This Neighbourhood is Changing, Who is it Changing for?
REPORT
This Neighbourhood is Changing, Who is it Changing for? Urban Development and the Transformation of West Centretown (July 2022, 56 pages)
By Monika Imeri, Sneha Sumanth and David Hugill (a collaboration between researchers at Carleton’s Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and the Somerset West Community Health Centre)
DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: West Centretown is a vibrant mixed-income neighbourhood in Ottawa’s central core. For decades, it has been distinguished by its diverse collection of housing types, as well its comparative affordability.Over the course of the last half decade, the neighbourhood has begun to be transformed by a significant development boom. While new investments in the area have delivered some positive change, including increased density and improved transit, they have also threatened West Centre-town’s status as a place where people with lower incomes can continue to live. Most new and proposed developments are marketed to a well-heeled clientele and the area’s stock of (comparatively) affordable housing continues to shrink. Few would dispute that West Centretown is changing, but there has not been enough debate about who, precisely, it is changing for.This Neighbourhood is Changing demonstrates that West Centretown’s character, composition, and demographic makeup are all in flux. Its aim is to advance a broad conversation about these change. To do so, it catalogs and considers the impact of new housing developments in the area.
POSTER
We have a limited number of 18 x 24 printed posters. If you’d like one, please fill out this form.
