Ideas/Visions for Ottawa, Canada's Capital

[adam-machiavelli]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Too bad that the Supreme Court square is now never going to be completed, thanks to another one of Harper's ass-ugly monuments.

Which monument is proposed there? That's news to me.

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

We should probably move all this transit discussion to the Dream Transit Plan Thread, lest this turn into yet another transit thread. Transit discussion on this forum has become so scattered in several threads. Anyway, it would be better for anyone looking back at archives for these ideas to be in a logical place.

I think the OP wanted something more in the lines of things to see and do — attractions and events that can make the capital more stately and lively, which is why this is filed under the Culture, Dining, Sports & Recreation section.

moved...

[Dado]

I don't know if this has been suggested here yet, but one "visionary idea" for the region would be to extend a system of canals and locks up the Ottawa River to Lac Deschênes, where there are three major marinas. It could even go one step further, around the dam at Fitzroy, which would bring it up to Arnprior.

To help fund its construction, I'd envision the creation of canalside and lock station developments. The Windmill group's project could readily be incorporated into this idea as one of the obvious lock station routes up the Chaudière Falls goes past the south side of Chaudière Island. The other obvious route is along the south side of Victoria Island and then past the War Museum. In both cases Chaudière Island probably should be extended upstream towards Lemieux Island to keep boats out of the vicinity of the falls themselves.

A somewhat more convoluted route would use the Quebec side Ruisseau de la Brasserie and going via the Lac Leamy Casino; however much of this route parallels the A50 making it somewhat less than attractive while also bypassing the very heart of the region.

Further upstream the Little Chaudière Rapids (i.e. north of the end of Parkdale) and the Remic Rapids at the Champlain Bridge have to be passed. They can be done either together at one lock station - thus requiring a lengthy canal - or in two separate lock lifts with somewhat less canal.

I'm indifferent to whether the canal goes up the Ontario or Quebec side, but realistically it would likely have to be the Ontario side until the Deschênes Rapids due to the availability of land north of Tunney's Pasture and how the alignment works out vis-à-vis the Chaudière locks. Using the Ontario side at the Deschênes Rapids would require blowing through the Britannia Yacht Club, for better or for worse. The Remic Rapids (Champlain Bridge) might actually be easier to pass on the Quebec side, but I'm not so sure the same applies to the Little Chaudière Rapids.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Dado

I don't know if this has been suggested here yet, but one "visionary idea" for the region would be to extend a system of canals and locks up the Ottawa River to Lac Deschênes, where there are three major marinas. It could even go one step further, around the dam at Fitzroy, which would bring it up to Arnprior.

To help fund its construction, I'd envision the creation of canalside and lock station developments. The Windmill group's project could readily be incorporated into this idea as one of the obvious lock station routes up the Chaudière Falls goes past the south side of Chaudière Island. The other obvious route is along the south side of Victoria Island and then past the War Museum. In both cases Chaudière Island probably should be extended upstream towards Lemieux Island to keep boats out of the vicinity of the falls themselves.

A somewhat more convoluted route would use the Quebec side Ruisseau de la Brasserie and going via the Lac Leamy Casino; however much of this route parallels the A50 making it somewhat less than attractive while also bypassing the very heart of the region.

Further upstream the Little Chaudière Rapids (i.e. north of the end of Parkdale) and the Remic Rapids at the Champlain Bridge have to be passed. They can be done either together at one lock station - thus requiring a lengthy canal - or in two separate lock lifts with somewhat less canal.

I'm indifferent to whether the canal goes up the Ontario or Quebec side, but realistically it would likely have to be the Ontario side until the Deschênes Rapids due to the availability of land north of Tunney's Pasture and how the alignment works out vis-à-vis the Chaudière locks. Using the Ontario side at the Deschênes Rapids would require blowing through the Britannia Yacht Club, for better or for worse. The Remic Rapids (Champlain Bridge) might actually be easier to pass on the Quebec side, but I'm not so sure the same applies to the Little Chaudière Rapids.

I'd have to say that the best way to achieve this would be through Hull, via Ruisseau de la Brasserie. Sure it's not currently the best looking route, but with proper development of the riversides around the area, it could work. All the waterways are already there, might as well take a page for Colonel By and use them.

That said, does anyone know if it's currently possible to get from the west side of the Ottawa to the east via la Brasserie?

[Aylmer]

A couple of things:

― The A50 west of the A5 is to be turned into an urban boulevard at some point in concert with the redevelopment of the Ruisseau. That whole are will no doubt be transformed (and it really can't get worse, so it can only get better!).

— The Ruisseau ends at the old mill at Montcam, so it isn't currently navigable. Moreover, there are very low bridges: the bike path by the river, the railway south of Taché, Taché, Théâtre de l'Île, Wright, Montcalm, St-Rédempteur and the A5 would all have to not only be rebuilt, but the maps redrawn in order to permit them to be high enough.

As much as I think that it would be a great addition to the Ruisseau, I think that it would be too difficult.I think that it might be easier to use the Chaudière islands, perhaps near the Mill St. Pub.

That said, I would want it to be done, considering that it would be potentially very interesting for Aylmer and Britannia.

For the Ruisseau, I really think that it could become an urban version of the canal: streets and restaurants would come right up to water. Since the waterway is so closed off, they could install filters at Taché to make the water swimmable. There could be steps leading into the water to allow for swimming in the summer and skating in the winter.

North of Montcalm, the Ruisseau stops being a canal and becomes a stream in a very natural setting. I would have them extensively redevelop the lands around it, but keep the stream natural with boardwalks and lots of softscaping.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I'd have to say that the best way to achieve this would be through Hull, via Ruisseau de la Brasserie. Sure it's not currently the best looking route, but with proper development of the riversides around the area, it could work. All the waterways are already there, might as well take a page for Colonel By and use them.

Yes - Ideavision: fix up Brasserie Creek.

[J.OT13]

Yup, if they can't make it navigable, they should still do something to make the Ruisseau de la Brasserie a centre piece of Hull.

Didn't know they planned to make A50 west of A5 an urban boulevard. Good idea if they actually do it.

[Kitchissippi]

Here's a totally frivolous but fun concept (so don't be hatin'). The idea of freeing the Chaudieres Falls has been bandied about in the past. It probably would wreak havoc with the river levels and take out the the power generating functions, so building a weir type dam farther back and channelling the water could sort of restore the natural look of the falls while retaining the current spillways.

I've also regurgitated the fun idea of expanding Lemieux island for permanent amusement park like La Ronde, and moved the arena into LeBreton along with some dense development

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Here's a totally frivolous but fun concept (so don't be hatin'). The idea of freeing the Chaudieres Falls has been bandied about in the past. It probably would wreak havoc with the river levels and take out the the power generating functions, so building a weir type dam farther back and channelling the water could sort of restore the natural look of the falls while retaining the current spillways.

I've also regurgitated the fun idea of expanding Lemieux island for permanent amusement park like La Ronde, and moved the arena into LeBreton along with some dense development

Use the displaced earth from LRT tunnelling to create the island, like in Montreal?

[Uhuniau]

That's some mighty fine photoshoppin' !

[MoreTrains]

Where is the parking! For the love of all that is holy where is the parking!?!?

But that would probably be called an environmental disaster because the river is quite sensitive?

[OTSkyline]

^ LOVE the height and density at Lebreton Flats

[harls]

Needs more casinos and barrels!

(secret tunnel into the arena for VIP access?)

[McC]

yeah, City Centre should totally become a boutique arteezinal casino district.

[J.OT13]

Like Uhuniau said, excellent photoshoping.

Two things though, and this goes for everyone who has ever suggested freeing the falls; I'm pretty sure they blasted and reshaped the whole area to be able to build the dam, so it will never look as it did in the early 1800s.

As for the La Ronde idea, I believe we used to have an amusement park on Kettle Island. If the bridge is ever built (doubtful), we get our theme park built there. But ya, your spot is way better, with transit access easily built in. Is that to scale?

[Kitchissippi]

Everything is more or less to scale. The CTC definitely is, and there's lots of room for parking structures beside it. I might have taken some liberties in the Toronto buildings I dropped in, the amusement park is a portion of Six Flags Magic Mountain.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

^ LOVE the height and density at Lebreton Flats

I know they are drag-and-drop photoshopped buildings, but if that were to be the plan, there would have to be better ground-level presence than those particular notional buildings offer.

[JM1]

Great Photoshop work!

How about a water flume ride that shoots from the island right over the falls? Yahooooooo!

Originally Posted by defishel

Use the displaced earth from LRT tunnelling to create the island, like in Montreal?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Everything is more or less to scale. The CTC definitely is, and there's lots of room for parking structures beside it. I might have taken some liberties in the Toronto buildings I dropped in, the amusement park is a portion of Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Nice. Thanks for the details.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by defishel

Use the displaced earth from LRT tunnelling to create the island, like in Montreal?

That would be an environmental disaster, and anything built there would become a sitting duck if a catastrophic flood event occurred...

I don't recommend any construction on the riverfront except in elevated locations as a result.