General Updates and News

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I don't buy it. I lived in a 22-storey downtown building with over 400 apartments. I knew most of the people on my floor wing and knew several well enough to visit with each other. Plus living downtown I went out all the time, walking everywhere, and had a great social life. Now I live in a neighborhood and while I know my neighbors we do little other than wave at each other and if you want any kind of social life you have to get in your car and drive somewhere as nothing is in walking distance.

I completely agree. I grew up mostly in small rural towns and then later the suburbs of Halifax. Later when I left home, I would live right in the middle of the city, both here in Halifax, and elsewhere in Canada.

Back then when we lived on a rural subdivision, the whole street knew each other. Everyone attended the summer neighborhood BBQs, for example. And the same when I was living in an apartment building downtown-- got to know everyone on my floor, and others in the building,etc.

It was actually in the suburbs where all neighbors were strangers. We may have known some people's names, but never really knew most of anyone along the street at all. The suburbs were the most anonymous.

[ILoveHalifax]

The article was about a guy living in Vancouver, hardly a fair study. I don't think anybody in Vancouver knows the words hello, or hi, or good morning, or how are you.
Last time I lived there I 7 months and never met one person, and I tried.

A few years ago I lived in a hi-rise in Halifax and from day one met a lot of people, some of who became good friends. We socialized in the lobby as well as our apartments and some of us travelled together as well.
The building management had a lot to do with the social life in the building by planning events for tenants.

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I don't buy it. I lived in a 22-storey downtown building with over 400 apartments. I knew most of the people on my floor wing and knew several well enough to visit with each other. Plus living downtown I went out all the time, walking everywhere, and had a great social life. Now I live in a neighborhood and while I know my neighbors we do little other than wave at each other and if you want any kind of social life you have to get in your car and drive somewhere as nothing is in walking distance.

What don't you buy ?
The book, the premise contained in the book, the personal account ?

Try this review : http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/29/happy-city-charles-montgomery-review and this excerpt
" But he points out, correctly, that sprawl is not some natural expression of people's desires, but something actively promoted by government and corporate policies, especially in America. His best statistics are his simplest: living in sprawl ages you by four years; there are four times as many traffic deaths on suburban roads as on city streets. "

His bio - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Montgomery_(writer)

[terrynorthend]

I agree with Keith, counterfactual and ILoveHalifax. I've had both positive and negative experiences in city apartments and suburban settings. It depended much upon the personalities involved (my neighbours and me), and less to do with the dynamics of the setting.

[mcmcclassic]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I don't buy it. I lived in a 22-storey downtown building with over 400 apartments. I knew most of the people on my floor wing and knew several well enough to visit with each other. Plus living downtown I went out all the time, walking everywhere, and had a great social life. Now I live in a neighborhood and while I know my neighbors we do little other than wave at each other and if you want any kind of social life you have to get in your car and drive somewhere as nothing is in walking distance.

Sounds like you lived in Park Vic back in the day (could be wrong but that sounds like it though).

I lived in Park Vic for a couple years and I knew at least a dozen people in the building well enough to visit them and also knew many others not so well. The descriptions of suburban neighbour relationships sounds accurate too - I grew up in the suburbs of Halifax and we mostly were on a "waving" basis with even our close neighbours.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Colin May

What don't you buy ?
The book, the premise contained in the book, the personal account ?

Try this review : http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/29/happy-city-charles-montgomery-review and this excerpt
" But he points out, correctly, that sprawl is not some natural expression of people's desires, but something actively promoted by government and corporate policies, especially in America. His best statistics are his simplest: living in sprawl ages you by four years; there are four times as many traffic deaths on suburban roads as on city streets. "

His bio - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Montgomery_(writer)

This is the part of the article that I agree with. I just found it odd that the excerpt used the example of an anonymous urban apartment building before making a point about the corrosive nature of the suburbs for social relations, which is entirely true. I've lived in better communities in both rural areas and cities. Again, suburbs were anonymous, distant, and unhealthy.

[Jonovision]

The large construction grade fence that was originally installed around the boardwalk at the Salter Block has been replaced by something a lot more human scale and inviting.

[worldlyhaligonian]

It was so stupid how this development was revoked... right before they were preparing to start construction. The recession really screwed this lot.

Now, it wouldn't surprise me if some group wants to not develop on this land.

IF that is the case... then at least utilize the property, that rocky area is ridiculously large and a poor use of the land / ugly as sin.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Colin May

His best statistics are his simplest: living in sprawl ages you by four years

Just wondering what data this statistic is based on.

[coolmillion]

There is plenty of evidence of the negative impacts of sprawl or car-oriented built environments on public health. See this book for example: http://www.scarp.ubc.ca/publications/larry-frank/public-health-impacts-sprawl
If you have to drive everywhere you're less likely to meet minimum levels of physical activity recommended for healthy living. Sure, many people find time but many others are commuting during the time they might use for physical activity. Studies (I can't recall where I saw this) have even shown that people who rely on transit get more exercise with walking to and from bus stops, etc. than those who drive everywhere. As Colin May pointed out, the evidence and hence the position that suburbs are unhealthy is unpopular because it would suggest we may need to alter many aspects of the status quo that are quite comfortable.

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Just wondering what data this statistic is based on.

I don't know. Read the article and buy/borrow his book

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by coolmillion

There is plenty of evidence of the negative impacts of sprawl or car-oriented built environments on public health. See this book for example: http://www.scarp.ubc.ca/publications/larry-frank/public-health-impacts-sprawl
If you have to drive everywhere you're less likely to meet minimum levels of physical activity recommended for healthy living. Sure, many people find time but many others are commuting during the time they might use for physical activity. Studies (I can't recall where I saw this) have even shown that people who rely on transit get more exercise with walking to and from bus stops, etc. than those who drive everywhere. As Colin May pointed out, the evidence and hence the position that suburbs are unhealthy is unpopular because it would suggest we may need to alter many aspects of the status quo that are quite comfortable.

Bang on.

[OldDartmouthMark]

My apologies to both of you. I wasn't intending to call anybody out, it just seemed like a wonky statistic.

I mean, 4 years? How do you determine that? I don't want to go into a long explanation on how unscientific it would be to just look at average lifespans of people living in different settings without considering all other factors in their lives, so I'll just leave it at that.

[kph06]

Work looks to be starting on the old Bay at West End Mall. A mobile crane has been lifting materials onto the roof for a few weeks and over the weekend a collapsible Potain tower crane showed up. It is bigger than the other two that are around and has a lattice tower and the boom more resembles a luffing jib crane rather than a tower crane... a different sight for crane spotters.

[Ziobrop]

Originally Posted by kph06

Work looks to be starting on the old Bay at West End Mall. A mobile crane has been lifting materials onto the roof for a few weeks and over the weekend a collapsible Potain tower crane showed up. It is bigger than the other two that are around and has a lattice tower and the boom more resembles a luffing jib crane rather than a tower crane... a different sight for crane spotters.

I believe its the same one they used for the steel erection of the New DAL health building.

Speaking of Cranespotting - Irving has their 550ton assembling the 200ton overhead crane at the shipyard.
from http://heavyequip.tumblr.com/

[kph06]

Originally Posted by Ziobrop

I believe its the same one they used for the steel erection of the New DAL health building.

Speaking of Cranespotting - Irving has their 550ton assembling the 200ton overhead crane at the shipyard.
from http://heavyequip.tumblr.com/

The one at the Bay is different than the Dal one, it has a lattice tower section vs the solid hydraulic tower the one at Dal had. I will try to snap a photo next time I go by.

Its been a good few years for crane spotting, the big crawlers are pretty impressive. I got the chance to check out Buckner's crawler similar in size to the Irving one when it was in the area putting up windmills. The mobilization and setup for one of these is a logistical circus in itself.

[Colin May]

Fusion event at WTCC tonight 6-9
The speaker is quite controversial :

" Montgomery County Planning Director Rollin Stanley has retracted comments he made in a local magazine in which he characterized a group of residents who questioned his vision for redeveloping Maryland’s largest county as “rich white women” who were “sowing discord.”

“My recent comments reported in Bethesda Magazine in which I refer to members of the community as ‘rich white women’ were thoughtless and cast dispersions on the contribution made to the planning process by these individuals,” he said in a statement posted on the Montgomery County Planning Department Web site late Tuesday. “Not only was it inaccurate to characterize these civic leaders as ‘spreading fear,’ ‘sowing discord’ and ‘stalking my appearances,’ it grossly mischaracterized their important and valuable role in the land use process. I retract this statement and apologize for it.”

He's Canadian and a former planner in Toronto and the USA.

source : http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/traf...tivists/2012/03/21/gIQAXK6eSS_story.html

[Keith P.]

Planners are allergic to being challenged.

[Ziobrop]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Planners are allergic to being challenged.

If you read 1960's planning literature it was all about how modern and scientific it was. It feels like modern planning has rejected that and is driven by social theory.

I'm inclined to say both are wrong, and the truth exists somewhere in the middle

[Ziobrop]

Originally Posted by kph06

The one at the Bay is different than the Dal one, it has a lattice tower section vs the solid hydraulic tower the one at Dal had. I will try to snap a photo next time I go by.

Got a shot on a run to wally world last night. (posted on http://heavyequip.tumblr.com/)
Your right, it is different. According to Pontain, these things have a 4 ton capacity. annoyingly they don't fit in frame very well.