I have not had the opportunity to work on this blog over the past couple of weeks and if Prime Minister Harper drops the writ soon, I'll be campaigning full-time for Dr. Qais Ghanem, the Green Party of Canada candidate for Ottawa South. We have been very successful with polling through last winter and spring and plan on giving the McGuinty clan a good run for its money in Ottawa South.
If you are interested, go to our website http://www.ottawasouthgreenparty.ca. I will resume postings to this blog as soon as the election finishes or signs of an iminent elction call disappear. Please feel free to comment on my rants so far.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
More support for integrated planning in the city
There was an interesting story by Leonard Stern in Saturday’s Citizen (Aug 2, 2008). The article shows support for my concern about the City’s inability to consider the many road developments it is considering in concert with new community development, intensification and smart growth initiatives before final decisions are made. The writer observes that even councilors who sit on the same side of the table politically seem to disagree on transit and community development issues.
The article notes that “The sprawl to which cities like Ottawa succumbed.....was made possible only by lavish and exorbitant supplies of cheap fossil fuel....Light rail, and the related conversation about intensification – a conversation based on the idea that ‘home’ doesn’t necessarily have to be a single family detached house – is taking us father away from the era …..of the ‘megaburbs,’ places that ‘have all the congestion of a city but none of the human contact.’ Prohibitive gas prices (might) have many bad consequences, but more human contact could be one of the good ones.”
The article notes that “The sprawl to which cities like Ottawa succumbed.....was made possible only by lavish and exorbitant supplies of cheap fossil fuel....Light rail, and the related conversation about intensification – a conversation based on the idea that ‘home’ doesn’t necessarily have to be a single family detached house – is taking us father away from the era …..of the ‘megaburbs,’ places that ‘have all the congestion of a city but none of the human contact.’ Prohibitive gas prices (might) have many bad consequences, but more human contact could be one of the good ones.”
Friday, August 1, 2008
Questionable justification for AVTC - hospital link development
Earlier posts on this blog address concerns regarding planned development of the hospital link stage of the Alta vista Transportation Corridor. Here is another observation.
Councillor Peter Hume argues that planned development of the hospital lands, including the National Defence Medical Centre (NDMC) will have a significant impact on the community fabric in Alta vista. Approximately 750 new development units are planned and approximately half of the DND lands will be used for hospital related development.
With respect to the hospital lands development, there are currently some 1,100 persons working in the NDMC building and this number will likely remain stable until the building is taken down (5 or 6 years hence, based on current projections). A similar number of persons will likely be employed at this site following development of the hospital lands section of the DND-NDMC lands. In other words, a zero net increase from existing employment levels at this location.
The cost, technical and environmental challenges associated with developing the “hospital link” to address the transit needs of an estimated 750 additional residences at this location are hard to justify on this basis, particularly as community services and retail opportunities (i.e. smart growth) are also planned. The transit needs of new residents, as well as the needs of people employed at the hospitals, can be addressed effectively by improving bus services using existing road infrastructure, into the foreseeable future.
Councillor Peter Hume argues that planned development of the hospital lands, including the National Defence Medical Centre (NDMC) will have a significant impact on the community fabric in Alta vista. Approximately 750 new development units are planned and approximately half of the DND lands will be used for hospital related development.
With respect to the hospital lands development, there are currently some 1,100 persons working in the NDMC building and this number will likely remain stable until the building is taken down (5 or 6 years hence, based on current projections). A similar number of persons will likely be employed at this site following development of the hospital lands section of the DND-NDMC lands. In other words, a zero net increase from existing employment levels at this location.
The cost, technical and environmental challenges associated with developing the “hospital link” to address the transit needs of an estimated 750 additional residences at this location are hard to justify on this basis, particularly as community services and retail opportunities (i.e. smart growth) are also planned. The transit needs of new residents, as well as the needs of people employed at the hospitals, can be addressed effectively by improving bus services using existing road infrastructure, into the foreseeable future.
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