What are Centretown’s ‘Uncommon Spaces’?

As part of the Street Seats Pilot Program, three spaces have been transformed in Centretown.

Some bright and colourful new spaces have popped up in Centretown this summer.

They’re certainly not a common sight, and that’s part of the draw.

Called “Uncommon Spaces,” these three installations along Bank Street are an initiative by the City of Ottawa and the Centretown BIA, in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies.

“Together, we’re transforming underused street corners into vibrant public spaces that bring creativity, connection, and community back to the heart of our downtown,” the Centretown BIA says on its website.

They’re located along Bank Street at Frank, Florence, and MacLaren streets, and will be active through October with a variety of free events.

“We want people to come explore, utilize the space. It’s free. There’s programming. They can come and book the time themselves. So, if they want to do a birthday party, if they have an event, if they want to just do like a book club, they can come here,” Sabrina Lemay, executive director of the Centretown BIA, told CTV News Ottawa.

Somerset Ward Coun. Ariel Troster told CTV Morning Live the spaces were created with the help of a former New York City transportation commissioner.

“We worked with an incredible woman, her name is Janette Sadik-Khan, and she pedestrianized town square,” Troster said. “Her department created vibrant public spaces, public plazas in every borough of New York City, and so we took our inspiration from her, and also from Montreal and from other cities that have been doing this work.”

Troster says the name “Uncommon Spaces” comes from the BIA, which has branded Centretown as an uncommon place.

“This is downtown, it’s artsy, it’s quirky, it’s a place where spontaneous things can happen,” she said. “And it’s so amazing to see how these spaces are already being used. There’s been yoga classes, there’s been comedy shows, there’s been music performances, and the cool thing is there’s a public booking link, so you can go online and if you want to throw and event, you can throw an event. It’s free.”

The Frank Street location is being used in the evenings as a restaurant patio by Fauna but is bookable for daytime events, and the Urban Art Collective manages the MacLaren location.

“They did live painting; they did a graffiti and mural tour of Centretown. It’s really incredible to see what happens when we bring the arts community, the business community and the City together to program these amazing spaces,” said Troster.

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You can find a link to book an event at any of the Uncommon Spaces and a calendar of upcoming events at the Centretown BIA’s website.