Centre Plan

Client Halifax Regional Municipality
Location Halifax | Nova Scotia | Canada

The Halifax Regional Municipality consists of many diverse and beautiful communities, spread over 5,490 square kilometers on the South East coast of Nova Scotia. Facing the North Atlantic, these communities have recognized the ocean as a defining feature as long as they have existed. This understanding of place draws heavily on the relationship between the land and sea.

Since its official amalgamation in 1996, the Municipality has successfully integrated these relationships in both regional and local planning. Building on these successes, O2 is leading a team to create a Centre Plan that will bridge the geographic cores of the two largest communities within the Regional Municipality – major components of the former cities of Halifax and Dartmouth.

This 33-square kilometre area, known as the Regional Centre, is home to almost a quarter of the Region’s population. It is also home to prominent education and health institutions, as well as economic generators. The Centre Plan is a comprehensive strategy that will unify land use plans, urban design, and policy in the Regional Centre. This project also includes a significant public engagement process in alignment with the approved Centre Plan Community Engagement Strategy; this ensures preservation of the local relationship with the land and sea.