Halifax's Low Rise vs. High Rise Debate

At the moment, I’m parked at the top of Citadel Hill, the only car in sight - which, in itself, is making me feel a little weird and creepy - even though I’m totally just looking at the view. But the pedestrians that occasionally pass by are giving me odd looks and I have this strange urge to roll down the window and holler “I’m sight-seeing!” Not that I need to explain myself. Why should I explain myself? It’s a free country.

Anyway, so I’m sitting here, taking in the view in all its glory. And I’m thinking, “Why would anyone fight to maintain this? This is the ugliest skyline I have ever seen.”

I mean, look at it. If low buildings are what some people are interested in preserving, can we talk about the Metro Centre? A full city block of gravel-roofed grey, and really, it’s the focal point of the view from the Citadel’s little look-off.

When experts talk about “view planes,” what is it that they want people (presumably tourists, mostly) to be able to see from Citadel Hill? Is it the harbour? Why? There are a million better places to get a view of the harbour besides Citadel Hill. Is it the downtown waterfront? That’s already blocked off anyway. Is it our impressive city skyline? Well, let’s talk about that skyline.

I know Halifax has an identity crisis. What are we – big or small? What do we want to be – hip or comfy? Fast or slow? Tomorrow or yesterday?

But a city isn’t a city without architecture. Big, bold buildings are beautiful. A well-designed downtown high-rise can be way more aesthetically pleasing to look at than, say, the oil refinery in Dartmouth. And the more well-designed tall buildings there are downtown, the better, in my opinion.

What’s the most impressive thing you can see from Citadel Hill? It’s probably the Macdonald bridge – because of its scale; because it’s a remarkable work of design and engineering. And that white office building with the lush-looking terraces is nice, too. And that’s about it.

You know that feeling you get when you’re driving into a big city, and it’s night, and suddenly you can see the downtown and it’s all tall buildings and it’s all lit up? (I know, I know, all those lit-up office towers are killing the planet.) Well, I wish I could get a little more of that feeling when I’m coming over the bridge from Dartmouth. Is that wrong?

Leaving out the important issues of economics and population density and even heritage, if all we are concerned about is how the city “feels”… it feels to me like a city that’s stuck in the 70’s. Sort of like the Farrah Fawcett of cities. Like Peter Frampton had designed it all and then just left. Like we’re waiting for the Captain and Tennille to come and modernize the place a bit.

I’m all for moving Halifax forward. So come on, Halifax. Maybe I’ll give Pat Benatar a call and see if she can’t at least help us bring this city into the 1980’s.