Theme 1: Our Public Space
The first theme we will explore from Ottawa’s Strategic Plan is public spaces. During our resident survey, investment in Ottawa’s trails and recreation was the most popular type of public investment. Our vision is to reconnect our existing parks and river, fill in gaps in our public realm, and redesign Main Street and other priority streets as interconnected, active parts of our public space system. To begin exploring this, let’s first start by defining what we mean by ‘public space.’
Our public spaces are the spaces between our built structures – our network of connected spaces that help to form our identity. This network of spaces can make or break an impression of a community. Are the spaces in between – the alleys, the pocket parks - forgotten and deteriorating? Or are they lively with activities building a sense of community? Are the parks places that feel safe and comfortable, with adequate lighting, shade and access? Or are they an underutilized asset? Walking down the streets, are you mesmerized by the changing Autumn leaves or distracted by dying plants? Our public spaces are where you run into that person you haven’t seen in awhile and spark up a conversation, where ideas are exchanged and community is shaped.
William Whyte, a renowned American urbanist and sociologist, may have summed it up best with this: "I end then in praise of small spaces. The multiplier effect is tremendous. It is not just the number of people using them, but the larger number who pass by and enjoy them vicariously, or even the larger number who feel better about the city center for knowledge of them. For a city, such places are priceless, whatever the cost. They are built of a set of basics and they are right in front of our noses. If we will look."
The spaces in-between, our public spaces, are always present and impacting our experience within our community. Our public spaces are a public good. According to Whyte, to make these places great, we do not need to over-complicate things - ‘they are built of a set of basics.’ What are these basic elements then?
Trees - People are innately attracted to nature. Trees provide shade, protection and comfort.
Food Availability - People love food. Enough said.
Interaction with the Street - People want to feel oriented and grounded to where they are. Public spaces should be visible and inviting.
The Sun - People enjoy getting some Vitamin D, especially in Ohio where it can feel like a limited resource.
Water - Again, people are innately attracted to nature. Water does make up roughly 60% of our bodies, so it makes sense to want to be around it.
Seating - People get tired of standing and crave a variety of seating options.
Triangulation - Spaces that can be used for multiple uses are more dynamic, attracting more people. In the words of Whyte, “What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people.” In other words: FOMO.
With these basic elements in mind, Go Ottawa, along with our community partners, will begin filling in the gaps of our public realm with the overarching goal of getting more people using our public spaces. Our strategic plan set us up with eight principles and objectives to guide our approach.
Expand capacity for sustained maintenance and programming of the park system
Leverage the development of Blanchard River access points into active downtown-river connections and places to spend time
Design and program spaces with independent kids, families and seniors in mind
Support the growth of regular food, beverage, and entertainment operations in parks and on Main Street
Consider Main Street less as a thoroughfare and more as an active public space
Design and program priority streets for active use, environmental comfort, standardized streetscape fixtures, coordinated signage, and elevated street tree maintenance
Broaden the presence of active parks and the river in marketing Ottawa
Pursue expanded collaboration with Glandorf at Blanchard River
The vision for Ottawa is that our public spaces are not only great, but a source of pride for our entire community. The spaces between, the river, the parks – all are busy with activity. People feel safe, comfortable and excited to participate; in turn, increasing our civic engagement and fostering a stronger sense of place and belonging.
If you have thoughts or feedback on this vision, please share with us at hello@go-ottawa.com. One tenet we did not touch, but arguably the most important, is great spaces cannot be created without buy-in and support from the community. A great aesthetic design is meaningless if it does not meet the needs of the people. Form supports function and people attract people.