The school year has started again, and for many students that means returning to Ottawa from their hometowns. At Carleton University, most of these students choose to rent apartments or houses near campus, or live in one of Carleton’s upper-year student residences.
However, finding a place to live can be difficult for Carleton students, because the university doesn’t really have an area dedicated to student housing. Unlike the University of Ottawa (U of O), which has Sandy Hill, the neighbourhoods around Carleton prove problematic for creating a student community. With the Experimental Farm and Dow’s Lake bordering one side of campus, and the Rideau River flowing past the other, there isn’t a lot of space in Carleton’s immediate vicinity to start student housing projects.
While Sunnyside Avenue and the Glebe are convenient areas to live, you’ll be lucky if you are able to find a room available within a student budget. For those who want to live with their friends, it’s difficult to find a whole house for rent, as many student homes have been converted into apartments.
Areas like Billings Bridge, Hog’s Back, Little Italy, and Chinatown are more frequently rented by Carleton students, but these neighbourhoods are not the closest to school. While having a U-Pass means that unlike in cities like Toronto or Montreal, students don’t have to worry about commuting cost, accessing campus via public transit leaves students dependant on the unreliable OC Transpo. During busy days, this can often change a commute from 15 minutes to 30. Improving bus routes would significantly help students who choose to live further from campus.
Since Carleton has only a few main buses and the O-Train that pass through the campus, location options are even more limited. A good number of students also live in Alta Vista and Prince of Wales, so more direct bus routes from there to campus are necessary to make the most of these neighbourhoods. Currently, the 111 still doesn’t run to campus on weekends, making it inconvenient for students who want to study at the library during their days off.
Another way to improve student housing would be to make on-campus residence options more abundant and affordable. Currently, there is only one residence building for second-year students, and another one for third- and fourth-year students. Many students choose not to stay in residence because even without the meal plan, it’s still expensive. On-campus residences are expected to be more expensive because of the convenience they offer, but they should still be an option for students who cannot find a suitable place to live anywhere else in the city.
Carleton is celebrating 75 years in 2017, making it much newer than schools like U of O and the University of Toronto. While it’s understandable that the area around the campus isn’t designed specifically for students, there are many things the school can do to improve this.
It’s up to Carleton to partner with the City of Ottawa to provide better housing options for students. Creating student neighbourhoods should be a long-term goal. The heart of Ottawa is full of students, so both the university and the city should both do their best to give students convenient and affordable living options.
