Projects

Downtown Oshawa Air Quality and Traffic Monitoring project

The City is joining the Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research at the University of Toronto, A.U.G. Signals and North Line Canada in a research study to monitor air quality and traffic movements in Oshawa’s downtown core. A one-year assessment began in May 2019 and will use compact sensors to monitor air quality and traffic movements with an aim to increase the City’s understanding of environmental issues in downtown Oshawa and to identify options and opportunities for improving the quality of the pedestrian experience. Read the media release.

Public Art Mural at Alexandra Park

A collaboration between the City, Durham College and Lakeridge Health has resulted in a new temporary public art installation at Alexandra Park and in the Child, Youth and Family Program’s waiting area at Lakeridge Health Oshawa. The installation is a great example of the community impact of City Idea Lab collaboration.

The artworks were completed through the Community Collaboration Course in Durham College’s School of Media, Art & Design and reflect the mental health experiences and resiliency of Child, Youth and Family program participants, medical professionals and family members. The 17 Fine Arts students who took part in this project gained first-hand experience working with City staff on creative place-making and public art projects. This is the second year the Community Collaborations Course was offered through the City Idea Lab.

Augmented Reality in Oshawa Valley Botanical Garden (OVBG)

TeachingCity Oshawa is proud to announce the completion of new Augmented Reality (AR) technology to encourage the community to explore and learn about the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens. The community can now use their smartphone cameras, to scan Quick Response (QR) codes placed on signage throughout the park to learn about the park, points of interest and utilize a navigation guide between landmarks. View the desktop version here. Students researched, designed and created the AR platform as part of a TeachingCity partnership with the City of Oshawa and the Durham College’s (DC) Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and School of Media, Art and Design. This was a pilot project that will be enhanced through future collaborations with DC students. The City and the College are also exploring the possibility of expanding the technology to include other City parks.

Stormwater Pond Water Quality Research Study

Under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Kirkwood, Ontario Tech University graduate student Alex Johnston along with undergraduate students Denin Grey and Jesse Killoran, studied 15 Stormwater Management Ponds across Oshawa to assess their water quality and determine the role of aquatic plants in stormwater treatment between May 2018 and April 2020.

Highlights from the study include confirmation that stormwater management ponds:

• vary in their ability to remove nutrients from stormwater; and,
• can sometimes be a source of phosphorus to receiving waters.

It was also determined that submerged aquatic plants may play a role in trapping nutrients, which ultimately improves stormwater treatment.

Conclusions and recommendations from this study will be used by the City to guide its stormwater management pond policies.

Municipal Natural Assets Initiative

The City of Oshawa was one of five municipalities selected to team up with the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (M.N.A.I.) in 2018-2019 to study how to apply an asset management perspective to natural assets in order to value and account for the services they provide.

The study specifically explored how to increase the quality and resilience of the banks along a section of the Oshawa Creek, located south of the downtown core, which is experiencing the effects of erosion from more frequent storms. Faculty and student researchers from the University of Toronto’s Civil & Mineral Engineering Department undertook the necessary modelling of a number of stormwater scenarios that may impact the Oshawa Creek.

Project findings show that natural assets along this segment of the creek currently provide a stormwater management value of $18.9 million. When including the full Oshawa Creek watershed, including the surrounding floodplain, this increases to between $392 million and $414 million.

It was determined that replacing the natural assets with an engineered asset would reduce the ability to retain water, leading to the potential for more flooding.

TeachingCity Video Project

Students from Durham College’s School of Media, Art & Design assisted the City of Oshawa in the development of some promotional videos on the TeachingCity partnership. The videos focused on the unique collaboration and shared commitment of the TeachingCity partners to help improve the lives of Oshawa’s residents by engaging the best and brightest minds in education, research, public policy and municipal government.   They can be viewed on the City’s YouTube channel @oshawacity.

The project demonstrates how partners are breaking down barriers, sharing ideas and coming together to address urban issues and solve real-world challenges while students gain hands-on experience and the opportunity to move beyond theory to practical applications.

Active Transportation for an Age Friendly Community research study

In 2018, the City began a collaboration with Ontario Tech University and the Oshawa Senior Citizens Centres on a research study to understand both barriers and promoters of the active transportation of older adults residing in Oshawa. The study will include recommendations on how to address identified barriers with a goal of increasing active transportation in the community, advancing the City’s Active Transportation Plan, and helping to inform the City’s planning policies.

Diversity & Inclusion

In 2017, the City of Oshawa and Ontario Tech University collaborated on a research project to create the City’s first Diversity and Inclusion Plan. The plan was subsequently approved in principle by Oshawa City Council. The Diversity and Inclusion Plan provides a strategic framework to guide the City as it continues to work toward an inclusive and welcoming city for all. The Plan’s action items address the goals of fairness, justice and non-discrimination to ensure community members have equal access to employment opportunities, programs and services, and feel welcome and involved in the community.

Hackathon

The first-ever TeachingCity Hackathon took place in March 2018. Providing students an opportunity to propose a solution to a public policy challenge around the theme of improving residential rental housing in Oshawa, the event saw 10 teams of students from all three organizations – supported and mentored by faculty, City staff, and community and business leaders – compete for a chance to win $1,500.

Smart Cities Challenge

In 2018, the City, in partnership with key stakeholders including TeachingCity partners Durham College, Ontario Tech University, and Trent University Durham GTA, embarked on a community-driven initiative to compete to win up to $10 million via the Infrastructure Canada Smart Cities Challenge. An extensive public consultation process identified community needs, project ideas and challenge areas and helped determine Oshawa’s priority issue for the Challenge. Submitted in April 2018, the City’s submission focused on empowering residents in low-income neighbourhoods by improving access to digital technology and the ability to access the services required to fully participate in the economy. The submission aimed to enhance economic and social equality across Oshawa.

TeachingCity Hub

On May 14, 2018, the City and its TeachingCity partners celebrated a successful first year with the opening of the TeachingCity Hub in downtown Oshawa.

Located at 1 Mary Street, the hub is an open-concept space designed to facilitate TeachingCity projects with the City’s education and research partners, including students, faculty and staff. Providing opportunities for TeachingCity partners to share access to facilities, resources and equipment, and offering office, classroom and open lab space, the hub is used for TeachingCity partnership meetings, collaborative learning opportunities and co-design.

TeachingCity Hub Mural

A recent Durham College graduate from the college’s School of Media, Art & Design will collaborate with TeachingCity partners to create and install a mural at the TeachingCity Hub. The artwork will reflect the partnership’s key principles: collaboration, innovation, applied research, experiential learning and knowledge transfer.