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Originally Posted by CorbeauNoir
It's definately an interesting time to be studying architecture in this city. It's still incredibly fustrating to see such a pervasive cant-do attitude with regards to urban development (I've lived in/visited cities throughout Canada and Europe and have never encountered anything quite like it), but great projects like this, King's Wharf, the Seaport area/farmer's market, etc seem to suggest that Halifax is finally starting to turn a corner; even if it seems like most Haligonians are being dragged around it kicking and screaming.
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The situation today is actually considerably better than it was ten years ago. These days I think it really is a vocal minority mostly from an older generation.
The negativism is odd. A lot of people will blame it on a bad local economy, but frequently in poorer areas people are eager for new development and economic growth. This is something different. I'm sure one aspect that plays into it is that Halifax is somewhat old and tradition-bound, at least compared to the rest of North America. In some ways that is a nice part of the local culture but it can go too far, just as the free market worship in the US frequently goes overboard.
In cities like Vancouver or Toronto new development is a lot smoother but there's very little sense of local identity and culture. The vast majority of the city is new and generic. Nobody cares when you tear down a plain concrete office building from 1964. In Halifax the equivalent building was Charles Morris' house in 1784, somehow ended up in a Dickens novel, Trotsky was imprisoned in the basement, etc. etc.