[someone123]

I think neighbourhood vitality is an example of an area where there really is such a thing as critical mass. A neighbourhood in the wrong side of that has low pedestrian traffic, few businesses, and feels dead. But if it gets busier a virtuous cycle can become entrenched and cause more people to walk around or visit, more businesses to open up, and more investment to happen.

The way this phenomenon works suggests that relatively big changes can happen quickly in places that were just below the threshold and then developed or somehow improved (population density, public engagement, and spending up). I think the North End fits this description.

Halifax is going to feel significantly larger and more interesting when the commercial corridors around the North End really fill in and become interesting enough to attract lots of visitors.