CAPITAL IDEAS

DANIEL MIRON, CSLA, AAPQ, OUQ, ASLA, + CLAUDE POTVIN, CSLA, AAPQ, A CANADIAN CAPITAL: 150 YEARS LATER, WHERE ARE WE?

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A CANADIAN CAPITAL : WHEN QUEEN VICTORIA named THE BOULEVARD AND ITS KEY NODES 150 YEARS LATER, WHERE Canada’s capital in 1857, it was a frontier A significant portion of our work continues ARE WE? lumber town with no sewers or streets. to be related to the main visitor destination: Where do we stand, 150 years on? While the centre of the capital and the arteries After more than a century of planning the visions of planners such as Todd, Holt, leading to it. For more than 25 years, and beautification, and with the marquee Greber and others continue to inspire Confederation Boulevard has been the project of Confederation Boulevard nearly us, things are very different in the 21st flagship planning project for the Capital’s complete, what lies in store for Canada’s century. We now need to rethink our way Core. Both grand and accessible, it connects National Capital Region? The National of envisioning the future, accounting for Quebec and Ontario along with a whole Capital Commission’s mission remains to new realities without losing sight of key range of sites and landmarks of national develop the region as the symbolic home objectives such as abundant greenery, significance located within a large radius. of all Canadians, while also working to a high quality of life, and the capital’s There is only one incomplete segment, make the area as liveable as possible for its function as a symbol of Canada for all a section of , scheduled for residents. Its future efforts are therefore Canadians. In 1988, the National Capital completion in 2012. With the main portions focused on green transportation, safe and Commission adopted its first official plan of the boulevard now complete, we can now accessible public spaces, greater emphasis for the region – the Federal Land Use Plan redirect our efforts to enhancing its seven on biodiversity in ornamental plantings, – and updated its mandate to include public major intersections and nodes, of which two and a larger number of monuments and programming. The Plan for Canada’s Capital remain to be developed in the coming years: memorials commemorating Canadian followed in 1999. the Wellington–Portage and Colonel By– heroes and notables. All of these efforts Rideau intersections. are to be incorporated into a new long- At present, the capital’s physical expression term vision for the Capital Region, Horizon is reasonably well defined. What planning REFLECTING WHO WE ARE 2067: Charting the Future of Canada’s work remains to be done? Is it time to call The NCC has devoted much attention to Capital in the 21st Century, with additional it a day? Far from it! In this article we will the importance of symbols in the capital, guidance from the new Greenbelt Master review the main areas of activity in urban particularly new monuments and memorials Plan and Urban Lands Master Plan. planning for the coming years. within the Core. Tangible and intangible

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... the green image of the capital will be greatly enriched...

unifying symbols have taken on greater to think first and foremost of people annuals, but will encompass a broader, more importance, as expressed through and diversity in our society, and create varied menu of plants, including indigenous memorials, sculptures and other public art, stimulating, liveable, and safe spaces and ornamental species, particularly grasses. interpretive media, events and celebrations. environments. This concern is reflected, for Visually, the plantings will be more extensive, They are powerful representations of example, in the very strict universal-access innovative, durable and environmentally our values, our ties to the past, and our policy designed to eliminate, wherever responsible. We expect the capital’s “green” ambitions for the future. possible, all physical barriers limiting image to be greatly enhanced and much accessibility to urban spaces. appreciated by the public, thanks in part to To better reflect Canada’s identity and additional projects that will help us achieve diversity, the NCC is seeking to increase the The concept of the cultural landscape is our environmental objectives. number of monuments and memorials. The also important, particularly in terms of Canadian Navy Monument and the Canadian the protection of scenic views. As part VELO CITY Firefighters Memorial are two major projects of its mission, the NCC is implementing National Capital Region residents and now underway. measures to preserve the visual integrity visitors currently enjoy a very good of the capital’s buildings, monuments, and transportation system. Nevertheless, the TOWARD A MORE HUMANIST APPROACH landscapes. Current measures designed to NCC, with the support of its municipal In recent years, the rise in global protect views are based on a 3-D computer partners, is proposing a transition from an awareness of security threats has led to model. This methodology takes into account automobile-oriented transportation system more intense concern for the measures the height of buildings and the protection to a more balanced system with lower GHG taken to ensure the safety of people and of ’s front and rear sightlines emissions, favouring public transportation buildings. Nevertheless, security measures from various vantage points on both sides and innovative car substitutes, particular must improve the quality of the urban of the Ottawa River. greater use of bicycles. In 2006, the NCC environment, not diminish it. and its municipal partners completed the A NEW FLORAL VISION Capital Pathways Strategic Plan. While the Despite heightened attention to security, The NCC is currently developing a new region certainly boasts an excellent network our projects are tending toward a more “floral vision” that will no longer be focused of bicycle paths, expanded considerably in humanist approach. It has become essential on the traditional large beds of tulips and recent decades, cycling connections and

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7 infrastructure remain inadequate in the either side of the Ottawa River, including urban core. the Des Allumettières – Maisonneuve corridor, Le Breton Flats and the War In June 2010, representatives of the NCC and Museum, while others will likely have to the two cities participated in the Velo City wait until more favourable conditions exist. conference in Copenhagen and visited several “bikeable” cities in northern Europe. Since The NCC is currently working on a new then, the NCC, in collaboration with municipal future vision for the greater National Capital authorities, has pursued measures aimed at Region. Horizon 2067: Charting the Future improving downtown cycling infrastructure, of Canada’s Capital in the 21st Century particularly through the addition of bike will allow the NCC to develop a vision and lanes to major downtown arteries and key elements for long-term planning, with planning for a future self-serve bicycle rental input from every Canadian. In addition, the service. NCC is currently updating the Greenbelt Master Plan in order to incorporate the 1 ALLUMETTIÈRES BOULEVARD 2. CANADIAN SEEING FURTHER most innovative planning principles. It is NAVY MONUMENT 3 CONFEDERATION BOULEVARD As the last millennium drew to a close, the also preparing the Urban Lands Master 4 5 CANADIAN NAVY NCC submitted a number of landscaping Plan, the final piece of the planning puzzle, MONUMENT 6 PRESERVING THE VIEWS: ideas for the capital’s core. This Vision for completing the full set of planning tools RIDEAU CANAL 7 CONCEPT DIAGRAM: FLORAL VISION 8 MAJOR PARK: SPRING BLOOMS the Core Area of Canada’s Capital Region needed in the face of the many challenges PHOTOS COURTESY NCC | PHOTOS CCN 2+5 AL MCWILLIAMS, led to several projects being completed on facing a 21st century capital. JOOST BAKKER, BRUCE HADEN

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