I got a little PO'd the other day reading about some joker from Winnipeg or something rambling on about the "value" of the Uniacke Square area and how evil gentrification was about to swallow up the neighborhood and destroy all these apparently wonderful things about it. I don't have a link but there were references to people talking about how wonderful Gottingen St was back in the 1950's and 60's and how the city needs to somehow save this area from encroaching development.
Now, I can completely see the need for affordable housing in the core but the Square is crap and everyone knows it. Pizza delivery places won't even go there, people are getting shot right beside police stations, drug dealing and violence are commonplace and so on. Additionally, all of these people pining away for a revitalization of Gottingen are wishing for a Halifax that may have existed 50+ years ago but is not coming back so hey, how about we move forward instead of looking back. The same can be said of the generic and ever present Africville reference. A big mistake yes and handled very poorly but also ancient history unrelated to present day issues and obsessing about it doesn't help anyone.
Anyway, I'm wondering what people thing the best options for the Square are. I'm not talking about adding some hanging planters or "decorative garbage cans" either. I'm talking about making real change that would help the residents as well as the district and entire city. All in all, I don't see much of anything whatsoever worth preserving in the neighborhood like some misguided social experiment in a mason jar. I actually find it insulting to the residents that outsiders would presume to “know best” and treat them like children this way.
I tend to favor the idea of allowing residents to buy/sell their properties along with the city/province lending them some real estate expertise. The area is potentially a great source of money for them and who exactly are we to say that they should not be able to build equity and improve their lives? Hey, maybe there are a number of people there who would love to sell their houses and move to a better area but are trapped by the present system. I think a plan like this would allow the people with the desire to build a better future, allow development of the area and vastly improve the entire North End. Otherwise, the present situation seems to achieve nothing but more of the same crap for everyone concerned.
Thoughts on the elephant in the room?
For those who don't know:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniacke_Square
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