Rob Attrell
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Rob Attrell
@robattrell.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Science and Tech enthusiast working at NSERC by day and training three junior scientists at night.

🌉 bridged from https://mastodon.social/@robattrell on the fediverse by https://fed.brid.gy/
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post ✨ "Affordable Housing" vs. housing that is affordable. Are we solving the problem or subsidizing a broken system? It’s time to challenge the comfortable narratives in Ottawa. Read why the current approach is a myth. 📉 #OttPoli #HousingCrisis
The Myth of Affordable Housing - The New Orleans
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...
theneworleans.ca
November 28, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ We love to vacation in dense, walkable, vibrant places. Why not build those same joys of urban life right here in our own communities? #Urbanism #Ottawa
The Joys of Urban Life, Without the Pains - The New Orleans
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...
theneworleans.ca
November 15, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ Ontario's Bill 60 is a direct hit on local control. It's vetoing municipal efforts to build safer streets for everyone. Why is the province overriding local decisions? This is a major setback for walkable, people-first communities. #Bill60 #onpoli #Ottawa #SafeStreets
Ontario Bill 60 Vetoes Local Control and Safer Streets - The New Orleans
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…
theneworleans.ca
November 1, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ The average bike probably isn't practical for daily life, but realistically that just mean you have the wrong bike. Most North American cyclists are riding a sports car or Jeep when they need a sedan or a minivan. theneworleans.ca/2025/10/02/y... 👩👧👦 #CargoBike #Suburbs #urbanism
Your Bike Can't Do That? You Might Have the Wrong Bike - The New Orleans
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…
theneworleans.ca
October 2, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ The city’s top-down approach to 15-minute neighbourhoods is too expensive. We can achieve the goal city-wide with a more fiscally prudent path: fixing our zoning to allow our communities to evolve organically. #LandUse #Zoning #OttPoli #Urbanism #StrongTowns
A Fiscally Prudent Path to True 15-Minute Neighbourhoods City-Wide - The New Orleans
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,…
theneworleans.ca
October 1, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ The suburban dream sold us the 'freedom to drive,' but it came with a hidden contract: the obligation to own a car for everything. True freedom is about having choices—the choice to walk, bike, or live a full life without a car. #LessCar #Urbanism
The Suburban Dream and Its Hidden Contract: Trading True Freedom for the Freedom to Drive - The New Orleans
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,…
theneworleans.ca
October 1, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
“Why your next car should be an electric cargo bike” The Verge continuing its awesome e-bike series: https://www.theverge.com/transportation/781908/electric-cargo-bike-car-replace-bike-bus @verge #biketooter
September 22, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Ok, I will aim to wear this shirt for at least 20 years! In my circles this is just called “being a dad” 😂

Come on everyone else, old clothes are vintage!
https://climatejustice.social/@chu/115134387219842824
Chu 朱 (@chu@climatejustice.social)
The only "sustainable" fashion is to wear the shirt you currently have on for the next 10 years. Everything else is just marketing. #ClimateChange
climatejustice.social
September 13, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ Ever wonder why good plans for our community seem to disappear into a black hole at City Hall? I took a deep dive into the bureaucratic roadblocks that stall progress and how we can build a more financially resilient and people-focused Orléans. #ottpoli #urbanism
The Long Road to Nowhere: Why Good Plans Die at City Hall - The New Orleans
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...
theneworleans.ca
September 12, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ Community events are more than just a nice way to spend an afternoon. They are the invisible social infrastructure that combats suburban isolation and builds the trust we need to create a better, more resilient Orléans. #Orleans #Community #Urbanism
The Invisible Infrastructure That Holds Our Community Together - The New Orleans
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…
theneworleans.ca
August 28, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ How do we pay for the Orléans we love? We face a choice: drastically higher taxes, declining services, or welcoming more neighbours. In my new article, I break down the uncomfortable math of our suburban lifestyle and our three possible futures. #Orléans #StrongTowns
Paying the Bills: The Uncomfortable Math of Our Orléans Lifestyle - The New Orleans
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…
theneworleans.ca
September 4, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
We're organizing a Kidical Mass family bike ride in Orléans on Sept 27! It's more than just a fun ride; it's a joyful, positive demonstration for safer streets for our kids and a more connected community. Hope you can join us! 🚲
Kidical Mass Orleans - Convent Glen Orleans Wood
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
cgow.ca
August 26, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ Our kids should be able to safely walk or bike around their own neighbourhoods. Car-centric design has taken away their independent mobility, but we can get it back by retrofitting our streets. Our suburban kids deserve better.
#SafeStreets #Urbanism
Our Suburban Kids Deserve Better Independent Mobility - The New Orleans
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,…
theneworleans.ca
August 26, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ Transit-Oriented Development is a good first step, but it's not a silver bullet. To truly transform our suburbs, we need to move beyond just building near transit and focus on creating financially resilient, walkable, and complete neighbourhoods.
Transit-Oriented Development is Good, but It's Not Enough - The New Orleans
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...
theneworleans.ca
August 24, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
Your stuff should last. The #RightToRepair movement is challenging companies that build products to break. See how this new legislation benefits you and our community. #ConsumerRights #ConventGlen
The Right to Repair - Fighting Back Against Built-in Obsolescence - Convent Glen Orleans Wood
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...
cgow.ca
August 23, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ What if our streets were designed for people first, where cars were only guests? This is the idea behind the "Woonerf" or living street. Let's explore how this concept could transform suburbs like Orléans. 🚶‍♀️🚲🌳 #Urbanism #Walkability #LessCar
When Cars are Guests: The 'Woonerf' and the Art of the Living Street – Urban Infrastructure Series #3 - The New Orleans
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...
theneworleans.ca
August 18, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ The bicycle is more than a toy; it's a freedom machine. It's a powerful tool to build community, support local business, and heal our suburbs. Time to start the ride. 🚲 #LessCar #Orleans #YOW
The Freedom Machine: How the Bicycle Can Help Heal the Suburbs - The New Orleans
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...
theneworleans.ca
August 17, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ Ever wonder why we so often fight against the very traffic solutions that would improve our neighbourhoods and our lives? I dive into the psychology that keeps us stuck in congestion and how a shift in perspective can lead to more connected, resilient communities. #Urbanism #Ottawa
Why We Oppose the Traffic Solutions We Desperately Need in Cities - The New Orleans
“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...
theneworleans.ca
August 16, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ Ever wonder why our suburbs look the way they do? It wasn't by accident. Unpacking the hidden policies that shaped our communities, from street design to housing types. #UrbanPlanning #Orleans
Suburban Choices: Unpacking the Policies that Built Your Suburb - The New Orleans
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...
theneworleans.ca
August 15, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ - Ever notice how our suburban playgrounds are often empty, even on a beautiful day? It’s not because kids don't want to play; it's because our neighbourhoods and their schedules are designed in a way that makes it a challenge for them to get there. #YOW #Orleans
Empty Suburban Playgrounds: Where Are All the Children? - The New Orleans
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...
theneworleans.ca
August 8, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨ - When it comes to building a greener city, there are two often opposing schools of thought. One protects the local trees and yards, the other fights car-dependent sprawl. The truth is, we need to be both. Here's how we can balance these ideas for a better suburb. 🌳 vs. 🏙️ #YOW #Urbanism
Urban Environmentalism Comes In Two Flavours: The Green-Grey Divide - The New Orleans
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...
theneworleans.ca
August 8, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
✨New Post✨: Our streets shouldn't be barriers. Simple designs like the 'continuous sidewalk' can stitch our neighbourhoods back together by putting people first, creating safer, more connected communities for everyone. It's a small change with a huge impact. 🚶‍♀️ #Walkable #Orleans #UrbanDesign
Building Continuous Sidewalks: Stitching Our Neighbourhoods Back Together - The New Orleans
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...
theneworleans.ca
August 7, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Rob Attrell
Why do our sidewalks force pedestrians 🚶‍♀️ to yield to cars? A continuous sidewalk flips the script: the path stays level & cars drive over it. A simple design shift that prioritizes safety, accessibility ♿ & people over vehicle speed. #UrbanDesign #WalkableCities
The Continuous Sidewalk: What Are Our Priorities? – Urban Infrastructure Series #2 - The New Orleans
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...
theneworleans.ca
August 7, 2025 at 7:22 PM