Coolest Street in the World (part 2)
Less than a 2 hour drive from the nation's capital.
Recap
Read part one of the Coolest Street in the World.
Recently, a group from Parkways for People went to Montréal for a field trip. We spent most of our time on rue Wellington in Verdun, which Time Out Magazine has called the coolest street in the world.
We saw first hand what makes a pedestrianized street work.
We believe a visit to Montréal would certainly be worth a day trip for Ottawa city councillors and staffls, our business improvement areas and the National Capital Commission.
Officials from the City of Calgary (including the Mayor) have visited rue Wellington on a study tour. As have officials from Atlanta.
See part one of the Coolest Street in the World for our first three lessons.
4. Inside and outside
Pedestrianization works best when the street is connected to inside spaces. It’s not always sunny. Public spaces need public washrooms.
Here’s the Friday afternoon crowd at a bar on the street, in to hear some up-and-coming youth bands.
And here is a Lego exhibition that draws people into the local church.
5. Unique features are worth the effort
Rue Wellington has an Enchanted Alleyway. It was 50’ of nothing that they turned into a tourist attraction. The alleyway is redone to match the season. Currently, it is set up as a neighbourhood café overlooking the sea.
Visitors come to the street just to see the alleyway. It been used in film productions.
It is the sort of feature that only happens when a community really loves a space, and is empowered to make it the best it can be.
Street painting also makes a big impact in transforming a road into a place for people. Wellington has lots of small street paintings as well as one very large mural. That mural is a destination in itself. Kids use the painted lines as a route for running around the space.
6. Accessibility
We were surprised with the number of people using mobility devices along Wellington. The street is clearly welcoming to people of all abilities.
A lot of thought has been put into accessibility, such as the ramps in the photo below. Making the roadway available to all.
The borough runs a free shuttle trike along the kilometre-plus pedestrianized stretch, for anyone with mobility challenges.
Bikes are welcome to use the street. But speed bumps have been put in to remind cyclists to slow down and share the space with others.
7. Special events
We were there on a Friday afternoon. So there were no special events happening.
But there are a ton of them through the summer. Every Friday evening, one of the merchants puts on salsa dancing that attracts thousands. The local dance studio puts on ballet-inspired workouts every Thursday. There are concerts throughout the summer. A Marionette festival takes place in late August. Last year, they had over 50 cultural events on the pedestrianized street.
Implications for Ottawa
We were inspired by Montreal, and the 11 streets it now pedestrianizes in the summer. We were super impressed with what Verdun had been able to achieve with the pedestrianization of rue Wellington.
Not long ago, Verdun was a fairly rough and tumble neighbourhood. The sort of place few would bother to visit, other than to go to the nearby beach. Now, it has one of the most attractive streets in the world.
Turning back to Ottawa, rue Wellington makes me think of Montreal Rd.
Both are in historically poor neighbourhoods. Both are on the edges of downtown, off the beaten track. Both have a main street surrounded by diverse and dense housing.
What could summer pedestrianization of Montreal Rd do for Vanier?
Could it be the catalyst that turns Vanier into the next up-and-coming neighbourhood?
Could summer pedestrianization be an engine of economic revitalization?
It worked two hours away.
But when it comes to pedestrianization of streets in Ottawa, we have a lot of naysayers. Starting with the Mayor.
Summer pedestrianization has been a smashing success in Montréal. Despite the naysayers, Ottawa could replicate the Montréal approach and have many of the same successes.
It would certainly be worth a day trip for City officials, our business improvement areas and the National Capital Commission.
So much inspiration. So close to home.
"connected to inside spaces" is so important especially with heavy insulation for snowy winters (and hot, humid summers) makes buildings almost soundproof.
I was meeting friends for Saturday morning breakfast on Bank Street and the street was silent. Only once I was inside did the inviting sounds of conversations and silverware on plates reach me. If we had more energizing sounds reach the street, it would change the vibe completely.
Centretown isn't dead, it's just hard to hear sometimes.
I've never even had Montreal Road on my radar of roads that could be pedestrianized, but I think it's a great idea. Lots of businesses, building up a lot nearby, and reasonably easy to access by car, bike, or on foot for many.