Save downtown Halifax! Send in the high rises! More Scotia Squares!
More Aliant buildings! Lots more office towers—they add so much to
the street life and block out those pesky bits of sidewalk where the
sun still shines and the outdoor cafes flourish. And the wind tunnels
they create…sublime.
Away with Historic Properties (it’s OLD) and what’s left of
Victorian Barrington Street (it’s so 19th century). And that
view from Citadel Hill has to go—the developers need it to maximize
profits.
Away with the older low-rise buildings: the lower-priced rental
space they offer has been known to harbour that peculiar class of
citizens that Richard Florida refers to as the Creative Classes, the
artists, small business owners and not-for-profits. Sweep the whole lot
uptown to Agricola and Gottingen Streets where they belong. The sooner
the better.
Ah…now, isn’t that much better? Isn’t this what being a
world-class city is all about? Are we almost there? —Beverly W.
Miller, Halifax
This article appears in Oct 8-14, 2009.
