Smart Growth Ottawa

What is Smart Growth?

Ottawa’s population will grow by 400,000 people over the next 25 years, including the largest annual increase of Millennials in the country. The City of Ottawa’s new Official Plan will consider options for where and how to accommodate that growth.

Where are Ottawa’s 400,000 new residents going to live? The Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association believes in the smart, sustainable growth of our city.

Ottawa’s population will grow by 400,000
people over the next 25 years.

Ottawa's population is growing

We need to build more homes

Experts and thought-leaders agree that to make housing more affordable and accessible for all, we need to build more homes.

The Globe and Mail, September 4, 2021 Read More

TVO.org, August 16, 2021 Read More

The Ottawa Citizen, August 30, 2021  Read More

The Globe and Mail, August 28, 2021 Read More

Housing Affordability and Choice

The cost of land for housing within the city has tripled over the last 5 years. House prices have risen by 30-50% in that same time frame. The draft Official Plan provides for a mix of increased intensification and new land in order to accommodate the 195,000 new homes we need over the next 25 years for our growing population. Importantly, it provides for a check-in after 5 years to ensure we’re on track.

Holding the urban boundary will compound increasing prices and ensure that we won’t build enough homes for everyone. Building new communities on a sustainable land supply supports affordability and choice.

The current Urban Boundary is just 13.1%
of the land in the City of Ottawa.

Ottawa Urban Boundary

Building new communities
close to existing City services and
infrastructure makes sense.

Building Communities

It supports housing affordability and choice.

Planned Growth is Smart Growth

We need well planned growth centred on transit, jobs, community centres and schools, contributing their fair share to infrastructure and taxes. This is not sprawl, it is planned growth.

Growth that puts people and families close to transit, schools, work, recreation, shopping, and other services is smart growth.

Kanata, Stittsville, Barrhaven, Riverside South and Orleans already have City services and infrastructure in place – and have population densities on par with, and in some cases more than, areas in the urban core.

Click where you live in Ottawa to send a note to your City Councillor and committee to say that smart growth must include housing affordability & choice.

Ward Map Ward #1: ORLÉANS Ward #2: INNES Ward #3: BARRHAVEN Ward #4: KANATA NORTH Ward #5: WEST CARLETON-MARCH Ward #6: STITTSVILLE Ward #7: BAY Ward #8: COLLEGE Ward #9: KNOXDALE-MERIVALE Ward #10: GLOUCESTER-SOUTHGATE Ward #11: BEACON HILL-CYRVILLE Ward #12: RIDEAU-VANIER Ward #13: RIDEAU-ROCKCLIFFE Ward #14: SOMERSET Ward #15: KITCHISSIPPI Ward #16: RIVER Ward #17: CAPITAL Ward #18: ALTA VISTA Ward #19: CUMBERLAND Ward #20: OSGOODE Ward #21: RIDEAU-GOULBOURN Ward #22: GLOUCESTER-SOUTH NEPEAN Ward #23: KANATA SOUTH

The Councillor for
is

Their email is

Have your voice heard.
Send an email to Councillor
and the planning committee
by clicking the link below:

Email Councillor

Please include your name and address in the email so that your councillor knows you live in their ward.

Smart Growth Ottawa

Smart Growth Ottawa