Ottawa’s New Transportation Master Plan Sets 20-Year Planning Priorities

Canada’s capital city recently completed the first step toward adopting a new Transportation Master Plan.

1 minute read

May 2, 2023, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Ottawa

SF photo / Shutterstock

Canada’s capital city of Ottawa recently approved a new Transportation Master Plan (TMP), setting ambitious goals to improve transportation’s role in growth, climate change, mobility technology, traffic safety, and affordability over the next two decades.

According to an April 26 press release posted on the city’s website, the Ottawa City Council vote approved step one in the TMP process, adopting new policies to guide the city’s planning decisions. Step two will require a capital infrastructure plan that identifies transit and road projects.

A “Highlights” document available online provides additional details about the policies approved by step one. Among the strategies listed in the document to meet the needs of a growing city are coordinating land use and transportation planning, cooperating with other cities and governments in the region, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.

The most recent news story on step one of the TMP, written by Laura Glowacki for CBC News, focuses on the TMP’s intentions to close gaps in the city’s bike infrastructure network.

Wednesday, April 26, 2023 in City of Ottawa

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

View from hilltop residential neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles, California on a cloudy day.

LA Falling Behind on Housing Goals

Last year, the city permitted just 30 percent of the number of housing units needed to meet a growing need.

May 27 - LAist

Canada geese and ducks on the shore of a lake with red brick boathouse in background across the lake in Lincoln Park, Los Angeles.

Connecting Communities to Nature Close to Home

Los Angeles County’s Nature in Your Neighborhood program brings free, family-friendly wellness and nature activities to local parks, making it easier for residents to enjoy and connect with the outdoors.

May 27 - Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation

Children inside large slide at water park.

Palmdale’s Beloved Water Park Gets $2 Million Upgrade

To mark its 20th anniversary, DryTown Water Park has undergone major renovations, ensuring that families across the Antelope Valley continue to enjoy safe, affordable, and much-needed water-based recreation in the high desert.

May 27 - Antelope Valley Press

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.