CARP – The Federation of Citizens’ Associations of Ottawa (FCA) is looking for Carp contribution on a survey on the feasibility of Carp as a 15-minute village.

The survey simply asks, ‘is the Village of Carp a 15-minute neighbourhood?’

A 15-minute neighbourhood is defined as a place where a resident can get everything he or she requires for sustainability within a 15-minute walk of home including employment, groceries and the necessities of life.

The City of Ottawa is rewriting its Official Plan – a document that will determine how the city will grow in the next 20 years relating to infrastructure, policies that will support economic growth, development and the evolution of communities. The purpose of this review is to position Ottawa to be flexible, resilient, and, above all, a city where people want to live, work, and play.

Ottawa staff are proposing a number of significant policy changes through the Official Plan to make Ottawa the most liveable mid-sized city in North America.

Known as the ‘Five Big Moves’, the following statements capture the most significant policy proposals for the new Official Plan:

1. Growth: Achieve, by the end of its planning period, more growth by intensification than by greenfield development. This growth will provide a variety of affordable housing options for residents.
2. Mobility: By 2046, the majority of trips in the City of Ottawa will be made by sustainable transportation.
3. Urban Design: Improve our sophistication in urban and community design, and put this knowledge to the service of good urbanism at all scales, from the largest to the very small.
4. Resiliency: Embed public health, environmental, climate and energy resiliency into the framework of our planning policies.
5. Economy: Embed economic development into the framework of our planning policies.

“The FCA is heavily involved with the development and consultation of the new Official Plan for Ottawa,” FCA President Sheila Perry told West Carleton Online Aug. 22. “Fifteen-minute neighbourhoods are a priority with city staff.”

The FCA is an umbrella organization and forum for community associations and similar non-profit volunteer groups across Ottawa. The FCA connects local community groups to share resources and ideas.

“Together we advocate at city council to build stronger neighbourhoods,” Perry said.

The FCA has worked with other neighbourhoods on this project as well. 

“The FCA did two projects earlier with Telfer school of Management students on this in Barrhaven and another on transportation in Ottawa,” Perry said.

For this Carp survey the FCA is working in collaboration with Coun. Eli El-Chantiry, Carp BIA representatives, Huntley Community Association representatives and other partners. They invite all Carp residents to take a few minutes to respond to the Carp Neighbourhood Survey.

The Carp survey follows a similar study in Barrhaven, completed earlier in 2020 in collaboration with Councillor Harder, BIA, residents and lead by Telfer Students and the FCA.

“Not all neighbourhoods are the same, the Village of Carp is very distinctive and must be respected in its own right,” Perry said.

The survey is attempting to assess life in Carp. It is meant to analyze community life spanning from existing and desired amenities to the walk-ability of one’s own neighbourhood. All Carp residents, businesses, and community members are invited to participate.

The FCA will share the results of the survey later in the fall.

“We look forward to sharing the results with you,” Perry said. “Ben Ottenhof, Telfer graduate and leader on the Barrhaven study, and I will be gathering/analyzing the results and hope to have time to deliver at the end of September or early October.  We hope the survey results will provide information for future planning in the village of Carp.”

If you wish to take the FCA Neighbourhood Feedback Survey on Carp, click here. The survey will be accessible for roughly two weeks.