Built for Change: An Adaptive Approach to the Diversification of Halifax’s Residential Neighbourhoods

Abstract

Residential patterns across Canada have longstanding social and urban qualities that are no longer suited to our current socio-economic world, including smaller and more diverse households and the need to integrate activities of living and working. In Halifax, the municipal government’s promotion of residential densification encourages the demolition of neighbourhoods in favour of high-rise apartment blocks that contribute little to their surroundings. This thesis investigates the “missing middle” for residential development in the North American city. An adaptive method introduces a more subtle approach to the densification of Halifax’s residential neighbourhoods by modifying existing buildings and properties. Using a typical West End block as its site, a catalogue of design explorations reveals opportunities within our current urban fabric for diverse housing options and more liveable communities that can adapt to cultural change and provide solutions to the current housing crisis.