Quote:
Originally Posted by Saul Goode
Sorry, I don't know of a kinder way to put it: that's just utter nonsense. It was built immediately adjacent to long-established residential city neighborhoods which were absolutely urban, about five minutes from the downtown core. There absolutely was nothing "suburban" about that area, either in location or character.
Anyone who knew that part of Dartmouth in the 60s and 70s would gladly confirm that, I'm sure. I bet OldDartmouthMark is guffawing at the silliness of this discussion.
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Absolutely I am!
I think Keith's analysis is pretty accurate and perhaps the best summation I've read on it.
I think what is happening here is that people are judging Dartmouth in the same context as a larger city where distinct urban/suburban divides are really obvious and evident. One has to understand that the City of Dartmouth was incorporated in 1961, but had existed as a colony and town since 1750. Halifax grew the most and the fastest of the two, but Dartmouth was there all along, and as Keith mentioned, additionally became a bedroom community to people who worked in Halifax after the Macdonald bridge was built in 1955.
The concept of suburbs sprouted out of the US in the 1950s and wasn't really a thing here until the 1960s when places like Westphal were created. The land on which Mic Mac Mall was built was considered part of the core of Dartmouth long before this concept was even thought of. In fact, you can see it included on
this map from 1878, even though it wasn't developed yet - but was still considered as part of the Town of Dartmouth, which eventually became the City of Dartmouth.
Even if you look at it out of context, I think people are getting too much into their heads about what urban/suburban means. Although modern urban areas usually consist of high density areas with skyscrapers, etc., Dartmouth was never like this yet it was considered to be an urban city. However, other aspects of urban living did apply to MMM, such as walkability. Even back in the 1970s and 1980s I used to walk from the downtown Dartmouth area where I lived to MMM on a regular basis. I could have rode my bicycle there if I wanted to (the benchmark for urban living... lol) but I chose to walk instead, because it just wasn't that far.
So, yeah, I think the debate is a little inane, but have been amused by it nonetheless. When you start arguing about silly things like this, it makes me wonder why that energy isn't put into something more useful. As it is, I'm sure people will want to shoot holes in my post, but it is what it is. I grew up there and feel I have a pretty good idea on how the city was considered by most folks. Yes, MMM was accessible by people living in the actual suburbs, by car, but so was downtown Halifax. Does that make downtown Halifax a suburban area as well??