ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred many Canadians to spend more time outside with an increase in outdoor activities such as running, hiking, biking, and use of public parks. In response, local councillors and government agencies in the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada have experimented with the temporary closure of certain roads to give pedestrians and cyclists additional space to safely enjoy the outdoors. These measures have been generally met with a positive response from the public. In parallel, increased teleworking and time spent at home has driven a rise in demand for single-family homes while the market for condominiums has softened. These trends pose both challenges and opportunities for sustainability. The challenge is a potentially sustained trend of people moving out of the urban core and demanding larger homes, with the accompanying need for land and infrastructure to service lower-density communities. The opportunity is that creating more green spaces – whose value has arguably been highlighted during COVID-19 – could help maintain the attraction of urban living, regardless of how long the pandemic persists. Increased attention is already being paid to nature-based solutions to the challenges of climate change, measuring the human and ecological benefits of green spaces, and “re-wilding” to stimulate biodiversity. A fresh opportunity now exists to advocate for a “re-greening” of Canadian urban spaces. This chapter explores the co-benefits that re-greening the city could offer, using the City of Ottawa as a case study.
