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We lack a clear vision for what we can do with Ottawa’s many waterfronts. We pride ourselves in being a national capital region with the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers. We trumpet the fact that the Rideau Canal is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Yet unless you are in a car speeding along the canal or the Ottawa River Parkway, there are painfully few opportunities for people to see, let alone enjoy, the water. Now city officials are proposing that a light-rail transit runs along the Parkway, cutting off residents from some of the most precious real estate in the city.
We abuse the waterfronts in Ottawa rather than embrace them as public spaces that should invite people to come down and sit at small cafés, outdoor concerts or farmers marks. We have some excellent greenspace like Andrew haydon or Britannia Parks and especially the riverfront on the Rockcliffe Parkway.
We haven’t learned from Toronto’s experience where they are still trying to figure out how to reclaim the waterfront from the heinous Don Valley Parkway and the rail lines cutting people off from what should be a world class public space.
We should learn from cities like Sydney, Australia that if you want to attract people to the waterfront, encourage restaurants, shops, and public plazas in that space. The success of Darling Harbour in Sydney is due to the fact that planners in that city understood that their waterfront is precious and belongs to people—it’s not just for cars or a fix to a transportation problem.
Whether it’s knowing what to do with potential development at Lansdowne Park and the canal or having a broader vision for the Ottawa River, the City of Ottawa and the National Capital Commission are lacking creativity. Instead of worrying how to transport people from Kanata and Orléans to downtown, we should be focusing on increasing population density in the core of the city or in Alta Vista and Westboro.
The solution to our transportation problems isn’t abusing our riverfronts—it’s having better, long term urban planning.
Artur Wilczynski,
Ottawa