Mayor Mike Savage isn’t sure what sort of impact Jacob Ritchie’s departure from city hall will have on the long-delayed Centre Plan. The urban planner has been shepherding the new planning bible through a slow, often delayed approval process for the past few years. But this week he’ll be leaving city hall behind to head […]
Urban design
Posted inNews + Opinion
A nightmare of evocation as Halifax falls to the wrecking ball
One of my dystopian nightmares (I know that term is redundant but I want to emphasize just how scared and disgusted it makes me) goes like this: At some point in the not-so-distant future, everything that makes Halifax livable, lovable and distinct (common lands, public spaces, historic buildings, heritage neighbourhoods) has been razed and replaced […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Outrage over the province’s $697 jaywalking fine
[Image-1] When he remembers being hit by a car last year, Joe Pepper just feels ashamed. The University of King’s College student admits he had been drinking that night. He jogged across the dimly lit Coburg Road, just miscalculating how much time he had to miss an oncoming car. “I guess I was feeling gutsy,” […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Righting a wrong with the Cogswell Interchange
[Image-1] The $64-million Cogswell Interchange redevelopment will radically change the shape of Halifax’s downtown over the next several years. How that will be accomplished is John Spinelli’s job. The HRM native previously managed such large-scale construction projects as the $440-million Suncor Voyageur complex in Alberta, and the recent $1.8-billion revitalization of Union Station in Toronto. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
How this city almost killed me
[Image-1] Last week, I nearly got killed as I walked onto a crosswalk on Lacewood Drive. I pressed the button and stepped out, assuming the car was far enough to stop. A loud, heart-dropping three car collision later, I was looking back over the moment that could’ve easily been my last. Thankfully, no one […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Dartmouth trail to be completed 12 years after being started
[Image-1] It’s a conspicuously missing link on the multi-use paved path along part of Dartmouth’s waterfront. Now, more than a decade after the first phase of the municipal trail was constructed, a long-lasting gap is scheduled to be filled. Halifax spokesperson Tiffany Chase says that the city will finally plug the linear break that exists […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Advocacy and the future of cycling
[Image-1] One of the greatest misconceptions about the various types of dedicated bicycle infrastructure is that they only serve a minority of the population—that they’re pet projects for bicyclists. The reality is that whether you’re left or right leaning, urban or suburban, rich or poor, bikes are simply one of the most accessible and efficient […]