UrbSanity: Looking ahead

Originally published in Centretown Buzz
by Jeff Salmon
June 13, 2014

The housing market is a moving target, influenced by social, economic, and political forces. Successful developers are able to understand the ebb and flow of the market and capitalize by offering timely projects that fulfill a social or economic need/desire. In the last ten years there has been enormous development and growth in Ottawa and at its periphery, and for the urban core in particular the last few years have been marked by condo fever.

Certain neighborhoods, like Westboro and Little Italy, have undergone significant transformations, becoming hubs for development. In fact, Little Italy had to put a freeze on the review of development proposals while the City tried to catch up and formulate a plan for the area.

Though the condo boom is not on the same scale as Toronto, condo towers now dot the map all over the city, with many more on the boards or in the presale phase. However, the fast-and-furious condo tower market in Ottawa seems to be showing signs of slowing, and I think it is safe to say both residents and developers alike are concerned that the condo tower market is becoming saturated, with very little distinguishing one project from another.

In the same way that condo towers have enjoyed success in recent years, so, too, have infill housing projects.

Unfortunately, with the exception of a few projects, the infill projects have become almost as predictable as the condo towers. This is not necessarily surprising: I believe the saying is, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Developers have very little incentive to stray from what has proven to sell. This often means that they don’t tend to stray far from the herd, relying more on an established brand, marketing, or a unique location to sell units.

UrbSanity: City growing pains

Originally published in the Centretown Buzz
by Sarah Gelbard
March 15, 2014

Photo credit: Sarah Gelbard

Look in any city’s newspaper any given week and you are likely to come across the story of a development proposal and the predictable ensuing resident outrage. Sadly, these stories often seem to focus on civic engagement as a fight with the city and developers. The players, as well as the issues, have been continuously caricaturized and over- simplified. It seems to promote or at least propagate a de facto reactive and adversarial relationship between residents, developers, and the city.

Three such stories caught my eye recently. Our neighbourhood neighbours—the Market, Hintonburg, and Sandy Hill—currently have on their plate the demolition and infill of an old building, a new condo tower, and student/subsidized housing. In just over a week, I came across three of the most commonly debated topics in urban-centre development; heritage, intensification, and demographics.

Cities grow and change. While we needn’t let changes go unchallenged, we also can’t expect instant results, or change without disruption. There will be growing pains. There will be old buildings torn down. There will be new buildings put up. They may be shiny and new and lacking “character” at first. It may take time for new developments to grow into their neighbourhood and for their neighbourhood to continue to grow around them.

There will be more neighbours moving in. There will be more cars and more traffic. But there will also be increasing demand for alternative transportation and increasing infrastructure and the required density to support it.

The character of a neighbourhood is not defined exclusively by architectural style and era. It is much more defined by the residents and the businesses and how they all come together and inhabit the space in a variety of ways.

Perhaps a more nuanced review of the players and issues could help to redirect focus on civic engagement back towards more proactive and collaborative dialogue and action.

UrbSanity: 600 sq. ft. apartment with large living room

Originally published in the Centretown Buzz
by Sarah Gelbard
April 22, 2013

Park(ing) Day 2011. Photo: Sarah Gelbard

Two and a half years after moving back to Centretown, I finally gave in to the nagging of my friends and threw a belated housewarming party. As you might expect, moving to Centretown from Heron Gate meant my rent increased while my square footage decreased.

My recurring excuse to their recurring nag was that my new apartment was too small for parties. I simply didn’t have the same amount of space for entertaining that I used to. And yet, my home seems so much bigger in this smaller apartment. It is not magic, mirrors, or warped space. It is because so many sites sprinkled throughout Centretown and the Market feel like extensions of my home.

There is a lot of talk about the intensification, walkability, and livability of neighbourhoods. They are the new favourite buzzwords of urban planners and community groups. But how do we experience these things and why do we want them?

Jane’s Walks, an annual series of neighbourhood walking tours named for the urban activist Jane Jacobs, promotes exploring your neighbourhood and meeting your neighbours: “Walking matters more and more to towns and cities as the connection between walking and socially vibrant neighbourhoods is becoming clearer. Built environments that promote and facilitate walking…have higher levels of social cohesion.”

Kent Larson: Brilliant designs to fit more people in cities

5 issues condos face

Condo developments have both positive and negative impacts on the local neighbourhood and city as a whole.  Promoting projects that will have a net positive impact is part balancing private interest and public good, and part capitalizing on ways private interests can cooperatively reinforce and create opportunities for public good.

Reflecting on my proposed 5 ways condos can rock and 5 ways condos can suck, I’ve identified 5 issues condos face. There is no magic formula or plan. There is no way to guarantee a project will not have negative consequences. However, the way these issues are approached, by both the developer and the community, can promote socially responsible, responsive, and adaptive development.

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1 balance interests	Condo developers have a social responsibility, as do all civic participants, in negotiating interests with the broader community. This is not to say we should expect them to be wholly benevolent and altruistic, either. As private companies they have vested interests which may or may not coincide with those of the city, the neighbourhood, and local residents. It therefore typically falls to the city to develop a plan to evaluate and predict the needs of multiple interest groups and individuals, and to develop strategies to keep the coinciding and diverging needs in balance in order to promote healthy and sustainable development.
2 give it time	The impact of development is not an absolute science. Cities are complex and in constant flux. The best predictions based on past trends cannot guarantee future results. It is important to continue to observe the actual impact of development after it happens and to tweak and adjust as needed. Sudden and large scale development can significantly alter a community’s dynamic and balance. Spreading development out both geographically and time-wise promote subtle adjustments rather than drastic changes. It gives communities time to adapt and integrate change. We like to talk about how our successful neighbourhoods “grow organically”, that implies a certain resilience, adaptability, and will to thrive. We should be mindful gardeners but we should also allow new development time to settle in and find its rhythm and place in the neighbourhood.
3 infra-structure	By densifying core neighbourhoods, condos can make a significant positive impact on increasing the efficiency and affordability of public services. Yet public infrastructure and private development always seem to be at a bit of a standoff. Large condo projects create a sudden increase demand on the local infrastructure which often scrambles to catch up. Cities are reluctant to invest in developing and improving infrastructure until there is sufficient usership and people are reluctant to move to neighbourhoods until there are sufficient services. Once again, careful planning and timing are key to ensure these developments positively impact their communities. Developers and cities need to work together to turn the confrontational standoff into a collaborative dance.
4 diversity	Economic and cultural background, family types, building types, building scales, business types, all contribute to the character of any neighbourhood. Identity, however, should not be confused with everything being the same. Diversity helps make communities well-rounded, sustainable, safe, active, interesting, and the list goes on. Just because something is different doesn’t mean it won’t fit in. To the contrary, it often has the potential to add new depth and dimension. It’s hard to know what the exact recipe is that makes a neighbourhood work or not. Attempts by new developments to just recreate and add more of the same so as to not stir the pot, often fall short and overly homogenize. Projects that try to hard to introduce something new, often stick out like a sore thumb and create discord. It’s not easy but it is possible to find a balance where the something different and new compliments more than it conflicts.
5 scale	Figuring out what exactly it means to be “in scale” is always challenging because there are always multiple scales in play. Condo projects should be considerate of the existing scale of its immediate neighbours and overall neighbourhood. This does not necessarily mean matching the existing scale. Development is also about looking forward and must therefor consider future scale(s). As urban populations rise and cities attempt to densify and contain sprawl, development inches upward. A well designed street-level, mindful of human scale and context, can often dissolve the towering or even mid-rise heights of the condos above and integrate itself comfortably into the urban fabric of almost any neighbourhood.

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What are your thoughts on which issues contribute to successful development in our neighbourhoods? How do we measure success?

5 ways condos can suck

With further thought on the South Central issue and subsequent conversations with various people, I thought a look at “5 ways condos can rock” and “5 ways condos can suck” would be a good way to address some of the issues – positive and negative – and hopefully generate even more conversation.

To that end, I decided to specifically address the impact condo development can have for neighbourhoods/cities as a whole. These are just brief outlines of huge complex issues. Please feel free to contribute your thoughts.

5 ways condos can rock was posted yesterday. Here’s part 2:

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1 shifted balance	When condo developments are out of scale with the existing demographics, they can lead to a sudden and significant shift in the delicate balance of established communities without sufficient time or resources to adapt and settle back into place. This kind of shift in both the economical and lifestyle demographics can result in a significant increase in property value and cost of living which often forces existing residents and businesses out. This is what is referred to as “gentrification”.
2 homogeneity	Though condos have the potential to increase the diversity of a neighbourhood, they often have the opposite effect and homogenize instead. This also contributes to the “gentrification” process. When a neighbourhood starts to exclusively target and attract this new type of “trendy” resident and businesses, existing businesses start to lose their clientele and cannot afford the increasing cost of their lease. You end up with a neighbourhood of endlessly homogenous mid-to-high-end bistros, cafés, salons, and boutiques.
3 visual impact	Because of their size, often entire city blocks and sometimes multiple blocks, condos have a significant visual impact on a neighbourhood. These behemoths often stand out like a sore thumb. A common criticism of condos, especially condo towers, is that they all look the same, boring modern glass boxes that lack character. Conversely, there are developments that pay lipservice to the existing buildings of the neighbourhood by imitating elements of the “local style” but end up more kitsch than character. Either way, they usually end up seeming a little too polished, a little too homogenous, and far too overbearing.
4 insensitive to existing conditions	Infill condo projects (ones built in established core communities) get a lot of bad press and local resistance because they don’t match the existing character of the neighbourhood. The physical scale, the demographic make-up, the architectural style, the lifestyle, can seem completely contrary to the neighbourhood’s identity and is therefore seen as an unwelcomed imposition of change. While it may be unrealistic and even undesirable to match the existing conditions exactly, responsible condo development does need to be sensitive to the them.
5 increased traffic	While ideally condos promote a walkable and busable lifestyle, often neither the local public transit nor the local businesses can support the new influx of residents. On top of that, people in North America are still very attached to their cars and to suburban shopping malls and grocery superstores. New residents will often move into the neighbourhood along with their cars, continue to shop in the suburbs, and aggravate the existing traffic and parking headaches. All of this is another sign that condos developed too quickly and out of scale with the existing neighbourhood.

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Next up: 5 key issues for responsible condo development

5 ways condos can rock

With further thought on the South Central issue and subsequent conversations with various people, I thought a look at “5 ways condos can rock” and “5 ways condos can suck” would be a good way to address some of the issues – positive and negative – and hopefully generate even more conversation.

To that end, I decided to specifically address the impact condo development can have for neighbourhoods/cities as a whole. These are just brief outlines of huge complex issues. Please feel free to contribute your thoughts.

Without further ado, here’s part 1:

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1 scale and variety	Not everyone needs or wants a 3 or 4 bedroom home with yard and it’s neither economical nor sustainable to build 1 or 2 bedroom single family homes. Condos are far more flexible at accommodating a variety of unit sizes and configurations which mean more appropriately scaled and priced housing for various life situations, housing needs, and budgets. When responsibly planned, condos fill in the housing gap between single family homes and rental units. They provide mid-point options useful as a step-between for young families, or downsizing options for single or part-time parents and elderly couples.
2 diverse neighbourhoods	Neighbourhoods that can accommodate and attract a variety of home owners, landlords, and tenants benefit from the diversity. Condos help to facilitate this mix. Diversity means children grow up playing and going to school with children of mixed cultural and economic backgrounds. It means a variety of schedules so that not everyone will be going to work, grocery shopping, eating, creating line-ups and congestion all at the same time everywhere you go. It also means there is likely always a neighbour at home when you’re out which increases security. And finally, diversity simply makes life and neighbourhoods more interesting and fun.
3 urban density	A lot of neighbourhoods in our cities are under-populated. Increasing the number of people can have huge positive impacts. People activate the street life, attract businesses and services, and make streets safer. Density makes it cheaper and more feasible to support and improve public services such as transit, schools, parks, clinics, sanitation, etc.
4 environmental impact	More densely populated neighbourhoods are generally more energy efficient neighbourhoods. They tend to be more walkable. You can live, work, shop, and socialize within walking distance – which means fewer cars on the roads. Cars are also just generally more hassle than they are worth in a dense well-mixed neighbourhood. This leads to increased demand for alternative transportation which stimulates development and improvement of public transit systems. Living units tend to be more compact, combined with less heat loss because of the shared walls, heating and cooling of condos can be extremely efficient.
5 investment in shared public spaces	The condo lifestyle involves less private space and a need for more public space. It extends living beyond your own private home and into the neighbourhood and once again activates street life. In addition, the sudden influx of residents is likely to attract new retails and businesses which stimulate growth and investment in other public services. When done responsibly and respectfully, this can have a great revitalizing effect. “Revitalization” doesn’t mean the neighbourhood is necessarily dead but couldn’t we all use a little pepping-up? We all have room for improvement. We all have blemishes of varying degrees of seriousness that bring our otherwise good health and self-image down.

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Next up: 5 ways condos can suck