Makerspace to Maker City: A Magical Realist's Guide to Urban Redevelopment

Inevitably, all cities change. In Ottawa, the dominant development model has been responsible for the replacement of small buildings with much larger ones (notably the condominium tower) which homogenizes the more diverse and finer grained historic fabric of neighborhoods. In this process, continuity, memory, traditions, habits, familiarities, and indeed, the city that dwellers are able to creatively participate in and “make” their own, disappears. With a different approach to new development in old neighborhoods, the “maker city” can emerge. This thesis examines the literary tradition of magical realism and the recent maker movement as models to inform a new strategy for urban redevelopment, one that strives to preserve traces of the city’s incremental growth, while opening up a more versatile and participatory urban realm. Working from magical realism’s objective and precise study of existing conditions opens possibilities for a marvelous city of making.