15-minute neighbourhoods – where people can live and work means affordable housing for staff

News & Updates

The best neighbourhoods are the ones you rarely need to leave.

In a 15-minute neighbourhood, home, work, groceries, and gathering places sit within a short walk. Life feels a little less rushed, and a lot more connected. Mainstreets stay busy through the day, not just at rush hour.

There is a quieter benefit, too. When people can work close to where they live, the staff who keep our shops, cafés, and restaurants running can actually afford to live nearby.

Business Improvement Areas help make this possible. Through streetscape improvements, events, and support for mixed-use, walkable districts, BIAs help build neighbourhoods where housing, jobs, and small businesses grow side by side.

Complete communities are not only convenient. They are more affordable, more connected, and more resilient.

When people can live and work in the same neighbourhood, everyone benefits.

OCOBIA Congratulates Ottawa’s Newly Elected Mayor and City Council

OCOBIA Congratulates Ottawa’s Newly Elected Mayor and City Council

OCOBIA extends its sincere congratulations to Ottawa’s newly elected Mayor and City Council following yesterday’s municipal election. On behalf of Ottawa’s 18 Business Improvement Areas and the more than 7,200 businesses they represent, we look forward to building...

Ottawa’s Mainstreets Have a Stake in This Election

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Ottawa heads to the polls on October 26, and the next City Council will shape the future of our mainstreets for years to come. Ottawa’s 18 Business Improvement Areas represent thousands of businesses across urban, suburban, and rural neighbourhoods. Through OCOBIA,...

Free Transit Weekend Across Ottawa — September 26 & 27

Free Transit Weekend Across Ottawa — September 26 & 27

As part of the City of Ottawa’s bicentennial celebrations, OC Transpo offered free transit across its full network on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 2026. The initiative made it easier than ever for residents to explore Ottawa’s mainstreets, attend...