Gentrification in Ottawa:Racial Dimensions of Housing

Canada's capital city has been going through one of the most significant transformations in its history since its incorporation as a city in 1855, after changing its name from Bytown to Ottawa. This paper undertakes to answer the following questions. How have the developments and redevelopments in the recent decades impacted the lives of Ottawa's poor and low-income population? How have these developments triggered gentrification in neighbourhoods near downtown, driving low-income residents out of their homes? Have these developments and redevelopments and the resulting gentrification affected the city's racialized population disproportionately? The motivation of the research came from trends of population growth of visible minorities in Ottawa, and the resulting change in the city's racial-ethnic mix-up. Two of these developments will build eight high rises ranging from 25 to 65 storeys featuring 2,841 residential units. It is expected that the LRT and other related developmentswill bring reinvigoration and revitalization of the city, especially its downtown core. These ambitious redevelopments can be seen as indicators of a city that is about to rapidly gentrify.