these buildings empty?
• New residential downtown needs to fit the neighbourhoods character