Editing Ottawa (section)

=== Built environment ===
During part of the winter season the Ottawa section of the canal forms the world's largest skating rink, thereby providing both a recreational venue and a {{cvt|7.8|km}} transportation path to downtown for ice skaters (from Carleton University and Dow's Lake to the Rideau Centre and [[National Arts Centre]]).<ref>{{cite web |date=7 March 2011 |title=Rideau Canal Skateway – National Capital Commission:: |url=https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/rideau-canal-skateway |access-date=7 June 2011 |publisher=Canadian Heritage |archive-date=18 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118140436/https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/rideau-canal-skateway |url-status=live}}</ref> On 29 June 2007, the Rideau Canal was recognized as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Rideau Canal |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1221 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906172404/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1221 |archive-date=6 September 2011 |access-date=27 May 2011 |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre}}</ref>

The older part of the city (including what remains of Bytown) is known as [[Lower Town]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rodgers |first1=Richard |title=Ottawa's Lower Town |url=http://www.gta.igs.net/~rrodgers/lowertown/Lower_Town.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624122817/http://www.gta.igs.net/~rrodgers/lowertown/Lower_Town.htm |archive-date=24 June 2021 |access-date=2 May 2021 |publisher=IGS}}</ref> and occupies an area between the canal and the rivers. Across the canal to the west lie both [[Centretown]] and [[Downtown Ottawa]], which share a border along Gloucester Street.<ref>{{Cite web |last=City of Ottawa |title=Centretown Community Design Plan, Part 1 |url=https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/documents/2centretowncdp_en.pdf |access-date=13 August 2022 |archive-date=14 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114194609/https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/documents/2centretowncdp_en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> These core neighbourhoods contain streets such as [[Elgin Street (Ottawa)|Elgin]] and [[Bank Street (Ottawa)|Bank]], which fill the role of commercial [[High Street|main streets]] in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |last=City of Ottawa |date=20 July 2017 |title=Centretown Community Design Plan |url=https://ottawa.ca/en/centretown-community-design-plan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114194615/https://ottawa.ca/en/centretown-community-design-plan |archive-date=14 January 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022}}</ref>

Centretown is next to downtown, which includes a substantial economic and architectural government presence across multiple branches of government. The [[Parliament of Canada|legislature]]'s work takes place in the parliamentary precinct, which includes buildings on [[Parliament Hill]] and others downtown, such as the [[Senate of Canada Building]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Public Services and Procurement Canada |date=31 July 2015 |title=Discover the Parliamentary Precinct – Canada's Parliamentary Precinct - PSPC |url=https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/citeparlementaire-parliamentaryprecinct/decouvrez-discover/index-eng.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621125422/https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/citeparlementaire-parliamentaryprecinct/decouvrez-discover/index-eng.html |archive-date=21 June 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca}}</ref> Important buildings in the executive branch include the [[Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council]] as well as many civil service buildings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_fhbro_eng.aspx?id=2992 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507065321/https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_fhbro_eng.aspx?id=2992 |archive-date=7 May 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=www.pc.gc.ca |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Panico |first=Giacomo |date=1 November 2019 |title=Sparks Street's great divide bad for business, merchants say |work=CBC News Ottawa |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/sparks-street-s-great-divide-bad-for-business-merchants-say-1.5339340 |url-status=live |access-date=13 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101003444/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/sparks-street-s-great-divide-bad-for-business-merchants-say-1.5339340 |archive-date=1 November 2020}}</ref> The [[Supreme Court of Canada]] building can also be found in this area.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Supreme Court of |date=1 January 2001 |title=Supreme Court of Canada - The Court - SCC Building |url=https://www.scc-csc.ca/court-cour/buil-edi-eng.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603161227/https://scc-csc.ca/court-cour/buil-edi-eng.aspx |archive-date=3 June 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=www.scc-csc.ca}}</ref>

Across the Ottawa River, which forms the border between Ontario and [[Quebec]], lies the city of [[Gatineau]], itself the result of amalgamation of the former Quebec cities of [[Hull (Quebec)|Hull]] and [[Aylmer (Quebec)|Aylmer]].<ref name="RazinSmith2006">{{cite book |author1=Eran Razin |url=https://archive.org/details/metropolitangove00smit |title=Metropolitan governing: Canadian cases, comparative lessons |author2=Patrick J. Smith |publisher=University of Alberta |year=2006 |isbn=978-965-493-285-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/metropolitangove00smit/page/79 79] |access-date=15 November 2015 |url-access=registration}}</ref> Although formally and administratively separate cities in two different provinces, Ottawa and Gatineau (along with several nearby municipalities) collectively constitute the [[National Capital Region (Canada)|National Capital Region]], which is considered a single metropolitan area.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=30 September 2013 |title=Consolidated federal laws of Canada, National Capital Act |url=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/n-4/page-3.html#h-374470 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502032420/https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/n-4/page-3.html#h-374470 |archive-date=2 May 2022 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=laws-lois.justice.gc.ca}}</ref> One federal [[Crown corporations of Canada|Crown corporation]], the National Capital Commission, or NCC, has significant land holdings in both cities, including sites of historical and touristic importance.<ref name=":4" /> The NCC, through its responsibility for planning and development of these lands, has a crucial role in shaping the development of the city.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Erickson |first=Donna L |date=2004 |title=The relationship of historic city form and contemporary greenway implementation: a comparison of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA) and Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) |journal=Landscape and Urban Planning |volume=68 |issue=2–3 |pages=206 |citeseerx=10.1.1.508.4274 |doi=10.1016/S0169-2046(03)00160-9 |bibcode=2004LUrbP..68..199E |s2cid=86215921 |issn=0169-2046}}</ref> Around the main urban area is an extensive [[Green belt|greenbelt]], administered by the NCC for conservation and leisure, and comprising mostly forest, farmland and marshland.<ref name="BrownMitchell2005">{{cite book |title=The protected landscape approach: linking nature, culture and community |publisher=IUCN—The World Conservation Union |year=2005 |isbn=978-2-8317-0797-6 |editor1=Jessica Brown |page=195 |editor2=Nora J. Mitchell |editor3=Michael Beresford}}</ref>