Small is Beautiful: Dartmouth’s Findlay Centre and the new Master Plan
Dartmouth – With summer at an end, public consultation for Halifax’s new Community Facilities Master Plan (CFMP) is underway, setting the stage for a possible second battle for Dartmouth’s Findlay...
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Book Review – Roads Were Not Built For Cars
Author: Carlton Reid (Island Press, 2015) There has been a lot of discussion recently around getting more cyclists on the roads, be it for health, environmental reasons, or relieving traffic...
View ArticleSmall is Beautiful #2: The Findlay Meeting
Dartmouth – On Tuesday night at Halifax’s Community Facilities Master Plan (CFMP) consultation, in front of around 100 concerned residents, Dartmouth councillor Gloria McCluskey said unequivocally that...
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Message to Trudeau: Voters spoke loud and clear for cities
A month before the election, Calgary’s hugely popular mayor Naheed Nenshi told a reporter: “Whoever gets transit right, whoever figures out how to improve the quality of life for people who live in...
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Critical Elements to Make Pedestrian Streets Work
We currently dedicate an excessive amount of street public space for the movement and storage of automobiles. We can bring dignity to our streets where people live, work and play by reclaiming it for...
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Event: Re-Imagining Urban Form and Policy Symposium, Call for Abstracts
Re-Imagining Urban Form and Policy in a Global Economy – The (Im)possibility of Design March 10-12, 2016 | University of British Columbia, Vancouver View the conference website This is a call for...
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Urban forestry and the greening of Canadian cities
Call it the second wave of urban greening: hot on the heels of urban farming, urban forestry is emerging as the new frontier of sustainable urban planning and land use. Canada’s urban forest exists in...
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Overhaul or demolish 24 Sussex?
Much has recently been discussed about the restoration or demolition and replacement of 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa. Like many old buildings, this house has asbestos, leaky windows, and a terrifying...
View ArticleStadium Dreams at Shannon Park
Dartmouth – Halifax’s reoccurring attempt to build a stadium is set to reappear at Regional Council this afternoon. A staff report recommending that the municipality study the potential of purchasing a...
View ArticleWhose Renaissance? Saint John’s future
SAINT JOHN – Down a deceptively desolate lane lies Port City Royal, a restaurant reminiscent of a salon, which has become a magnet for creative types and foodies in Saint John, N.B. Patrons are drawn...
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Book Review: Start-Up City
Author: Gabe Klein (Island Press, 2015) When I was in my second year of University I wrote a blog post that got a lot of (very rare) traction. I pitted the new ride-sharing program Car2Go against...
View ArticleFredericton – The New Roundabout and the Crosswalk to Nowhere
FREDERICTON – When the City of Fredericton opened the new roundabout, there was a lot of local media coverage. It was the first two-lane roundabout in the city, it was along the highway. Would...
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How to have better conversations about Paris
This article was co-written with Beyhan Farhadi Immediately following the Paris attacks a deep divide emerged. On one side, there were messages of solidarity, hashtag mobilization, and temporary...
View ArticleShaping Portland Street: Downtown Dartmouth’s Draft Design Manual
Dartmouth – What started as a response to the lack of guidance about what height was appropriate in Downtown Dartmouth has evolved into a full plan update and the creation of a Design Manual. The...
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Book Review – 100 Diagrams That Changed the World
It all begins with a diagram. In architecture, it is the grand design of the floor plan; in mathematics, it is the graphic representation of an algebraic or geometric relationship; in physics,...
View ArticleEvents Guide: Walking the Debris Field: A Natural History
HALIFAX – The Narratives in Space and Time Society (NiS+TS) is having a public art walking event this Sunday (December 6) starting at noon. This marks 98 years since the Halifax Explosion. The event is...
View ArticleA Plea for Clear and Reasonable Rules for Cyclists
HALIFAX – Every morning I put on my helmet, get on my bike, and enter a world of legal anarchy. Trying to follow the rules is sometimes scarier than some of the riskier things I got dared to do in high...
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Book Review – The Disaster Profiteers
Author: John C. Mutter (St. Martin’s Press, 2015) The Disaster Profiteers: How Natural Disasters Make the Rich Richer and the Poor Even Poorer is an analysis of what makes a natural disaster a...
View ArticleTearing Off the Water Street “Refresh” Bandaid
St. John’s, NL – Lately there’s been a lot of discussion surrounding the benefits of delaying St. John’s aptly named Water Street “Refresh” project. As a landlord and retail professional, the...
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Proceed with caution on federal infrastructure plans
During the federal election campaign, Justin Trudeau promised major funding for infrastructure projects. There is no question that such projects are sorely needed. But how exactly will our billions be...
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