Bringing the population to 1 million

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Actually, no need to apologize. If anything I should apologize to you for going off on one of my usual tangents. I agree, and have stated that, Halifax planning should be much better than it has been. If you look back at some of the old Halifax photo threads in this forum, you will see that there was a point where Halifax had no problem taking on some very large infrastructure projects (like the rail cut, for example) that have paid off time and time again over the decades. Halifax planning lost its mojo somewhere along the line and it needs to get it back.

Sadly, this is not unique to Halifax. One of the biggest problems is the NIMBY attitude. Your tangent is not unusual to how most people feel. In fact, having someone like you in this thread allows us to understand the other side of the arguments that we so many times want to ignore.

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I have to admit that I don't know Vancouver very well. When I was there I found the traffic situation to be not very good, such as the congestion for the Lion's Gate Bridge, and the ferry situation to get to Vancouver Island. So it may not be such a great example, but I didn't find myself wishing that I lived there.

It is a population of over 1 million. The fact that you would want to live there says some things they do are good. I have thought that having a "vacation" condo in Toronto would be good as well. They have some good things that would be enjoyable, but I like being in the middle of nowhere.

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I don't love any traffic congestion, but compared to other cities I've visited, Halifax isn't really bad. There's always room for improvement, and as I've stated we should be planning decades in advance to accommodate future population growth.

The reason that it doesn't seem as bad is because of it's smaller size. Add another 100,000, and that annoyance becomes even worse. So, what would be the first thing that you would think would ease the congestion?

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

My first response was to the idea that 1 million people living in Halifax was some sort of optimal goal that we should strive for, but I realize that wasn't the intent of your original post.

I picked the number because it is double the existing population. That number, with existing infrastructure and sprawl would cripple the city. It focuses our view to how bad it could be.