Mission
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The City of Ottawa, in a very public participative process, commissioned the development of a Master Plan for the city's future growth. Volume II of the Master Plan focused on the downtown area. The actions recommended by this Master Plan to implement the plan included the development of Design Guidelines.

 

Fig. 1 – Madison Street 1900
Fig. 1 – Madison Street 1900

 
Fig. 2 – Madison Street 2003
 Fig. 2 – Madison Street 2003

Fig. 3 – LaSalle Street 1900
Fig. 3 – LaSalle Street 1900

 
LaSFig. 4 – LaSalle Street 2003
Fig. 4 – LaSalle Street 2003

Why should we create guidelines? Over 1500 American communities have passed local preservation and design review ordinances to guide design change in their communities. Every state has some form of enabling legislation to allow this control. The way a community works and the way it looks are inseparable. For a city, town or village to be a good place to live, its citizens must care about its image. Downtown business people must maintain attractive display windows, signs and storefronts. Residents must care for their homes. Developers must understand the relationship between building rehabilitation and commercial activity. Further, they must be aware of the impact their projects have on the commercial district's traffic patterns and parking areas. Public officials must recognize how the design of downtown buildings, public spaces, transportation systems and parks affects the community's economic and social quality of life.

Since the late 19th century, most American towns and cities have had public regulations regarding the design of buildings for health and safety. The way a building relates to neighboring structures, streets and transportation systems has also been publicly controlled since the turn of the century. Together, the creators, financiers and regulators of architecture have produced spaces like Frank Lloyd Wright's home, Fallingwater, Eero Saarinen's John Deer headquarters in Moline, IL, the Marin County Courthouse in California and Daniel Burnham's extensive city plan for Chicago.

 

Fig. 5 – LaSalle Street 1900
Fig. 5 – LaSalle Street 1900

 
Fig. 6 – LaSalle Street 2003
Fig. 6 – LaSalle Street 2003

Fig. 7 – Madison Street 1900
Fig. 7 – Madison Street 1900

 
Fig. 8 – Madison Street 2003
Fig. 8 – Madison Street 2003

Fig. 9 – Main Street 1900
Fig. 9 – Main Street 1900

 
Fig. 10 – Main Street 2003
Fig. 10 – Main Street 2003

In the last few decades, the ways design is regulated and financed have changed. Many financiers, who would never have invested in rehabilitating buildings in traditional commercial districts, have found new tools and techniques to make these investments profitable. Public officials who monitor safe building construction and building use have developed new ordinances and regulations promoting the revitalization of downtown and neighborhood commercial centers. The public's growing concern for good design has led to the development of standards of what is, and is not, appropriate design. These are fundamental changes. No longer is a commercial building solely the concern of its owner; now, a building's visual image is often subject to public review and debate. If correctly handled, design regulation can have positive results for all concerned.