Halifax Regional Council has initiated a review of the
2006 Regional Plan
The Regional Plan touches on every aspect of life in HRM, including parks and open space, economy and business, heritage and culture, water and sewer, roads, transit and active transportation, community design, housing affordability, and so on. The key question the Regional Plan really tries to answer is, "How can we continue to grow as a region while protecting and enhancing what we value most?" The upcoming review will focus on 4 key themes - (1) sustainable solutions; (2) enhancing the Regional Centre; (3) improving suburban and rural community design; and (4) better integration between land use and transportation. Vital to the Plan's immediate and long-term success is an engaged community. Public consultation will be an integral part of the review process and will take place in various forms throughout the municipality during 2012. A number of special public events are also planned to compliment the first phase of public consultation in March-April. To make your participation as easy as possible, a new website and Blog will be launched in March. You will also be invited to the join PlanHRM on Facebook and Twitter. For more information visit the web site at www.halifax.ca/regionalplanning
Open Spaces - Cole Harbour Basin
A work team comprised of HRM staff from multiple business units, in collaboration
with area councillors, has come together to address the green, blue, and grey
open space in the area of the Cole Harbour Basin. Public open space is more than
just parks, it is the land and water that shapes the settlement patterns within
a municipality; it influences culture, economy, and the natural environment.
The Cole Harbour Basin Open Spaces Plan will establish goals, objectives,
policies and implementation priorities for the planning, development,
stewardship, and evaluation of the area’s open space network. The approach will
be to research existing reports, inventory, data, and policy and to canvas the
public and stakeholders on possible information gaps. Public access to open
space is fundamental to improving the experience of living and working in cities
and a vibrant community is one of the most important means of addressing the
social, economic, and environmental challenges facing municipalities today. For more information visit www.planthebasin.ca
There is an interesting online article on planning the basin at http://www.halifaxnewsnet.ca/News/2011-11-01/article-2792430/Planning-the-Cole-Harbour-Basin/1
2012 HRM Citizen Survey Underway
Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) recently launched its 2012 Citizen Survey. The survey is conducted to gather feedback from residents, measure performance and help guide strategic policy and planning decisions.
Letters to 13,000 HRM residents were sent out. This randomly selected sample of residents, proportionally representative of households from districts across the municipality, was chosen using HRM’s civic addressing database.
The survey can be completed online, in written form, or over the telephone. It asks a diverse range of questions about quality of life, recreation, leisure, safety, community infrastructure and the environment.
The last HRM Citizen Survey was conducted in 2010. Results were used to assist Regional Council in planning and allocating resources for the years ahead.
Nova Insights, an independent local market research firm, was chosen to conduct the survey and collect and manage responses. Final survey results and assessments will be shared with all HRM residents.
For more information on the 2012 HRM Citizens Survey, visit www.halifax.ca/citizensurvey.
|
