Design guideline PDF format
Approved by City Council on September 26, 2007.
Urban Design Guidelines for Greenfield Neighbourhoods [ PDF 3.930 MB ]
Figure Locations
Figure 1a: | Ottawa | Figure 37a: | Calgary |
Figure 2a: | Ottawa | Figure 37b: | Montreal |
Figure 3a: | Ottawa (source: Fotenn Consultants Inc) | Figure 38a: | Oakville |
Figure 3b: | Ottawa | Figure 38b: | Ottawa |
Figure 4a: | Ottawa | Figure 39a: | Ottawa |
Figure 4b: | Wilmington, North Carolina (source: http://www.cyburbia.org/) | Figure 39b: | Markham |
Figure 5a: | Ottawa | Figure 40a: | Ottawa |
Figure 5b: | Ottawa | Figure 40b: | Markham |
Figure 6a: | Ottawa (Kanata) | Figure 41a: | Ottawa |
Figure 6b: | Renfrew (source: Fotenn Consultants Inc.) | Figure 41b: | Ottawa |
Figure 7b: | Ottawa | Figure 42a: | Ottawa |
Figure 8a: | Ottawa | Figure 42b: | Montreal |
Figure 9b: | Baltimore, Maryland | Figure 43a: | Ottawa |
Figure 10b: | Orlando, Florida (source: http://www.cyburbia.org/) | Figure 43b: | Ottawa |
Figure 11b: | Oakville | Figure 44a: | Ottawa |
Figure 12b: | Ottawa | Figure 44b: | Ottawa |
Figure 13b: | Ottawa | Figure 45a: | Ottawa |
Figure 14b: | Source: Fotenn Consultants Inc. | Figure 45b: | Ottawa |
Figure 15b: | Montreal | Figure 46a: | Oakville |
Figure 16b: | Ottawa | Figure 47a: | Mississauga |
Figure 17b: | Ottawa | Figure 47b: | Calgary |
Figure 18b: | Gatineau | Figure 48a: | Ottawa |
Figure 19b: | Markham | Figure 49a: | Ottawa |
Figure 20b: | Markham | Figure 49b: | Ottawa |
Figure 21a: | Ottawa | Figure 50a: | Ottawa |
Figure 22b: | Ottawa | Figure 50b: | Ottawa |
Figure 23a: | Ottawa | Figure 51a: | Portland |
Figure 23b: | Ottawa | Figure 51b: | US Environmental Protection Agency |
Figure 24a: | Montreal | Figure 52a: | Ottawa |
Figure 24b: | Ottawa | Figure 52b: | Richmond ON (source: The Planning Partnership) |
Figure 25a: | Ottawa | Figure 53a: | Ottawa |
Figure 25b: | Calgary | Figure 53b: | Calgary |
Figure 26a: | Montreal | Figure 54a: | Ottawa |
Figure 27a: | Vancouver | Figure 55a: | Ottawa |
Figure 27b: | Ottawa | Figure 55b: | Ottawa |
Figure 28a: | Ottawa | Figure 56a: | Ottawa |
Figure 28b: | Rochester Hills, Michigan (source: Bousfields Inc.) | Figure 56b: | Gatineau |
Figure 29a: | Ottawa | Figure 57a: | Ottawa |
Figure 29b: | Ottawa | Figure 57b: | Ottawa |
Figure 30a: | Portland | Figure 58a: | Montreal |
Figure 30b: | Ottawa | Figure 58b: | Gatineau |
Figure 31b: | Ottawa | Figure 59a: | Ottawa |
Figure 32a: | Ottawa | Figure 59b: | Ottawa |
Figure 32b: | Ottawa | Figure 60a: | Halifax |
Figure 33a: | Ottawa | Figure 60b: | Calgary |
Figure 33b: | Ottawa | Figure 61b: | Ottawa |
Figure 33c: | Ottawa | Figure 62a: | Ottawa |
Figure 34a: | Markham | Figure 62b: | Markham |
Figure 34b: | Calgary | Figure 63a: | Ottawa |
Figure 35a: | Ottawa | Figure 63b: | Montreal |
Figure 35b: | Calgary | Figure 64a: | Markham |
Figure 35b: | Calgary | Figure 64b: | Ottawa |
Figure 36a: | Madison, Wisconsin (source: http://www.cyburbia.org/) | Figure 65a: | Ottawa |
Glossary
Amenity: something that contributes to an area’s needs, whether social, environmental, or cultural.
Articulation: architectural detail that gives a building interest and added richness.
Brownfields: abandoned, vacant, or underutilized commercial and industrial properties where past actions have resulted in actual or perceived environmental contamination, and/or derelict, deteriorated or obsolete buildings.
Built form: buildings and structures.
Building height-to-street width: the ratio between the height of a building to the width of the street right-of-way, used in analysing the sense of enclosure of a street.
Community Park: A large park that serves the needs of the broader community and that is designed primarily for providing active and structured recreation opportunities.
Compatible/Compatibility: when the density, form, bulk, height, setbacks and/or materials of buildings are able to co-exist with their surroundings.
Curb cut: a break in the curb for vehicular access from the street onto a property.
Façade: the principal face of a building (also referred to as the front wall).
Frontage: the front of the property facing the street.
Front yard: the space between the property line and the front wall of a building facing the public street.
Glazing: clear or lightly tinted glass windows.
Greenfields: large undeveloped lands within the urban boundary that serve as locations for new communities or for development that completes existing communities.
Green roof: a vegetated area that is designed to become part of a building’s roof.
Hard landscape: landscape features other than plant materials, such as decorative pavers, planter boxes, fences, or retaining walls.
Landscaped buffer: a landscaped area located along the perimeter of a lot intended to screen or separate land uses and lessens the visual or sound impacts.
Neighbourhood Park: a smaller park that serves the immediate needs of the surrounding neighbourhood or sub-neighbourhoods and that is designed primarily for non-structured recreation activities.
Pedestrian scale: a size of a building or space that a pedestrian perceives as not dominating or overpowering.
Pedestrian travel route: the unobstructed portion of the sidewalk.
Pocket Park: the smallest type of park that serves the most immediate recreation needs of a sub-neighbourhood and that are often designed for small children.
Primary Street: the street with a higher traffic volume where two streets intersect.
Property line: the legal boundary of a property.
Public realm: the streets, lanes, parks and open spaces that are available for anyone to use.
Rapid Transit: A convenient, fast, and frequent public transportation service that features a high carrying capacity.
Right-of-way: a public or private area that allows for passage, such as freeways, streets, bicycle paths, alleys, trails, or pedestrian walkways.
Scale: The relative size of an object when compared to others of its kind, to its environment, or to humans.
Secondary Street: the street with a lower traffic volume where two streets intersect.
Sense of enclosure: when buildings physically define public spaces particularly through proportions between height and width in an area to create places that are comfortable to pedestrians.
Setback: the required distance from a road, property line, or another structure, within which no building can be located, with the exception of permitted projections.
Sidewalk: unobstructed concrete pedestrian travel route in the public right-of-way.
Soft landscape: landscape features of plantings, such as trees, shrubs, vines, perennials and annuals.
Stormwater management area: a feature or facility for stormwater flows intended for capture and water quality improvement, including such elements as watercourses or management ponds.
Streetscape: the overall character and appearance of a street formed by elements and features that frame the public street, such as building façades, street trees and plants, lighting, furniture, or paving.
Trail: a route for non-motorized travel through natural areas or greenspaces
Urban design: the physical design of places and their components.
Walkway: a route for non-motorized travel on public or private property outside of the public street right-of-way.