[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="The three buildings that would be demolished under the Fortis proposal"][/caption] ST. JOHN'S - Newfoundland and Labrador has seen great economic benefit from offshore oil and gas developments in recent years. For the first time (since Confederation), Newfoundland is a 'have' province. With the province awash in oil money, Premier Danny Williams assures us that investments will be made with a vision for the future, and that we will come out of the oil boom stronger then ever before. In St. John's, the hub of the province's oil driven economy, the lasting legacy of oil will come from the development which occurs during the boom. Long after the jobs and prosperity brought by oil leave, the buildings they helped construct will remain. Fortis Properties, one of the largest companies in Newfoundland, has recently made a proposal for a redevelopment in downtown St. John’s. Fortis currently owns a 12-story building on the corner of Water street and Harbour drive (pictured below). The proposal includes plans to demolish the three buildings next to their exiting building to construct a 15-story tower. The proposed site for this new tower is in the closest block to the harbour, which makes many worry about its potential effect on views in the downtown, and the St. John's skyline.

HALIFAX - Who knew a plywood Oompa-loopma could cause such a stir? Since the City adopted the Temporary Sign By-law [PDF] in 2006, which placed strict regulation on street signage, sandwich boards have been an unprecedented source of contention in Halifax. Dedicated fans have rallied behind Freak Lunchbox, whose hand-painted signs are a beacon of creativity (and candy) on Barrington St — there was even a Facebook group created in defense of the candy store's then Oompa-loompa-themed sign. But beyond the Oompa-loompa hoopla lies a real debate about the control of public space in the city. Perhaps in response to this public objection, for the last three years enforcement has been purely complaint driven. But with the By-law now under review, small businesses are nervous about the impacts if the policy were to tighten up. Amendments proposed to Regional Council in November, would crank up enforcement of the By-law's complex licensing requirements for temporary signs, imposing strict — in some cases inhibiting — limitations to the size, style, and placement of the all important sandwich board.

HALIFAX - This past Saturday, the corner of Hollis and Morris was once again the city's epicenter of perverse entertainment. An impromptu post-market crowd of witnesses gathered to to watch the Victoria Apartments be demolished, one wall at a time; revealing its bright colours, arched doorways and quirky interiors one last time. Some people cheered as the bulldozer tore down the apartments, while others tried to hide their tears. Former residents pointed out their bedrooms and shared stories. Photographers had a field day. I tried to leave on three separate occasions, frozen and exhausted, but couldn't ...

HALIFAX - About one month ago, I wrote an article for the Dalhousie Gazette on the updated campus master plan [PDF], which is in the final review stages before being implemented. Dal has made some effort to get good public feedback — they've set up a blog dedicated to the plan as well as an official page on the University website — these discussions haven't gotten much press or sparked too much attention, on or off campus. This is too bad, since the plan will have a big impact not only on Dal students but the wider community. Included in the proposals are separated bike lanes, a pedestrian plaza, massive new buildings and a transit terminal on LeMarchant Street. While my article mostly focuses on the changes in store for Studley Campus, my hope is that re-positing it here will bring a little more attention and generate the much needed discussion these important plans deserve. Master plans are always exciting documents, and Dalhousie’s updated Campus Master Plan is no exception. Full of colourful diagrams, maps and tables, plans give us the rare opportunity to shape the future landscape of our communities to better reflect the goals and values we think are important. Judged from this perspective, there’s much to praise in Dal’s new plan. Students’ cries for improved active transportation and public transit infrastructure have finally been heard. The master plan proposes putting bike lanes along University Avenue and turning the now vacant corner outside the Student Union Building into a “landscaped transit terminal.”

Over the last month, Spacing Atlantic has engaged in an in-depth analysis of HRMbyDesign, the ambitious plan set fourth by the municipal government to transform the region over the next 25 years. This is the final segment in a series of weekly installments that has explored the plan's various nooks and crannies, carving out a unique and fresh perspective on the HRMbyDesign process. ________________________________________________________________________ HALIFAX - Aside from making our downtown more sustainable, economically vibrant and heritage-friendly, HRMbyDesign also intends to change the way we move. The Downtown Halifax Secondary Municipal Planning Strategy (Downtown Plan) section on transportation addresses issues such as the reorganization of downtown streets, active transportation, public transit, freight movement and parking. One of the main parts of this section is the Street Network Plan. The Street Network Plan designates primary uses for downtown streets with the goal of streamlining traffic . Under the plan, Lower Water, Hollis, Prince, Sackville, Duke and Brunswick streets are designated as higher traffic flow streets. Barrington and Spring Garden are going to be taking on a greater role for public transit, while Bedford Row, Granville, Argyle, and Market — amoung others — will take on greater roles for pedestrian and bike traffic. Motor vehicle traffic on streets that are to be primarily used for biking and walking will be discouraged by allowing only one direction of motor traffic. I like this element of the Downtown Plan. It provides a good foundation on which other improvements to downtown transportation can be made. When HRM talks about active transportation, they mean walking and biking. We took a brief look at pedestrian related improvements in the piece on HRMbyDesign and sustainability, so let’s take some time to look at cycling.

HALIFAX - For nearly a decade, the parking lot at Lower Water and Morris streets has been the headquarters of one the city's most unique and unregulated cultural spaces. During the weekday, permit holders park their cars in the sunken pit.  In its off-hours, it has hosted a multitude of unsanctioned activities. On the weekend, a regular crowd plays street hockey, and at night, car enthusiasts gather there to compare engines. The green space that surrounds the parking lot serves as an unofficial park; a place for people to hang out and for the homeless to sleep. It has been the backdrop for countless music videos and photo shoots, and a battling ground for freestylers. The most evident feature of this unique pseudo-public space is the wall that encapsulates the parking lot that operates as a dynamic open-air gallery for graffiti artists. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="The Pit: parking lot and former legal wall. NSP offices under construction in the background."][/caption] Up until very recently, the pit was considered a legal wall (or 'free wall') — the only place in the city where graffiti artists could freely practice their skills without fearing arrest. Since September, this freedom has been revoked. Without any formal communication to the artist community or surrounding neighbours, police began to crack down on graffiti activity in the pit, telling artists they were unwelcome and that what they were doing was illegal. What gives?  What changed?

DARTMOUTH - Early last October, I attended the public consultation meeting for Dartmouth Common Master Plan proposals.  Yesterday, HRM released the consolidated plans that took into account the community consultation feedback they received at that meeting.  Now the planners at CBCL Limited have provided one more window for public feedback on the updated plan [ PDF ] where they are accepting emails and phone calls with community members' comments and criticisms until November 29th. To give a little background, the Dartmouth Common Master Plan is Dartmouth's version of HRMbyDesign.  The plans are not limited to preserving green space, but include relocating and expanding the Metro Transit Bridge Terminal, renovating and extending the Sportsplex, potentially creating an "urban edge"—mixed use commercial-residential buildings along the corner of Nantucket and Wyse—and in the long term, reclaiming the waterfront as a connected part of the Common. In short, the plan looks to completely transform the entire area and will govern much of Dartmouth's future development for at least the next 25 years.

[caption id="attachment_873" align="alignnone" width="625" caption="A concrete slab remains on the corner of Chebucto and Windsor, where a pay phone used to be."][/caption] HALIFAX – It's been almost a year since I first started thinking about payphones. Back then I spoke with an urban planner who was working on a redesign for a major downtown Halifax street; he casually mentioned that they might not be including payphones in their new plans. While they ultimately decided against this idea, I was shocked to think that we, as a city and a society, were at such a point. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="624" caption="This phone's proximity to the North End's upscale Hydrostone Market doesn't keep vandals away, with graffiti all over the phone's inner cabin and exterior."][/caption] Now that cellphones permeate our culture, what role does the public payphone play in 21st century Canada? What does it mean for our city when phone companies begin taking away payphones or leaving them vandalized or in an unusable condition? And who is most affected by these choices? While out taking photos for this article, I was approached by a passer-by asking if I was documenting "the demise of the payphone." I guess I am.