Fillmore, P. Alexander, "An Evaluation of Residential Development and Residential Infill Policies in South end Halifax"

The population base on the Halifax Peninsula has been eroding for the last three decades. This has serious implications because the Central Business District is located there, as are several educational, military and health institutions all of which are major employment generators. Many of these employees commute from outlying regions as family accommodation on the Peninsula is limited and relatively expensive.

In an attempt to draw population back to the Peninsula, while at the same time mitigating pressure for high-rise development there, the City has instituted strong policy objectives aimed at the promotion of medium density residential intensification in existing neighborhoods. These policies are directed largely at the South End as it is deemed that the neighborhood environments therein are most suitable to family living. While the objectives are being met to some degree, opposition to these policies has been gaining momentum, and petitions from residents have resulted in the rezoning of whole neighborhoods to less intensive uses. The incidence of these objections has been steadily increasing and more roadblocks to residential development are being created all the time.

Through the examination of three "case studies" concerning residential development in the South End, certain trends in this opposition have emerged: for the most part it can be said that the concern is not about all development per se, but rather it is due to frustration about the lack of consultation and involvement in the physical form of development. Residents would be more hospitable to growth in their neighborhood if they were given a more than nominal voice in the planning process. Based on these observations a series of recommendations are advocated which would help the City in the realization of the goals of the Plan's infill policies. They deal mostly with adjusting the process by which the policies are implemented and empowering the residents to the degree that they can influence the density and appearance of new development in their neighborhoods.

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This document was last modified on January 3, 2001.