Quote:
Originally Posted by alps
I don't see this as an anti-development diatribe necessarily. Bousquet can be over-the-top and contradictory in the way he views some projects in the core, but I think I agree with the gist of this article as it applies to Halifax. Developments such as those on Larry Uteck have not been built with foresight or with the best interests of the residents in mind. It's a massively inefficient, ugly, and unadaptable form of development. You couldn't pay me to live there. Granted I'm a city person, but as far as suburban development goes it's nearly as bad as it gets (Kingswood would be as bad as it gets). People buy into it because it's the status quo around here. Dartmouth Crossing, Bedford Commons, etc...it's not an "if" whether or not this sprawl will prove a liability to the city in the future -- you need only look at any number of cities struggling across North America to maintain crumbling infrastructure serving these types of areas, never mind rising gas prices and the increasing recognition of the detrimental effects on health and livability of this degree of car-orientedness.
I don't know that we're arguing over this bit too much, but it's what his argument seemed focused on...the momentum around here to keep throwing up the same old crap in the suburbs at exorbitant cost, with very little action in the way of improved transit and cycling infrastructure, or the comparatively inexpensive cost of streetscape improvement plans in the core compared to say, the Washmill Lake underpass.
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But the washmill pass will serve as the first pedestrian/bike link into the retail of BL for the new density to the east of it that will be built up.
The BL model is flawed, but if we get a real public transportation network built, its on the way to other areas in HRM.