Quote:
Originally Posted by someone123
Shadow and wind effects vary depending on building design, which is why engineers are hired for studies. Many of the assertions that people make about wind or sunshine are completely wrong. For example, some tall buildings reduce winds in some locations. Some locations right next to tall buildings (particularly on the south facing side) experience zero reduction in sunlight. There are many locations in Halifax where tall buildings could be constructed with minimal wind or shadow impact on nearby areas. I doubt that the Skye proposal if built would have a significant impact on the Citadel or waterfront because its shadow would be cast mostly northward. North of the Skye site there are other buildings like 1801 Hollis that already cast shadows and have presumably already devastated the city's fragile tourism sector.
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I don't think the potential shadow or wind effects of any development should be shrugged off though. Downtown needs more than residential density - it needs good streets, a good pedestrian environment and good public spaces to be truly vibrant. Sunlight and shelter from wind are very key to producing public spaces where people want to spend time. There's very little good public space downtown as is, we shouldn't compromise what exists or might be improved.
Walk up Spring Garden Rd. and you can see that more people use the sunny side of the street. Sunny parks get more users. Except when it's pretty hot out people like to be in the sun. Sun is not make or break for pedestrian comfort, but wind can be. See the Maritime Centre.
Why should there be restrictions or regulations on tall buildings? To protect public spaces, including streets, from too much shade or wind. It's the same reason we now regulate what you can build on the ground floor of buildings downtown - the streetscape is a public space and deserves respect. To me this is not an unwarranted government intrusion into the marketplace, but regulating private development so it does not impose unwanted side effects on common resources - in this case public spaces. Developers gain when they're located on a good street, even if their development does nothing to enhance that street.
The viewplanes, as they now exist, should be revisited. They are a mess and are written in an uncompromising way that results in poor developments - the sinking of Salters Gate and Bishops Landing below street level to get under the viewplanes by a few feet are prime examples. By ANY reasonable standard a five foot variance would have had no noticeable impact on any view from the Citadel. The fact that the view is compromised in so many places is also significant.
How many people feel there is ZERO value protecting views from the Citadel? Polls suggest a modest majority of Haligonians think the views are valuable. I would bet that the support for view protection is broad, but very shallow. People weren't asked: views or housing downtown; or views or office space; views or density. That's the real question, what are the tradeoffs we are willing to make for the views? HRMbyDesign was a miserable failure at discussing this question, since the viewplanes were one basis for the new plan.
And finally, how much density do people think we need downtown? You don't need skyscrapers to get density. The Vic is ten storeys tall, and has 82 units. Since it sits on just a third of an acre it's net density is almost 250 units/acre. The W suites is well over 100 units an acre. That's high density development, just not high rise. I doubt that land was cheap either, but I'm assuming the developers made money on these mid-rise buildings. Edward Gleaser's argument that we need skyscrapers for affordability holds in places like London, Paris, NY, where there is a huge shortage of supply and the only place to go is up. In the context of Halifax I think it's more appropriate to frame Gleaser's argument as more units are needed for affordability - we have lots of empty lots and room for infill. Plus the demand is less extreme. Don't restrict demand is the key. You can do that and still regulate the number of tall buildings.
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