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| Chad Manley in the CanPark lot. (Nick Pearce Photo) |
With the ongoing evolution of Halifax鈥檚 waterfront, one long-neglected site is ripe for rebirth as an urban park, says Chad Manley.
The vacant CanPark lot has great potential as a contemporary oasis for tourists and residents alike, says the fourth-year community design honours student. Located at the corner of Morris and Lower Water Streets, the run-down sunken basin is mostly used for parking, ball hockey and grafitti art.聽
Mr. Manley鈥檚 bold proposal for landscaping the site has just earned him AV俱乐部鈥檚 inaugural Lezlie Oler Prize in Community and Environmental Design.
鈥淚 really wanted to get away from the idea of using it all for parking, yet use the elements that are already there,鈥� says the 23-year-old from North Vancouver, B.C.
Inspired by the spray-can artistry on the retaining wall, he鈥檇 expand the concrete canvas area with garden beds and details along contoured walkways. The trails would meander through an intimate forest setting, with plantings of native species like sugar maple, paper birch, ferns and natural grasses. Wading pools and community gardens would entice families, condo-dwellers and others to enjoy the site, which offers stunning views of the harbour. A small pavilion could provide shelter from the rain, as well as storage for garden and paint supplies.聽
鈥淚t really is designed for the whole community to enjoy,鈥� says Mr. Manley, who designed the park as a project for his class, Plants in the Human Landscape. 鈥淗alifax already has a lot of traditional park spaces. We should create some parkland that 100 years from now will reflect who we are today. Something creative and socially relevant to the city will stand the test of time.鈥�
Mr. Manley came to Halifax for Dal鈥檚 undergrad community design program, appreciating its 鈥減rogressive, holistic and environmentally conscious approach to planning.鈥� Also an active member of the university鈥檚 sailing club, he is now in the process of applying to grad schools for landscape architecture.
鈥淭his planning competition is a great opportunity,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t provides a forum for students to express some real vision for the city, by working with an actual example. We should all be thinking about how our cities can become better in the future.鈥澛犅�
From eyesore to oasisThe new design award aims to spark imaginative 鈥� and affordable 鈥� ideas for beautifying pockets of urban Halifax that need a boost. Student proposals could even inspire temporary solutions for urban eyesores, says Grant Wanzel, dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning. New developments can take years to finance, 鈥渟o we should encourage property owners to do something with these vacant spaces in the interim.鈥� The CanPark lot is a prime example, with plenty of traffic and pedestrians travelling past it daily, to and from the upgraded Pier 21 area. Mr. Manley鈥檚 design would be a quick and creative way to spruce up the lot, with minimal expense, says聽Prof. Wanzel, a member of the award jury. 鈥淧art of the difficulty is the transformation of the Halifax waterfront has taken such a long time,鈥� he adds. 鈥淭here are some brave projects strung along there, with many gaps between them. The whole experience is interrupted and intermittent, so there鈥檚 still a lot of work to do.鈥� The annual competition is open to undergraduate students enrolled in Dal鈥檚 bachelor programs in Community Design and Environmental Design Studies. Student Michael Nally received honourable mention for his ideas to liven up the city's sidewalks.聽聽 David Zitner, director of Medical Informatics at AV俱乐部 Medical School, endowed the university with funds for the new prize, which is named to honour Lezlie Oler, a local entrepreneur and interior designer. |