From Urban Forests to Neighbourhood Treescapes: An Examination of Power, Actors and Processes in Champlain Park, Ottawa

Abstract

This research examines the asymmetries of power that exist between a variety of actors when addressing issues of Ottawa's urban forest. Champlain Park, a mature neighbourhood within Ottawa, was identified as a case study because of persistent infill development pressures and the presence of bur oak, a unique tree to the region. Through semi-structured interviews and supporting secondary materials, a discourse analysis was used to reveal key perspectives of the various actors involved in shaping the neighbourhood treescape of Champlain Park. This research highlights how dominant discourses supporting the neoliberal compact city privilege developers in decision making over the urban forest at the expense of community residents. It also reveals an inherent tension within the municipal government between its Forestry Services and the Planning Department. This research argues that a neighbourhood or community scale, the scale of the treescape, is also an important scale-but often neglected-for the management of the urban forest. This work argues that the urban forest should therefore be re-imagined as a mosaic of treescapes. ! iii Acknowledgements I would like to extend a deep thanks to my advisor Jill Wigle of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Carleton University, and committee member Joanna Dean of the Department of History at Carleton University. I am appreciative of their time, patience and commitment in advising me throughout the research process. I would like to give special thanks to John Milton for acting as a mentor throughout this process and for his continued support in pushing me when times got tough. I thank all the participants in this research whose input in this project allowed it to be possible. A special thanks to Daniel Buckles and Heather Pearl for providing such insight and useful resources toward the case of Champlain Park and the bur oak. Finally, I would like to thank my parents and brother for supporting me throughout the duration of my graduate studies.