Landscape Character Assessment &
Planning & Management Recommendations
Ontario East Municipalities Conference
September 12, 2012
www.rcls-sacr.ca

Outline – Challenges
• Study area?
• Public input: what matters?
• Characterize diverse landscape?
• Public input: “Visual Preference”?
• Can we plan/manage this corridor?

Landscape Character Assessment (LCA)
• identify the features that give a
locality its sense of place and
pinpoints what makes it different
from neighbouring areas

Landscape Character Assessment (LCA)
POP
QUIZ!

Quiz Answers
1.NASHVILLE
2.LAS VEGAS
3.SHANZAI,
CHENGDU

experience of the World Heritage Site is
The
not only the site itself
but the broader landscape in
which the site is experienced.

1. Study Area?
• “Viewshed” analysis
– Mapping of topography and vegetation Parks Canada:
– Visibility test to determine views into
and from the canal
• Based on 4 to 5 metres above canal
high water mark
elevation

2. Public Input: What Matters?
Diverse & passionate citizens
• We need your input!
• What do you think are the unique areas in the Rideau Canal corridor?

Workshop /
Atelier de consultation (2)
Important area for: Lieux importants au niveau:
• Heritage/culture - Red • Patrimonial / culturel – Rouge
•
• Tourism/economy – Blue • Du tourisme / de l’économie - Bleu
•
downtown centreville

Workshop /
Atelier de consultation (3)
Important area for: Lieux importants au niveau:
• Nature/recreation – Green • Naturel/ récréatif – Vert
• Other - Yellow • Autres - Jaune
marina chez nous

Workshop /
Atelier de consultation (4)
Important area for: Lieux importants au niveau:
• Views to/from the canal - Purple • Points d’observation du canal - Mauve
Murphy’s Point Murphy’s Point

Workshop /
Atelier de consultation (5)
Please put your sticky notes directly on Veuillez apposer vos étiquettes sur les
the maps… cartes…

Please join our Flickr group! /
Joignez-vous à notre groupe Flickr!
>> Follow the link at
www.rcls-sacr.ca

3. Characterize Diverse Landscape?
Canal is 202 km in length
• 4 Geographic Sectors & • 4 Secteurs Géographiques &
9 Landscape Character Areas 9 Sites de caractérisation du
based on: paysage basés sur:
– Watershed divide (Upper Rideau – La séparation des bassins
Lake) hydrographiques (lac Upper Rideau)
– Evolution of the Canal – L’évolution du Canal
– Landscape characteristics – Les caractéristiques du paysage

Landscape Character Areas /
Sites de caractérisation du paysage
4 Geographic Sectors 4 Secteurs géographiques
1. Rideau Canal: Ottawa 1. Canal Rideau: Ottawa
• Ottawa River to Hogs Back Lockstation • rivière des Outaouais au poste d’éclusage Hogs
Back
2. North Sector: Rideau River
2. Secteur Nord: Rivière Rideau
• Hogs Back Lockstation to Newboro
• poste d’éclusage Hogs Back à Newboro
• follows Rideau River which flows north-east from
Upper Rideau Lake to Ottawa River • longe la rivière Rideau, qui coule en direction
nord-est du Lac Rideau supérieur à la rivière
3. Tay Canal des Outaouais
• constructed canal / dredged Tay River, extends 3. Canal Tay
between Lower Rideau Lake and Perth
• canal construit/dragage de la rivière Tay effectuée,
4. South Sector: Cataraqui River (Upper Rideau s’étend du lac Rideau inférieur jusqu’à Perth
Lake to Kingston) 4. Secteur Sud: Rivière Cataraqui (du Lac Upper
• follows Cataraqui River and system of natural and Rideau jusqu’à Kingston)
flooded lakes • suit la rivière Cataraqui et le réseau
hydrographique connexe.
• flows south-west from end of Upper Rideau Lake to
Lake Ontario • coule en direction sud-ouest du bout du lac Rideau
supérieur au Lac Ontario

Landscape
Character Areas

Landscape
Character Units

4. Public Input: “Visual Preference”
• We need your input! 72 pictures
• This visual preference survey will
aid in identifying what landscape
character types the public prefers
5 themes
by polling respondents on a
number of photographs
representing different characteristic
types of the corridor.

Audience Response Technology

Image #23
This picture represents what I like to see along the
Rideau Corridor.
Cette image représente ce que j'aime voir au long du
corridor Rideau.
1. Disagree
Totalement en désaccord
2. Somewhat disagree
Partiellement en désaccord
3. Neutral
Neutre
4. Somewhat Agree
Partiellement d’accord
5. Agree
Totalement d’accord

Image #24
This picture represents what I like to see along the
Rideau Corridor.
Cette image représente ce que j'aime voir au long du
corridor Rideau.
33% 33% 1. Disagree
Totalement en désaccord
25%
2. Somewhat disagree
Partiellement en désaccord
3. Neutral
Neutre
4. Somewhat Agree
8%
Partiellement d’accord
5. Agree
0%
Totalement d’accord
1 2 3 4 5

Rating
5.0
4.0
3.0
4.8 5.0 4.9 4.8 4.9 5.0 4.8
4.8
4.2 4.3
4.0
2.0
2.9
2.5
2.1
1.5 1.0
0.0
Image 28 Image 29 Image 30 Image 31 Image 32 Image 33 Image 34 Image 35 Image 36 Image 37 Image 38 Image 39 Image 40 Image 41 Image 42
Image 28 Image 29 Image 30 Image 31 Image 32 Image 33 Image 34 Image 35 Image 36 Image 37
Image 38 Image 39 Image 40 Image 41 Image 42

VPS On-line
Survey
• 310 surveys
completed

Current Project Status
 Information Scoping
 Desk-Based Research
 Field Evaluation and Visual Preference Survey
Can we manage
this corridor?
 Planning & Management Recommendations – Reporting

Can we manage this corridor?
• Yes!
• Myriad of tools still to be explored
 Policy, guidelines, by-laws / regulations, education, promotion,
programming, investment, recognition…
• Jurisdictions: federal / provincial / local
• Key: continued strong partnership

Visit the website:
www.rcls-sacr.ca

THANK YOU! / MERCI!
Ontario East Municipalities Conference
September 12, 2012
Rory Baksh, MCIP, RPP – Associate, Planning & Development
rbaksh@dillon.ca
613.745.2213