Quote:
Originally Posted by someone123
I think downtown Dartmouth would be a much more interesting place, and probably a better place for residents too, if it had more population density. If the old residential neighbourhoods are to be preserved, as a lot of residents seem to want, then higher density construction on infill sites like this one is the only viable compromise.
If downtown Dartmouth had another few thousand people there would be a market for a wider array of businesses and there would be more demand to improve transit and ferry services. We're already seeing the mix of businesses improve with King's Wharf; a small produce store is going to open up there this summer and I don't think the area has anything like that already.
A lot of people complain that downtown Dartmouth is just a shadow of what it was back in the 50's and 60's and the reason for that is mostly the low population density and low demand for local businesses.
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Basically agree, but I don't think it's a reason why we shouldn't expect mo' better architecture/design for larger structures such as the one illustrated in this thread (on the Halifax side too).
To give some context, what hurt DT Dartmouth most was suburban sprawl (as most urban cities in the '50s-'70s), including the advent of the shopping mall, and the acceptance of the longer commute as part of daily life. I recall a sharp decline in the downtown shopping area when Mic Mac Mall opened and a loss of the "small town feel" that the area had as the city expanded into areas like Forest Hills/Cole Harbour, etc.
In the early to mid 20th century, when my grandparents (and parents) lived there, the population was mostly concentrated in what is now considered the downtown area. Many families did not own a car, and many commuted to Halifax via the ferry service to work (and shop to a certain extent) there. The downtown area did contain enough support businesses so that a person could pretty much take care of their needs without having to leave the area (anecdotal information from what I've heard over the years).
That said, Dartmouth did have larger, more industrial employers such as the marine slips and Imperial Oil. But it was still for years considered a bedroom community to Halifax.
As the core downtown declined, it became more rundown and developed the reputation as being a bit of a rough area for awhile. However, in more recent decades downtown Dartmouth has been considered an attractive alternative to Halifax, mainly due to the ability to buy a nice, older home on a decent plot of land at a substantially lower price than Halifax. Thus I think that the residential areas are not dependent on local population density as much as we might think. However, I do agree that density will allow more businesses to be viable in the area. I doubt, however, that it will ever return to the status of a shopping destination as it once was, as the world around it has changed so much. But then again, who am I to say?
Re: produce. FWIW, there has been a weekly farmers' market in Alderney Landing for a number of years now.
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