A blueprint of sorts to guide how Halifax’s regional centre grows will be presented in its final draft form to the Community Design Advisory Committee on Wednesday.
“One of the features of this plan — it’s first time I’ve seen it in planning in Halifax — is an emphasis on pedestrians,” committee chair Fred Morley said on Tuesday.
He said making the regional centre pedestrian friendly is important because, among other reasons, 10 per cent of people in Halifax walk to work.
The plan is meant to provide a clear vision of what residents want in those growing areas so councillors can, in theory, reflect on that when making decisions.
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Morley said the plan will provide certainty to landowners and developers, so they know what kind of options are available to them.
“The surveys that have been done of people in Halifax say time after time that people are more concerned about design than they are about height,” Morley said. “That may be something that’s not fully reflected just yet in the plan, but hopefully in the future.”
By concentrating development around already established services, the municipality can save money, he added.