Modern Planning Issues in Halifax

 

Preceding the 1950s, Halifax's main function was a city for residence and work. Public and civic space was a characteristic trait of Halifax. The oldest public square in Canada (Grand Parade) and the oldest park in Canada (Halifax Common) both are in Halifax's downtown area.

However, the 1950s brought change to the city of Halifax. Two initiatives, the McNab Plan and the Stephenson Report, were created during this decade. Both plans proposed slum clearance and increasing the amount of traffic through the central business district. The Stephenson Report's (1957) goal was to increase the amount of retail space in Halifax as well as remove 8 acres of slum land. When creating and carrying out these plans, little citizen participation was encouraged. There was, and still is, controversy over many of the plans which were put into action without consulting the citizens of Halifax. The clearance of the slum known as Africville in 1964, is one of the better examples of these controversies. (click here for more on Africville)

Both these initiatives, along with a general urban renewal movement, had a very strong impact on the structure of Halifax as well as its use of space. Over the next twenty years Halifax saw drastic changes:

1955 The MacDonald Bridge opens

1956 The first shopping center on the peninsula opens

1960 Halifax's international airport opens.

Halifax's population reaches 110,00

1970 The McKay bridge opens

modern downtown Halifax

The influx of business developments in downtown Halifax during the 1960s and 1970s upset many of the residents of Halifax. Many Haligonians were concerned with the lack of attention which was being given to the preservation of the city's heritage and residential districts. The creation of the McKay bridge in 1970, which brought with it a new freeway made citizens especially upset. Citizens wanted less traffic in the downtown area. They also were concerned with developing the waterfront into more of an amenity, rather than a business and commercial area.

The 1980s and 1990s brought about more citizen participation in the planning of Halifax's downtown area. Instead of encouraging retail close to the waterfront, such as on Barrington Street, retail growth is being encouraged in areas further from the waterfront. The Waterfront Development Corporation(external link)was also established in 1976 to work with the public, as well as the government, to develop the waterfront and harbor in a way approved by both sectors of the city. Haligonians also have expressed interest in developing more residential areas close to the central business district; several residential areas are being constructed to meet these demands.