SAINT JOHN - As a new Municipal Plan era is ushered in, it creates a soft landing for what has been a tumultuous year in the Port City. The result of a two-year intensive community consultation termed "PlanSJ," the Plan provides a new direction for future development and investment to counteract the sprawl that has typified growth in Saint John for decades.

FREDERICTON - To start, I cannot say I am a disinterested observer in the Fredericton municipal election. I have expressed through social media my preferences for several candidates at the council and mayoral level - including Cindy Miles (Ward 12), Misty McLaughlin (Ward 11), Leah Levac (Ward 10), and Matthew Hayes (Mayor). I even (very briefly) considered a run in Ward 9 (Hill Area/O'Dell Park) myself. As an op-ed columnist, I do not see any commentator as being truly neutral, however I will try my best to give an objective observation of the municipal race in Fredericton.

HALIFAX — As the debate rages regarding new urban developments such as Skye Halifax and the new Halifax YMCA, questions have arisen over the relevancy of  HRM by Design, Halifax's own community-consulted planning document for the downtown region. Dalhousie’s School of Planning is presenting a (timely) student-run conference, SHIFT 2012. A place to engage with urban planning practitioners, urban design enthusiasts and people just generally interested in shifting the cultural debate around peninsular Halifax.

HALIFAX - So what's Switch? Inspired by Bogotá, Columbia’s Ciclovia, Switch is a regular event that encourages people to enjoy their city by walking, biking, skating, dancing, and moving around their city safely and comfortably. Just like the skating oval on the Common was instantly embraced by the HRM community, Switch will offer the opportunity for everyone - pedestrians, joggers, bicyclists, skaters, etc. - to get to many destinations on the Halifax peninsula in new, healthy and fun ways. What: Switch Halifax When: Wednesday, March 7, 2012 6:30 - 8:00 PM Where: FRED salon & ...

HALIFAX - The process by which Rank Inc.’s new business super-complex, Nova Centre, was approved by HRM Council has lacked significant public input since the early stages of development in 2005. The investment of over $50 million dollars per government has, over the last year, prompted community interest groups, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, journalists, and Halifax MP Megan Leslie to direct attention to the lack of due public consultation, especially since the majority of those polled are against it.  The unanimous municipal, provincial and federal funding raises questions about government responsibility to public interest. HRM Open Projects gave artist Scott Saunders the space and means to address this conflict. His installation of Town Square, 100 mannequin figures wearing business suits strewn across the rubble foundation of the former Chronicle Herald building, is an artwork that is not a solution to the outcome of private wheeling and dealing, but is one response to it.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was previously published in Spacing Magazine's fall issue. HALIFAX -- Both Moncton and Halifax have their unique challenges in implementing a sustainable development path for their respective regions. This diversity of tactics was on full display during debates this past summer in both cities about road alteration projects. In Halifax, a decision on the proposed expansion of two-lane Bayers Road has been delayed. The project called for a four-to-six-lane widening along significant portions of the street, essentially turning it into a highway corridor for suburban communities leading into peninsular Halifax.

This feature first appeared in the Summer 2011 National Issue of Spacing Magazine. SAINT JOHN - Saint John, like many other cities its size, has suffered immensely from suburbanization over the past few decades. The city has struggled with skyrocketing property taxes and inadequate service delivery as thousands have moved away from the  core — the city’s population is an estimated 70,000, yet the daytime population is approximately 122,000 once people from the surrounding bedroom communities arrive downtown for work. However, two major projects currently underway in Saint John could reinvigorate the city and serve as a model for other Maritime communities that are facing similar predicaments.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Based on feedback from an earlier post on urban density, Spacing Atlantic will feature one of the top five dense residential neighbourhoods in Atlantic Canada each week. Previous neighbourhoods: Uptown Saint John, New Brunswick and Downtown St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador. So, why density? Residential density, the number of people living in a given area, is one of the most important characteristics of urban areas. High densities create vibrant streets, support main street commercial areas, and encourage walking, biking and transit use. But how dense should our neighbourhoods be? What types of buildings create high densities? What do high density neighbourhoods look like? Hopefully this series encourages people to look around their neighbourhood and ask: how does density affect the quality of my neighbourhood? Without further ado ...