The BUZZ on Twitter New group wants to "embrace change:" takes city-wide perspective October 20, 2012 A new group interested in the direction of development in Ottawa has been formed. The Ottawa Urbanists want to create a forum for discussion and consultation that looks at development issues from a city-wide perspective, taking in the experiences and concerns of a broad-based group of citizens. The group began as an online forum, but has now had its first AGM, on September 19, and its first board meeting two weeks ago. While some have been describing the Ottawa Urbanists as "pro-intensification," President Philip Ghosh said, "It's not written into our constitution, but there is a prevalent view among our members that we want to speak to issues of sustainable communities and sustainable development, and one good way of achieving that is intensification." He said that the group's aim is to make sure that changes coming from development are as good as possible, ensuring that citizens have a say in the decisions that are made. "We want to accept and embrace change as a positive," he said. Following the board meeting, the group has begun to develop its short-term goals. One major goal is developing its membership. The hope is to have a broad base of members from across the city, who can be brought in on various committees and projects. (Anyone interested in becoming a member should contact ottawaurbanism@gmail.com.) They have a wide range of initial priorities: one major priority will be a