health outcomes, our future, and the built environment

The Centretown Buzz
November 19, 2010

There are certain moments in history when our involvement and collaboration are crucial to ensuring the health of our communities. In Centretown, we are on the cusp of realizing a new future. The opportunity is open to shaping a destiny that reflects the values of the people who live, work and play in the neighbourhoods that we love and call home. There are currently numerous large-scale projects staging up around us and we need to ensure that the principles of sustainability and health are reflected fully, as our built environment evolves. As Centretowners, we appreciate that the urban core of our nation’s capital is not only our community but it is also symbolic of a deeper, national and global experience. It is in this context that we will need to think critically about the development propositions that will increasingly be introduced to our community.

It’s truly exciting to think about what our streets will look like in the coming decade, but make no mistake, there will always be competing visions, and that competition is taking place today. In spite of intense resistance, led in part by a city-wide coalition called Friends of Lansdowne, we are now closer to having a new commercial and entertainment redevelopment project in our backyard, at Lansdowne Park. Transportation to and from this site will be challenging and solutions are still being discussed. Bronson Street is being rebuilt and an opposition campaign has emerged. Community groups are coming together through an initiative called Rescue Bronson and are questioning the effect of higher-capacity thorough-fare on local businesses, neighbourhood interconnectivity, families, and community health. We have a Downtown Ottawa Transit Tunnel that will eventually affect numerous transit users and that will forever change the transportation dynamics of our community. While the transit tunnel is being bored, drilling will also begin for what is called a combined sewage storage project, where massive sewage tunnels and storage will be located under Centretown. These two new developments are positive both for mass transit and for water quality in the Ottawa River, but there will be community impacts. The City of Ottawa is also reviewing Centretown within the boundaries of a newly created concept called “Mid-Centretown,” due to the location of growth pressure and development interests. Higher levels of density in Centretown are inevitable and our participation will be needed to ensure community interests are consistently represented, front and centre.

There still remain numerous unanswered questions regarding the limits of growth and the intersection between intensification and community health. What are the thresholds of population density and the levels of government services and community amenities that should accompany sustainable urban growth, and that are necessary to maintain or increase the health of Centretowners? High-speed and increased traffic has implications for families, pedestrians, and cyclists. Higher population density may bring more vehicular traffic. More people also mean more bicycles and pedestrians. Do we have the infrastructure to match? In 2010, smog-related premature deaths will total approximately 526. Compared to other Ontario municipalities, Ottawa has had fewer incidents of poor air quality but it’s clear that local, regional, and global air pollutants have dire health outcomes. What are the options if or when our air quality dips? In addition, less walkable, auto-dependent built environments have been correlated with higher body weights, obesity, and their associated chronic diseases. With Centretown’s below average amount of parks and recreation opportunities, when will new facilities be added to keep our growing population active? Where will new open space come from? Adverse living conditions must be addressed with greater resources during future stages of growth. Housing is unaffordable for many residents in the community; 33% of residents pay more than 30% of their income on shelter. The percent of people below the Low Income Cut-Off is 26% in Centretown. This is up from past years and is considerably higher than the Ottawa average. When combined with a poor availability of grocery stores and a large number of fast food outlets there is reason for concern. The social determinates of health are intimately connected to our built environment and pose real challenges that Centretowners must face, everyday.

There will no doubt be lasting concerns but we cannot turn our backs to growth. It means that we have a responsibility to face the growth challenge critically and with a close eye on the health of our community. At Centretown and Somerset West Community Health Centres we believe that every individual and community matter. Everyone deserves access to high-quality, comprehensive health and social services. Growth pressure is enveloping Centretown today like never before and the impacts on our community’s health must be managed effectively, risks need to be understood and avoided or mitigated, and opportunities need to be realized to their fullest potential. All of these changes to our built environment will have direct and indirect health outcomes. The challenge should not be one of leadership. The challenge must remain one of managing our opportunities. If we can ensure committed leadership, our future is one filled with great optimism for the health of Centretowners.

Centretown/Somerset West Community Health Centres’ teams of physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, counsellors, dieticians, community developers, and health promoters deliver more than 60 programs. Community Health Centres are community-run organizations tailored to community needs and resources and committed to building healthier communities. The community health centre model of care is unique: the services go beyond primary health care to address the underlying conditions that affect one’s health. For more information about your community health centre please visit: www.centretownchc.org or www.swchc.on.ca.