HALIFAX - Once declared by Shakespeare, "What is the city but the people?" suggests he may have been as successful an urban planner as playwright. If people are core to a city, perhaps the way a city is planned and developed ought to incorporate people's needs, visions and values.

Historically, Halifax has not been known for engaging its people in the process of city building. Strong citizen opposition and lack of engagement in projects such as the Cogswell Interchange, Scotia Square, the Chebucto Road widening and, most recently, the Convention Centre, exemplify this process.

In recent years, the process has been shifting. Citizens were involved in the creation of Halifax's downtown vision and plan, HRMbyDesign. Over 1,000 people gave input to design the Halifax Central Library. The Fenwick Tower Redevelopment engaged citizens in multi-stakeholder visioning sessions led by a private developer. In this new context of growing citizen engagement, it is fitting that Capital Health, an institution whose primary interest is health of the people of Nova Scotia, be among this list of trailblazers.

Nearly 100 people on Sunday, November 21 sat around small tables in Guild Hall of the Atlantica Hotel, just across the street from the …

HALIFAX -Here it is Halifax: an opportunity to rethink how our city uses its interim and vacant sites for the common good. Together with Dalhousie University’s Cities and Environment Unit, Partners for Care of Capital Health will host a public meeting to explore ideas for the interim use on the site of the former Queen Elizabeth High School.

Once demolition of the school is complete, the land at the corner of Bell Road and Robie Street will transfer to Capital Health. At some point in the future this property will be used for hospital expansion. In the meantime, the roughly 2.5 acres of centrally located property presents an opportunity that Capital Health intends to share with our community.

Capital Health has introduced the idea of creating an urban farm on this site - a space to grow healthy food and demonstrate gardening skills directly in the city centre. Feedback on this idea has been extremely positive - but they want to hear your ideas as well.

WHAT: Public Forum on Interim Use of Queen Elizabeth High School Site
WHEN: Sunday, Nov 21, 12:30-4:30pm
WHERE: Atlantica Hotel - Guild Hall, 1980 Robie St, Halifax
HOW MUCH: Free
CONTACT: Roma Jean …

MONCTON - Woman struck at intersection[Times & Transcript]
HALIFAX - Herring Cove Road bike lanes nixed by Halifax council [The Coast]
N.B. - Miramichi council gives road revamp green light [Times & Transript]
HALIFAX - No bridge toll relief for Metro Transit [the Coast]

CITY HALL

FREDERICTON - Hearing of objections planned [Daily Gleaner]
FREDERICTON - City alters meeting schedule again [Daily Gleaner]
N.B. - Making way for condo project [Telegraph Journal]…

HALIFAX - Council puts brakes on bike lanes [Metro News]
SAINT JOHN - City lawyers look at move by Rothesay [Telegraph Journal]
FREDERICTON - Changing demographics will be the focus of meeting in Fredericton [Daily Gleaner]
HALIFAX - Council set to deal with downtown development [Metro News]

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

MONCTON - Riverview housing development grows [Times & Transcript]
FREDERICTON - Convention centre on track - director [Daily Gleaner]
N.B. - Memramcook studying bilingual signage policy [Times & Transcript]

TRANSPORTATION

N.B. - Traffic down to one lane each way on Paul Street, Dieppe [Times & Transcript]
FREDERICTON - Officials say traffic woes in neutral [Daily Gleaner]
P.E.I - Montague to get roundabout near new high school [The Guardian]…

If coffee doesn't quite spark your brain on Mondays, get your juices flowing with Spacing Atlantic's musing of the week. We pose a question - you think, write, comment, share philosophies, facts, ideas or opinions. We will summarize the discussion and provide musings of our own. Don't be shy! Comment away ..

Were you first in line to see the Queen while she was in Halifax? Did you stay at home in protest? Did you dress up as her and parade in your own beautiful hat? Were you indifferent? Why is that so??

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Photo by Clara Stewart-Robertson & Jennifer Pritchard

HALIFAX - "North End neighbours and all Haligonians alike - look out!" proclaims Ecology Action Centre's Community Environmental Educator, Kristen Rae Finley. That is, look out for the Neighbourhood Earth project launching this summer. Using art as a medium to learn about our landscape and urban ecology, Neighbourhood Earth is a free education program with a community focus. Initiated  by the EAC’s  Diversity Committee, this program hopes to grow the Centre's role as a friendly neighbour in the North End of Halifax. It is about "showing our passion for a healthy, happy and creative North End".

Delivering creativity, art and ecological education to unexpected spaces helps us all imagine possibilities for our neighbourhoods, our city. Such urban activism was described as "placemaking" by Michael Cook of City Repair in Portland, Oregon who recently hosted workshops at Halifax-based Arts Engage Symposium.  He highlighted how placemaking generates new relationships in a community by creating places to gather and animating public space with nature, art and people.

Some would say the product of placemaking is as important as the process. It is in collaborating, learning and sharing ideas that community is built. Through creating …

If coffee doesn't quite spark your brain on Mondays, get your juices flowing with Spacing Atlantic's musing of the week. We pose a question - you think, write, comment, share philosophies, facts, ideas or opinions. We will summarize the discussion and provide musings of our own. Don't be shy! Comment away ..

Downtown Halifax has abundance of empty storefronts & spaces. How might we better use this space while it awaits development or more permanent occupancy?

photo by Hugh Pouliot…

HALIFAX - The Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC) recently launched a promotional campaign to "tell a better story" about your experiences downtown - that is, after you get out of your office/home/car to take advantage of the fun factory that our downtown can be. One ad tells the story of the great food I ate, the park I sat in, and the conversations I had during my lunch break - rather than "I ate at my desk today".

This positive approach piqued my interest, got me thinking about the downtown story I tell, and ultimately lured me to their annual general meeting last Wednesday evening. As I arrived Paul MacKinnon, Executive Director of DHBC, was delivering an entertaining tongue-in-cheek presentation on people's perceptions of the downtown, informed by their annual survey.

Overwhelmingly (yet not surprisingly) parking shortages emerged as the hot issue. I had to surpress myself as the city-design-geek in me physically cringed. Considering the plethora of challenges and opportunities we Haligonians could speak up about - why does parking always take centre stage? What a dull story: "I tried to go downtown but there wasn't enough pavement to sit my big auto on for an hour or two, …

A Convention Centre is proposed to fill a void in the vibrant heart of downtown Halifax. What do you think is the best use of this land?

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HALIFAX - We Haligonians have a unique opportunity. We live in a city so small that, with a little effort, we can keep our finger on its pulse. Being an opportunity seeker, lately I've frequented city council meetings and public hearings. I wonder why so few others take this time to speak their mind and help shape our future? If you find yourself talking about city issues at the bar or over the kitchen table, I extend an invitation to you to come to city council on Tuesday nights. You can see the agenda for each week here. It does matter.

Upon arrival at city hall this Tuesday I was directed to the 'overflow room' (ie. Halifax Hall) as council chambers were standing-room-only for a hearing on a Cedar St development, which was passed by council. Tiny speakers on the tiny television made it nearly impossible to hear what was happening. However, I was pleased to see people engaging in the public hearing and also enjoyed being in the presence of a Garry Neill Kennedy exhibition in Halifax Hall.

As city staff assured me, I made it into council chambers intime for Dexel Development's proposal for a 5-storey rooftop …