As soon as early fall, those much-loathed suspended highways could come crashing down amid applauding crowds. God knows where all the traffic will go whilst we await Cogswell to be reborn from the rubble, but with all those great new public spaces and viewpoints this is a story about people winning over traffic, right?
Back at the 2013 Shake Up public consultation we dreamt up a Cogswell which prioritized people. Consequently, the 2014 Cogswell Land Plan declared the new Cogswell would be a "walkable and transit-oriented extension of the
Thanks to the Integrated Mobility Plan, rehabilitated streets in our urban core must follow the Complete Street approach, with first priority given to the safety and comfort of pedestrians through
Fast-forward to 2018. Given all the above, we expected impressive people-focused stuff. But what we got in the 60
Twenty-three stakeholders including key business and active transport organizations expressed concern that the plans did not meet the design remit and priorities identified by regional council in 2014. Although public consultation over the summer of 2018 was focused on public spaces, not street and block configurations, design consultants Gehl provided some last-minute input.
Verdict: The plans were traffic, not people-focused. Buildings were too large, and streets
Things had clearly gone awry. Gehl recommended decision-makers should create a shared vision for Cogswell: Time to go back and consult.
I believe this didn't happen. The 90
The 90
The final work is on building designs. Will this be driven by
Cogswell will be more than just about traffic, but it may not be liveable, loveable and full of the character which defines Halifax and makes it a great place to be. Not a travesty, but an opportunity missed.