Bright colours, big promises: Can ‘Uncommon Spaces’ revive Downtown Ottawa?

In recent years, downtown Ottawa has developed a reputation as a place to avoid, a place that feels the brunt of systemic city issues like vandalism, homelessness and drug use.

But an initiative by the Centretown BIA is working to combat both the reputation and the reality, and if you have walked around the area this summer, you have probably noticed it.

Tucked into three intersections just off Bank Street, you’ll find Uncommon Spaces. Dubbed the Street Seats Pilot Program, bright pinks, purples and yellows stand out amongst the brown urban facades of Bank, enticing passers-by with music, dance, food and drink.

The initiative is a co-collaboration with the City of Ottawa, and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Aire Commune, a Montreal-based space and event creator, is also involved. The pedestrianized spaces, at Frank, MacLaren and Florence, have been home to live performances, fitness sessions, pop-up workshops, and community art drops through partnerships with local community groups. The initiative also includes an event space at Snider Plaza, further north on Bank Street.

Sabrina Lemay, executive director of Centretown BIA, says Uncommon Spaces is part of a bigger picture to position the area as the number one arts and culture hub of Ottawa. 

“We want to see more people. We know we are gritty, we are a downtown, and we own who we are, but at the end of the day, it’s about having the community come out more, the vibrancy, the colour, the streets being busy and people going into our businesses,” she told the Ottawa Lookout. “We want people to be excited to open businesses here, new businesses and residents coming to live.”

Lemay points out that the initiative (which lasts until October) is just one component of a lot of activity that is going on behind the scenes. For example, new banners are on the way, as are new garbage cans, benches and bike racks, as well as regular cleaning efforts. While these may seem like small efforts in the face of substantial and stubborn problems, Lemay says that they are already having an impact, even among the unhoused population. 

“We’ve noticed that there are less people sleeping within the corridors, and they are actually experiencing these spaces and they are a part of our community, so the fact that it’s bringing a sense of calm and peace to these individuals,it is another way to support our mental health community,” she said. 

For example, Lemay says someone from the unhoused community stopped her to say he loves the colours of the installations. “Instead of the unhoused making havoc and problems, they also have a space to be.”

Lemay acknowledges that the initiative is not going to cure everything. “This is not going to solve the mental health problems, but what is going to do is help with the revitalization of the downtown and continue to create place.”

The reality is that, in addition to challenges with the unhoused population, the business community continues to suffer post-pandemic and from the Convoy occupation. “Our members are still very much struggling,” she says. “We still do have quite a few vacancies,” she says, adding that some of them are on track to be developed. 

Centretown is bouncing back, says BIA

However, in recent months, six new businesses have opened. In terms of feedback on the BIA’s initiatives, funding for which is in the “millions,” she says it has been mixed. Some are delighted while some are demanding to know what is actually happening to improve the area.

Dr. Sarah Gelbard, an adjunct professor of urban planning and architecture at the University of Ottawa, shares this sense of skepticism about this kind of effort. Similar strategies have been in place for about 15 years in other major cities, Dr. Gelbard says, with little effect. 

“There is a kind of encroachment, they are pretending to be positioning themselves as caretakers of the neighbourhood, but they’re actually taking over public spaces with their private interests,” she says. 

Dr. Gelbard supports public spaces, events and gatherings and a need for joy and a change of routine for residents, but hopes that they give people the sense that they can take over and utilize the spaces in different ways.

Ryan Jordan, owner of the brand-new Nefarious Comics at Bank and James Streets, says the Uncommon Spaces initiative is a welcome addition. “It definitely brings people to the neighbourhood,” he said.

Jordan chose to locate downtown as someone who prefers the urban environment, and the business has been so successful to date that he now employs five or six staff.

Ottawa’s core has long been a challenge for leaders looking to convince people to live and work there, but the situation ramped up post-pandemic with the advent of remote work. As a result, a task force was formed, which produced a report in 2023. The report identified initiatives such as Centretown BIA’s as a small lever that could spark new life.

“Facilitating street life increases the number of small businesses, increases tourism revenue, increases opportunities for the economic integration, reduces conflicts between people living in the streets and businesses, displays a city’s identity, and strengthens a neighbourhood,” the report states.

Another business group, the Downtown Business Improvement Area, is also launching events to attract people downtown. The six-week pilot project at 151 Metcalfe St. will see live events and live DJs.

“This is exactly the kind of partnership we want to see as we build a more vibrant nightlife economy for Ottawa,” said Mathieu Grondin, Nightlife Commissioner for the City of Ottawa in a news release. “Projects like this show how creative placemaking and diverse programming can help strengthen Ottawa’s nightlife sector and bring dynamic energy to the downtown core.”

Downtown by the numbers 

According to a 2023 report from the Downtown Revitalization Task Force, the area is a diverse yet troubled space, with over 1,300 homeless people, 12,000 waiting for housing, and only 3.5 per cent of buildings consisted of family dwellings.

The average cost of a two-bedroom unit is over $777,000, while average rent hovers around $2,400. In addition, (in 2023) there were three safe consumption sites serving 160 people per day, and alarmingly, 72 opioid overdoses every day.

The report also found that there were 19% fewer visits to the downtown core post-COVID. In total, almost 16,000 people call downtown home, and over 57,000 people work there, spread over a 184-hectare space populated by over 12,000 dwellings, with only 10-15 per cent of this consisting of affordable housing.

Dr. Gelbard of the UofO suggests helping those in need is where resources should go when trying to revitalize the downtown core. “We have to start with basic human needs and care. That’s the foundation,” she says, adding that officials and society need to focus resources on people struggling with mental health and addiction issues. “Then you will have people better able to engage with each other.”