DOWNTOWN IS CHANGING, SO IT'S TIME TO REINVENT
Instead of betting on return of all workers, why not boost attractions and street life?
For business owners in downtown Ottawa, the end of the pandemic can't come soon enough. But while many shopkeepers and restaurateurs are hoping for a return to the way things were in 2019, it may be a long time before tens of thousands of government employees are spending their days in the core, grabbing coffee and lunch and doing some shopping or going out for a drink before they head home in the evening.
Some local politicians have been pressuring the prime minister to bring workers back to the office as soon as possible to help boost the downtown economy.
Understandably, some employees have argued that their usefulness to commerce shouldn't trump their health, safety and freedom of choice. We should accept that the federal government is like any other workplace: instead of a full-scale return to in-person work, it's probable that many public servants will work from home at least a few days a week.
So instead of pinning all of our hopes on a sudden influx of returning public servants, we should start reimagining downtown Ottawa. Let's turn this challenge into an opportunity. After the great fire of 1871, Chicago rebuilt its downtown into an architectural gem. Ottawa's situation is much less dramatic, but this may be the best opportunity in a generation for us to rethink how our city works.
The first and most obvious change is to turn more downtown buildings into residential properties. It's not as easy as it sounds, since most office towers don't have plumbing and other amenities configured to suit the needs of multiple residential units. But if fewer people will be working downtown, it's a great opportunity to have more people living downtown.
We should also rethink how traffic flows through the core. Closing Wellington Street just because there were protests earlier this year is short-term thinking; doing it as part of an exciting new plan for how people will move around downtown is creative. Let's design something attractive, appealing and coherent.
Much of Ottawa's downtown is a bit too boxy and practical, with narrow walkways, buildings abutting the streets, and very few gathering places and pleasant surprises. If fewer cars and buses will be travelling through downtown, let's expand sidewalks and create room for patios and street life throughout the core.
Let's also think about creating more destinations in the downtown. The refurbished National Arts Centre is a terrific new anchor at the east end of the core. And a new public library and — if we're lucky — a future hockey arena will combine with the Canadian War Museum to drive people to LeBreton Flats on the west side. But what will bring people right into the heart of downtown? Is it a new museum or attraction, perhaps the long-awaited portrait gallery? A hub for creative thinkers, artists, and entrepreneurs? A music venue? Some green space surrounded by restaurants?
The greatest opportunity may be to do something bold and imaginative to support reconciliation. Last week, the Hudson's Bay Company handed over its iconic but dormant building in downtown Winnipeg to the Southern Chiefs' Organization. The federal government has already committed the former U.S. embassy to Indigenous leaders, but little progress has been achieved and the plan sounds mostly like office and meeting space. Is there something more that could be done to profile Indigenous history to all Canadians? Ottawa has historically focused on showcasing our French and English colonial heritage. Now there's an opportunity to tell the real story about the history of our land. There is no better place to demonstrate reconciliation than in the heart of Canada's capital.
Instead of focusing most of our energy on getting employees back to work in the next few months, we should capitalize on a much greater city-building opportunity. Let's engage the best minds in our community, across the country, and around the world: architects, urban planners, Indigenous leaders, artists and entrepreneurs. Rather than take Ottawa's downtown back to 2019, let's build it for the next 50 years.