A neighbourhood without cars?

Ex-city planner thinks Halifax is ready for it

Editor's Note

More cars, more people, more construction. Getting around Halifax has never been tougher. This week we are looking at some car-free solutions to the city’s transportation woes.

The concept is simple. It’s worked elsewhere.

Bill Campbell, a retired Halifax city planner, believes car-free neighbourhoods are the answer. He’s got just the place in mind — 12 hectares of underused property in the north end of the city. Halifax council has earmarked the land that’s bounded by Young Street, Robie Street, Almon Street, and Windsor Street as a prime location for dense development. It’s labelled the Young Street Lands Future Growth Node and, as the city notes, it’s next to planned rapid transit routes and could be home to “several thousand dwelling units.”

Campbell envisions a peaceful oasis where traffic would be kept out, except for emergency vehicles. City streets would be replaced by walking and cycling trails and parks. A neighbourhood also suited for people with mobility issues, he says.

“It’s a dramatic departure from what the norm is,” said Campbell. “It requires a rethink, getting away from the vehicle-oriented culture.”

A rethink that is necessary given that the congestion in the city is only going to get worse. The city projects the population will double to a million people by 2050.

“If we don’t provide an alternative to the use of the cars, there are going to be more and more cars, more and more congestion. That’s not a great living environment for people.”

Campbell isn’t alone. He belongs to Walk ’n Roll Halifax, a pedestrian advocacy group pushing to make the northend properties car-free. Members of the group, along with the Halifax Cycling Coalition, pitched the idea to city staff earlier this year. There was some interest, says Campbell.

“They seemed quite pleased and aligned on that specific property,” said Campbell. “They didn’t inhale their breath or withdraw with horror . ... They were thinking something of the same thing themselves.”

MODELS EXIST

Though rare, models of urban and suburban carless neighbourhoods exist in North America. Just outside Phoenix, Ariz., a 17-acre wasteland has been converted to more than 700 multi-unit apartments in two- and threestorey buildings. While cars are prohibited, there are range of amenities on location, from a bar and restaurant to a convenience store, clothing store, and a bike and scooter shop. A one-bedroom is $1,680 a month.

Europe sets the standard for creating livable pedestrian neighbourhoods. In Barcelona, for example, there are superblocks, a series of up to nine city blocks prioritized for pedestrians and cyclists.

Closer to home, Montreal has plans for an 8.5-hectare zone that will include 2,800 homes, offices, and cultural and community spaces, while prioritizing car-free public areas. Construction will begin next year and take about 10 years to complete.

OTHER OPTIONS

There’s no question that cities need to be less car reliant, but the solution isn’t communities without cars, says David Gordon, a professor at Queen's University's School of Urban and Regional Planning.

“I think having low-car neighbourhoods is a better idea,” says the professor. “It’s about providing better choices, options in the city.”

Gordon says the trick is to design cities in which owning and operating an automobile isn’t a mandatory part of urban citizenship.

That means offering a host of options, like a good, reliable public transportation system and a bike network, as well as accessible bike rentals mixed in with convenient, accessible short-term car rentals like Zipcar, where people can rent by the minute, hour or day.

A good system of bike lanes is a good start.

“If cultures like Calgary and Edmonton can do it, then Halifax can do it too,” the professor said.

THE SUBURB PROBLEM

The key is providing options that are dependable and affordable in the city and the ever-swelling suburbs. Otherwise, people won’t bother.

“The problem isn’t that there are automobiles in the suburbs. The suburbs are where two-thirds of the population in this country live. The problem is that it’s the only way you can get around.”

Cracking down on parking would also help, says Gordon, including minimizing parking spaces on city streets and in condo developments.

Vancouver provides a good model to follow. In many cases, people who buy a condo have to pay for parking themselves. The parking that is available is reserved mostly for rent-a-cars, taxis and ridehailing services.

RAPID TRANSIT PLAN

Halifax Coun. Sam Austin is an urban planner and fan of alternative transportation. He says he wants to know more about Campbell’s carless neighbourhood pitch.

“Depends on how it’s implemented,” said Austin. “Certainly, there are places in the world where car-free spaces have been successful. There are other spaces that have not lived up to the promise.”

He says the city is making progress in creating more livable pedestrian-friendly places while reducing congestion. He pointed to its rapid transit plan that promises 100,000 Haligonians will be within walking distance to fast, frequent reliable transit. But the province and federal governments have yet to step up with the money.

The long-awaited bike network will help, he says.

“When it fills out fully and is connected, there will be a very solid section of bike lanes in the highest-density parts of the city.

While not entirely sold on the prospect of carless neighbourhoods, Austin says the status quo isn’t acceptable.

“We can’t just keep building cities the way we used to, just depending on cars. It’s just not sustainable.”