New Urbanism, Lansdowne Park, and Oddball Canadian Rules

The city of Ottawa is currently embroiled in a debate about the merits of two competing visions for new stadiums and pro sports in the city. The first group is led by Jeff Hunt, owner of the Ottawa 67’s, with his proposal of Lansdowne Live! The group’s proposal is to return CFL football to the nation’s capital, and play out of a refurbished stadium at Lansdowne Park, replacing the dilapidated Frank Clair Stadium with a venue that can support football and soccer, as well as feature practice fields for soccer and baseball, shops, restaurants, an amphitheatre, and an aquarium, along with living, shopping, and eating.

The second group is led by Ottawa Senators’ owner Eugene Melnyk, and his Ottawa Soccer Stadium proposal. He wants to build a soccer complex in Kanata beside his Scotiabank Place that will feature five open-air grass pitches and a 20 000 seat stadium with the capability of converting to a concert facility. He would bring an MLS team to Ottawa to play out of his building. It would be built to share parking with Scotiabank Place on city land currently used as a snow-dump. Both groups are cajoling the public and council to give them the rights and the funding to complete their projects, and only one can go forward in the near future.

The responsible politicians and the people of Ottawa can only make one decision, and that decision must be Lansdowne Park. For those unfamiliar with the city, Lansdowne Park is close to the downtown core at the crossing of Bank Street over the Rideau Canal, about three and a half kilometres from Parliament. The proposed site for the soccer complex is west of the western suburb of Kanata, almost thirty kilometres from Parliament down the highway. It would be akin to the Toronto Blue Jays playing in Ajax.

I admit that any business proposal including the third incarnation of CFL football in Ottawa in fifteen years is perhaps dubious at best, and it is too bad that the sports and stadiums weren’t switched. And from Melnyk’s perspective, I can certainly see his agenda of creating his own sports and entertainment zone by his currently standing Scotiabank Place, home to his Ottawa Senators. However, for the sake of the city and the public, a revitalization of Lansdowne Park must be a priority. There have been no indications from either group that they would consider working together, even though both stadium proposals could support both sports. There is, however, serious question about whether a city that twice couldn’t support a CFL team could simultaneously support a CFL and MLS franchise.

But the case for Lansdowne goes beyond sports. It is currently a 2km concrete square featuring a parking lot, a partially condemned football field, a small hockey arena, and the Aberdeen Pavilion. The proposed renewal project would incorporate this space as a vibrant, happenin’ part of the city. Easily accessible, it could be designed with public transit and walking in mind, without the need for vast parking lots and traffic jams. This past winter some of the World Junior Championships games were held at the site, and we were able to skate to the games via the Rideau Canal. Compared to European urban waterways, the Canal is relatively isolated from the city, which can be quite pleasant, but doesn’t offer the same level of interaction as it could, which could in part be rectified by a renewed Lansdowne Park.

Scotiabank Place was built in 1994 to house the Ottawa Senators, and is a stark example of urban sprawl, cheap land, and short-sightedness. Whereas Toronto’s Air Canada Centre is attached to the subway and in quick walking distance of the downtown core, hockey fans in Ottawa must bus or drive, and wait in the resulting traffic mess that occurs when 20 000 people are trying to get on and off the highway via the same ramp at the same time. Not to disparage soccer, but we do it because it’s hockey. I’m not convinced soccer fans would have the same zeal for their team; at least not the casual ones. Placing an exciting sport with cheap seats in a downtown stadium on a warm summer’s evening would create a far better atmosphere than thousands of people sitting in private vehicles on the highway, and I can imagine it would attract many more casual fans. I would never watch the Blue Jays if I had to do it in Oakville.

New urbanism and shifting values towards city living are growing trends. Ottawa must take advantage of the grand public spaces it has, and elaborate upon them to create a community that people want to be a part of. A new stadium and public space at Lansdowne would be more than a place for a sports team to play; it would become a year-round vibrant part of the city. New housing projects on the site and in the area, and on places like Rideau Street, and development of LeBreton Flats will all help to create the kind of city where people will want to live, work, and play. Creating another suburban highway project will play to the benefit of Mr Melnyk, and not do much for the continued revitalization of the city. It is for this reason that Ottawa must favour the Lansdowne proposal.

Russ MacDonald