A preamble (that feels necessary): Housing is a human right. I would like to implore the reader who *might* get partway through this and think I am not in support of housing being affordable for peopl...

The Vacation Paradox Many of us in the suburbs save all year to vacation in places like historic European cities, charming coastal villages, or bustling urban districts. We’re drawn to the vibrant ene...

In case you haven’t read it cover to cover, a new provincial omnibus bill has a buried provision that serves as a direct veto on our community’s future. The legislation is Bill 60, the Fighting…

In case you didn’t hear, this week is the Week Without Driving. It’s the time of year advocates suggest thinking about your transportation choices and how you can reduce your reliance on driving…

To: Ottawa Zoning Bylaw TeamFrom: Rob Attrell, Engaged Urbanist and Suburban Resident I’m sending this letter via email to the zoning bylaw team. If you have feedback on the Zoning By-law process,…

Lots of Ottawa residents just like us in the suburbs were sold a very specific dream, maybe even as early as when we were teenagers. Living in the suburbs meant owning a spacious home, having a lush,…

“For generations, neighbourhoods across Toronto were dotted with small shops … while some community gems are still thriving today, unfortunately, over time, zoning rules have made it harder for new businesses to open. That could soon change.” https://www.thestar.com/sponsored-sections/a-new-vision-for-toronto-s-neighbourhoods-welcoming-back-small-shops-and-services/article_b3c99bbb-6256-4ed1-9186-c01553c2af6b.html

The only "sustainable" fashion is to wear the shirt you currently have on for the next 10 years. Everything else is just marketing. #ClimateChange

There’s a unique sense of optimism that comes from getting involved in a major city-planning exercise. Whether it’s a review of a new Transportation Master Plan or a local infrastructure renewal proje...

Recently, within sight of my own front door, I watched as probably 100+ kids and their parents descended on a local park. The air was filled with the sound of laughter and conversation as neighbours…

I’m going to share a little about myself right off the top here before getting into this. My name is Rob, and I’m a husband, a father of three, and your neighbour here in Orléans. Like you, I chose…

September 27 @ 9:30 am – 12:00 pm Family Bike Ride – September 27, 2025 Registration not required but encouraged to receive updates to this event (such as weather). RVSP Directly

The concept for this article started with a simple, hopeful idea: to organize a Kidical Mass family bike ride in my community. We’ve been doing Pedal and Play rides throughout the spring and summer,…

In the ongoing conversation about how to solve Ottawa’s housing and transportation crises, a single solution is often presented as a silver bullet. As presented, Transit-Oriented Development, or TOD i...

by Gillian Cantello, CGOW Environment Committee Source: https://24x7mag.com/standards/servicing-legislation/right-to-repair/inside-the-right-to-repair/ When was the last time your smartphone slowed to...

Picture a local street. What do you see? A black asphalt road, maybe a yellow centre line, concrete curbs, strips of grass and possibly a sidewalk on either side if you’re lucky. It’s a space designed...

A few years ago, my family made a decision that some of our neighbours likely found odd considering we live in the suburbs: when our (older) second car broke down for what turned out to be the last ti...

“It’s 2 PM on a Thursday, why am I going 10 kph on the highway?!” It’s a near-universal frustration for residents of Orléans: being stuck in traffic. Most of us have experienced the rush-hour crawl on...

Have you ever tried to walk or bike from one part of Orléans to another. More often than not, you find yourself choosing between taking a confusing maze of disconnected, curvy side streets, or putting...

On many beautiful Saturday mornings this summer, I’ve run a weekly family bike ride I’m calling Pedal and Play in my local neighbourhood. After we meet at a local community landmark, everybody who sho...

In the conversations about how our cities should grow, “environmentalism” is a word that gets used a lot. But not all environmentalism is the same, and not everyone who wants to protect the environmen...

In my previous article, we deconstructed the design of the continuous sidewalk—a simple but powerful tool that flips the street dynamic by prioritizing the pedestrian’s journey over the car’s. We esta...

Walk down any typical local sidewalk in Orleans and you’ll play a familiar game, especially if you’re walking with kids. You walk, you reach a street corner, stop, look both way, step down off the cur...