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| Chad Manley in the CanPark lot. (Nick Pearce Photo) |
With the ongoing evolution of Halifax’s 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.
Mr. Manley’s bold proposal for landscaping the site has just earned him Dalhousie’s inaugural Lezlie Oler Prize in Community and Environmental Design.
“I really wanted to get away from the idea of using it all for parking, yet use the elements that are already there,” says the 23-year-old from North Vancouver, B.C.
Inspired by the spray-can artistry on the retaining wall, he’d 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.
“It really is designed for the whole community to enjoy,” says Mr. Manley, who designed the park as a project for his class, Plants in the Human Landscape. “Halifax 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.”
Mr. Manley came to Halifax for Dal’s undergrad community design program, appreciating its “progressive, holistic and environmentally conscious approach to planning.” Also an active member of the university’s sailing club, he is now in the process of applying to grad schools for landscape architecture.
“This planning competition is a great opportunity,” he says. “It 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.”
From eyesore to oasisThe new design award aims to spark imaginative – and affordable – 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, “so we should encourage property owners to do something with these vacant spaces in the interim.” 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’s design would be a quick and creative way to spruce up the lot, with minimal expense, says Prof. Wanzel, a member of the award jury. “Part of the difficulty is the transformation of the Halifax waterfront has taken such a long time,” he adds. “There are some brave projects strung along there, with many gaps between them. The whole experience is interrupted and intermittent, so there’s still a lot of work to do.” The annual competition is open to undergraduate students enrolled in Dal’s 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. David Zitner, director of Medical Informatics at Dalhousie Medical School, endowed the university with funds for the new prize, which is named to honour Lezlie Oler, a local entrepreneur and interior designer. |