Quote:
Originally Posted by Ottawan
Hear hear!
I think Dado has it completely right. He also highlights in his post something that is a big problem and often neglected: the extremely poorly designed interior suburbs (those within the Greenbelt). While we on this forum, and bureaucrats at the city, tend to focus on issues relating to intensification in the core (and select desirable central neighbourhoods) and on development of new suburban communities, now essentially all located outside the Greenbelt, finding ways to encourage intensification and find solutions to the ailments of the inner suburbs (old Nepean, old Gloucester, south parts of old Ottawa) is very important.
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Excellent points by Dado and Ottawan. Downtown will be fine. It is well on its way. This is a mirror of the situation in many North American cities these days due to two factors: 1) municipalities have finally realized that downtown is their "public face" and 2) a certain affluent demographic is now smitten by urban living.
As for the Barrhavens and Kanatas of the world, well all know what is going there. In spite of the doom and gloom from James Kunstler et al., they will likely continue on as before.
However, as has been accurately pointed out, it's the places that are caught in between that might be in for rough times. They have neither the shiny newness of the new burbs NOR the bright lights and amenities of downtown going for them. Their urban design is every bit as banal as the suburbs and they have none of the city centre's pizzazz. Everything just looks worn out and passé in these areas. The land of rusty strip mall parking lot posts...
Elmvale Acres, Herongate, Overbrook, Bayshore, etc. come to mind.