Putting the "you" in neighbourhood

It takes more than buildings, streets and landscaping to make a neighbourhood. As a historic city, Halifax is blessed with a diversity of great ‘hoods – but it’s the people that often make them unique.

Students at Dalhousie’s School of Planning encourage everyone to attend their annual conference this week, “Putting the yoU in Neighbourhood.” It kicks off on Wednesday, Feb. 13, with an afternoon bus tour of neighbourhoods from Westmount and the Hydrostones to North Dartmouth.

In the evening from 6 to 8 p.m., head to Pier 21 for a keynote address by urban design specialist Peter J. Park, manager of Community Planning and Development for Denver, Colorado. He’s the guest speaker at the seventh Annual Carmichael Lecture, presented in partnership with the Downtown Halifax Business Commission.

Killam lecture The last lecture of this year's Killam Lecture Series takes place on the eve of the Putting the "You" in Neighbourhood conference. Randolph Hester, a landscape architect, professor and urban designer, will present the Killam Lecture on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. It takes place in the Potter Auditorium, Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building, 6100 University Ave. Professor Hester's research focus on the role of citizen involvement in community design and ecological planning. He is one of the founders of the research movement to apply sociology to the design of neighbourhoods, cities and landscapes.

“How do you actually define a neighbourhood, and what do you value in it?” asks Pam MacDonald, a master’s student in urban planning, who is helping organize the conference. “We’re going to break it down and look at the human and social components, cultural and accessibility issues, and so on.”

Panels and workshops on Thursday, Feb. 14 and Friday, Feb. 15 will explore citizen participation in planning healthy neighbourhoods, on such topics as the Chebucto Road Widening Project, safe routes for schoolchildren and the profound effects of community gardens.

Other guests are coming from as far away as the University of California at Berkley, and Dal students will present their planning research. Most sessions are at Dalhousie’s Ralph M. Medjuck Building, 5410 Spring Garden Road. They’re free, and open to all. Find out more at www.planningconference.dal.ca.