When I was a kid, they used to just leave stuff to sit and rot in Dartmouth. It has long been ignored as a treacherous wasteland. King’s Wharf was once a rat-infested paradise for pot smoking, rock-throwing ne’re-do-wells. Shannon Park was the flashlight-tag capitol of the Urbanized Maritimes. Now, the developers and entrepreneurs are filling […]
Urban Planning
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax is smarter than Vancouver and it’s time to prove it
When I left Vancouver a year ago to settle into my new life here in Halifax, I was so relieved to think of never having to speak in front of city council ever again. Seven long years of fighting for livability and affordable housing in Metro Vancouver left me drained, depressed and defeated. Leaving all […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Willow Tree roundabout: Verdict on polarizing development delayed
It’s either a landmark building that will put food on the tables of Halifax’s working-class, or a shakedown that’s anathema to positive urban design. Depends who you ask. Over 40 residents, planners and friends of the Common attended a public hearing Tuesday evening at City Hall to speak out both for and against Armco’s Willow […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Bob Bjerke’s dismissal moves Halifax back in time
I’ll preface this article by admitting that I don’t yet know the details of chief planner Bob Bjerke’s quick exit (read: dismissal) from his role at HRM. No one does, not even the rest of HRM’s planning staff or apparently Bjerke himself (according to media interviews). This alone speaks to the culture of elusiveness that […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Jane’s Walk Halifax goes the extra mile this weekend
This weekend you’ll be able to stretch your legs with fellow residents all throughout Halifax and Dartmouth. Pick any of the 15 different jaunts which are a part of the internationally known and citizen-led neighborhood walking tours known as Jane’s Walk. The event is named in commemoration of American-Canadian journalist, author and urban activist Jane […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Alderney Drive not an appealing stroll
[Image-1] A research project examining how Alderney Drive affects walking in downtown Dartmouth concludes it’s not a very appealing spot for pedestrians. Adam Fine, a graduate student at Dalhousie University’s School of Planning, has asked walkers about their usual routes in Dartmouth’s compact downtown. People who did his survey last fall (Disclosure: I was one […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax’s dumbest intersection is getting fixed
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It’s probably not the worst intersection in the municipality, but it’s got to be the most needlessly confusing. Now the meeting points of Windsor Street, Chebucto Road and Cunard Street will be getting an overhaul, according to HRM’s recent request for proposals for designs to reroute the intersection. Currently anyone driving on Cunard Street […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Centre Plan takes centre stage
If you go to the very back of Halifax’s 306-page Municipal Planning Strategy, you’ll find a 12-page list called Municipal Development Plan Amendments in Chronological Order of Ministerial Approval. That’s a mouthful, so I like to call it “the special snowflake list.” For example, height precincts may allow for a maximum building height of 35 […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
HRM development’s critical masses
The sound of drills, the sight of construction cranes and the annoyance of closed sidewalks: This scene is familiar to anyone who’s spent time in Halifax lately. It’s getting hard to walk anywhere in the urban core without seeing some sort of high-rise construction. There’s plenty of speculation about the cause of all this building, […]
Posted inLifestyle
Why Dartmouth rules this weekend
As trees grow greener and commuters move from the sheltered lower deck to the open upper deck of the ferry, two Dartmouth events are inviting folks out of their homes for a weekend spent in the great urban outdoors. First, on Saturday, the Dartmouth Skate Coalition (that’s DSKC) is celebrating the grand opening of the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Why the Halifax Green Network plan matters
One of the best things about Halifax is the handy access to unspoiled wilderness. Taking a bus to the lake. Getting lost in the woods a 10-minute drive from downtown. Embarking on a canoe trip right behind Kent Building Supplies in the Bayers Lake Industrial Park. Visitors can’t believe how #blessed the locals are to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Transit plan: not perfect, but necessary
Forget about the fast ferry to Bedford. Forget about an airport bus. Make the Barrington Street and Spring Garden Road shopping districts car-free so more buses can use those streets, but cut the already paltry bus service to Dartmouth Crossing. Increase transit use by 18 percent in five years, by spending $93 million on new […]