ou may have heard a lot recently about "smart growth", particularly in connection with the city's own plans for guiding its future development. It's an important idea that if implemented could have significant implications for a community like ours.
It's now clear that the traditional approach to urban development based on continually expanding our suburbs is no long financially or environmentally sustainable. This is because the costs of providing infrastructure and services for low density commercial and residential suburban developments rise faster than the property tax revenue they generate. Continuous expansion starts to generate a downward spiral of infrastructure and services never being able to keep up with the ever expanding urban boundaries and a consequent reduction in funding available to maintain services and infrastructure in parts of the city that are already developed (like ours).
Smart growth's emphasis on intensifying the use of already developed parts of the city by increasing population densities and making better use of public transit could yield significant benefits to us as a community. Handled well, it could reduce commuter traffic growth through our neighbourhood and provide increased focus on maintaining and upgrading much of the existing municipal service and infrastructure in the city which have been neglected for so long.
As part of its long term approach to developing an official plan, the city has drafted a discussion paper entitled Charting a Course. It talks a lot about smart growth and it's worth a read, not the least because the city is anxious to get feedback on it. You can get a copy on the city's web site and also fill in an on-line survey about future directions for the city (www.Ottawa2020.com). Take some time to look at it and let them know what you think.
As many of you may have heard by now the reconstruction of Bank Street that was planned for this spring is in danger of being cancelled. City staff have recommended not funding it this year as an expenditure saving. At its meeting on February 19, the OSCA board passed a motion to oppose the proposed cancellation of funding and to make a presentation at the city's Transportation Committee on March 5 to demand its re-instatement. By the time you read this the presentation will, hopefully, have been made.
The reconstruction of the Ottawa South portion of Bank Street has been a priority project for the city since 1984. It has been proposed and cancelled at least four times since then, and frankly given that track record, we have no confidence that the project will happen next year or indeed, any time in the future. In addition, a working group drawn from the community has been refining the redesign since the fall and many of you saw the results of that work at an Open House at the Firehall. It's a good proposal that will significantly enhance the safety of Bank Street and make it an attractive commercial and community resource.
We are concerned that if we do not get the rebuild re-instated now any future rebuild will not include most of the innovative streetscaping initiatives that are included in the current proposal as city staff seek to pare down costs.
Any rebuild could be doubly painful in that context - lots of disruption, but not much improvement to the neighbourhood's main street.
Cancelling the reconstruction of Bank Street is an example of the city not "walking the talk" on smart growth.
Rebuilding Bank street now is a major opportunity to increase the potential for a more diversified, interesting and vital retail environment, encourage more pedestrian activity and improve the safety of what is one of the city's busiest north-south thoroughfares.