The path to 15-minute Neighbourhoods in Ottawa

Imagine yourself in the following scenarios:

• you’re cooking, and realize you are missing an ingredient.

• you are putting up a shelf and realize you need a specific  type of screw.

• you have a date later and would love to get a haircut if only you had the time

And now, imagine if all those things were just across the street, or a short walk from your house. If you don’t need to imagine it, congratulations - you may live in a 15-minute neighbourhood!

And you’re not along you don’t live in one—many neighbourhoods aren’t walkable.

Recent development in Ottawa is a case in point. In the last two decades alone, our urban boundary has been expanded by a whopping 50 percent. Nearly all development in that time has been single detached homes that zoning rules forbid to be anything else. When neighbourhoods lack small shops, reliable transit, or safe cycling infrastructure, driving becomes mandatory. 

Car dependency has created staggering costs to our health, environment, and public purse. Private vehicle emissions account for 36% of our city’s GHG emissions, which exacerbate the climate crisis and cause health problems like heart and lung disease. Low-density areas also cost the city more in services than they contribute in tax revenue, meaning services like public transit wither on the vine while funds are diverted to costly road construction, expansion, and maintenance. By contrast, in 15-minute neighbourhoods daily needs are more readily accessible, air pollution is reduced, and a sense of community is fostered.

In 2022, the Ontario government took a cue from place like BC, California, and Oregon when it permitted three units per lot by right in its “More Homes Built Faster” Act. No more exclusionary, single-detached zoning. The federal government also offered Ottawa $44 million from its Housing Accelerator Fund to increase that limit to four units per lot, and the City of Ottawa’s draft Zoning By-law has done just that. The draft is cautious but nevertheless a step in the right direction by permitting: higher densities near hubs, main corridors, and transit stations; low-rise infill in residential areas; and more opportunities for local amenities like daycares, hair salons, coffee shops, food stores, small local-oriented retail and offices.

Of course, these changes won’t happen overnight. Far from it. Zoning changes permit uses but don’t require them, so developers will still have to take up the opportunities afforded by the By-law. The City estimates the typical turnover of houses is only about 0.5 per cent a year, meaning in a one-hectare city block, just three properties would turn over for infill in the course of 25 years.

In collaboration with Walkable Ottawa, we at Ecology Ottawa have been advocating for 15-minute neighbourhoods for a few years now. We published a report with three key recommendations we believe would create a bolder zoning reform.

1. A transitional parking strategy. Our most car-dependent neighbourhoods need better transit and amenities within walking distance. In order for that to happen, we need to free up space for adequate residential density. Private driveways sometimes take up as much space as the associated house itself. Consolidating these into a single, nearby parking lot can make space for small shops and more units. 

2. More tree cover. Trees keep neighbourhoods cool and make them more climate resilient. Ottawa has set a target of 40 per cent tree cover, but is currently only at 25 per cent. The language around trees in the new Zoning By-law must not allow for loopholes or weak language that waters down this critical aspect.

3. Reduce commercial parking maximums. Current parking allowances for outer urban and suburban shopping malls are far too high, resulting in sprawling parking lots bigger than the stores themselves. This completely precludes access by modes other than driving, while siphoning off customers from small businesses. Smaller parking lots would make space for housing, gentle densification, greenspace, and smaller shops.

These three modifications would strengthen the new Zoning By-law and help accelerate some of the main benefits of more walkable neighbourhoods, namely accessibility, density, diversity, community, and resiliency. The goal, in a nutshell, is to make our neighbourhoods “complete,” with as few barriers between residents and their daily needs as possible. 

The second draft of the Zoning By-law is slated to be released in the next month, with the final version to be voted on by Council in December. We encourage all Ottawans to contact their city councillor, sign our petition, and consider making a public delegation when the draft comes to committee. Not only do complete neighbourhoods foster community, winning them is only possible through community action. Together, we can build a city that is ecologically resilient, accessible, and livable for all.

Nick Grover is the Climate Change Organizer at Ecology Ottawa, a local not-for-profit, grassroots and volunteer-driven organization working to make Ottawa the green capital of Canada.