What's the big idea?

Big Ideas provides a forum to express different visions of Halifax.

Got a bold vision for the future of downtown Halifax? Then you'll want to attend ÒBig Ideas 3.”

Hosted by the Cities and Environment Unit of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, the forum takes place Thursday, June 28 at 7 p.m. at the Music Room, 6181 Lady Hammond Road. The forum is the third in a series.

The format for the evening will consist of a series of panel presentations, followed by audience questions, ideas and debate.

All of the Big Ideas forums deal with visions that various community members put forward. Four people will present their ideas on Thursday evening: Valerie Payne, president of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce; Elizabeth Pacey, past president of the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia; Brandon Haley, energy coordinator for the Ecology Action Centre; and Frank Palermo, professor and director of the Cities and Environment Unit at Dalhousie.

The idea, says Kristin OÕToole, a masterÕs student and one of the team members organizing the forums, is to provide an opportunity to encourage and foster open, public discussions about what people want Halifax to be in the future.

OÕToole says the Big Ideas forums are not officially part of the HRM by Design process, the design planning strategy for the urban core of HRM, now under way. Rather, Big Ideas provides another outlet.

ÒHRM by Design and Big Ideas allow for visions and ideas to be expressed, discussed and debated,” says OÕToole. ÒIn short, we feel the more opportunity we have for discussion about the future of Halifax, the better.”

Summary reports of the previous two meetings can be found at the web site: http://ceu.architectureandplanning.dal.ca/bigideas.html