The more barriers we put in front of building housing the less affordable our housing will be
The most glaring issue is how much of our city is zoned for single-family housing, but add on parking minimums, minimum lot sizes, maximum building heights, minimum setbacks, etc… and it becomes a surprise that we’re even able to build any housing here, to begin with. The only housing that’s left to be created is over-expensive and extremely low-density. This stands in the way of creating a well-functioning city.
This isn’t to say we should remove all zoning laws, but a more reasonable approach that allows for the missing middle density that is often seen in cities like Montreal, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris, etc… is sorely needed in Ottawa to make our housing more affordable and function better for the diverse groups of people living in our amazing city.
A strong city doesn’t need to be extremely dense
Many of the cities listed above don’t really “feel” all that dense, yet still achieve a great amount of density by allowing for the missing middle density that Ottawa doesn’t. Having only the 2 extremes of densities leads to many feeling like they’d never be able to live in a “denser” area as the only form of density they know is skyscrapers, but this isn’t the only option. Just like most things, the answer is found in a compromise of the extremes.
A city needs density to be able to provide amenities.
