Ottawa is a sprawling city, and that threatens our beloved greenspaces
The City of Ottawa spans over 2778km2 and contains many beloved greenspaces. Ottawa is currently Canada’s sixth most populous city, however, it covers a land area greater than that of the five most populous cities combined. As a result of urban sprawl, the city’s valuable greenspaces are increasingly at risk from urban construction projects.
Too much of Ottawa’s new development relies on problematic development patterns including sprawling, single use, low-density and car-centric planning. Development projects routinely use large plots of land at the expense of vulnerable species and ecosystems.
Our “Keep Nature in our Neighbourhoods” campaign aims to mobilize Ottawans to protect vulnerable greenspaces in the city and demand more sustainable patterns of development across the city.
This initiative supports:
- Less incursion of new development into vulnerable areas and maintaining clearly defined greenspaces
- Better community design and planning practices
- More protection for species at risk
- Stronger enforcement of tools to protect local greenspaces and the species that rely on them for survival
Through community action and engagement, we intend to address the root causes of this unsustainable urban sprawl and fuel long-term changes in patterns of urban development. The negative impacts of current development patterns must be addressed to preserve vulnerable and ecologically significant areas.
