Podcast: Making Maritime City Centres More Vibrant, People-Friendly Places

In response to Covid-19 restrictions, Halifax, Saint John, Moncton, and Fredericton are shutting down streets, establishing new bike lanes, and extending restaurant patios onto sidewalks and into public squares. In the new episode of the Huddle “Home Office” podcast, Halifax reporter Trevor Nichols and editor Mark Leger talk about whether these could become permanent features of more vibrant, people-friendly cities.

Trevor and other Huddle reporters have been writing about these issues for weeks now as Maritime cities have made changes to help businesses that are reopening do so successfully with physical distancing restrictions.

Fredericton is setting up bistro-style tables in public squares for restaurant and cafe customers on the city’s north and south sides. Halifax is extending sidewalk patios and closing some streets to make them more pedestrian- and bike-friendly.

Trevor has spoken with Halifax area business leaders and shares some of their thoughts on the podcast. Paul MacKinnon, CEO of Downtown Halifax Business Commission, says the changes made because of Covid-19 could become a permanent part of the commercial and cultural fabric.

“There’s always going to be a place for cars in the downtown, but we know that progressive cities the world over are trying to create spaces that people just want to be in, that just feel comfortable,” he says.

“What are the cities that you want to visit? They’re all cities that have gone through great measures to either bring back pedestrian spaces or never lost them … We know we’re going in this direction now, maybe it’s a chance for us to make some pretty bold, wide-sweeping changes now, and hopefully what we’ll find is that we love it.”

The Huddle “Home Office” podcast, available on Spotify, Google Play, and Apple podcast platforms, features conversations with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia community leaders, entrepreneurs and Huddle reporters about the issues and events that accelerate and enrich the growth of the region’s economy and culture.

Listen to the conversation between Trevor and Mark, and read some of the stories that informed their discussion:

• Halifax Restaurants Call For Summer Street Closures, But Will They Happen?
• Making Main Street One Way For The Summer Means Larger Sidewalk Cafes
• Fredericton Will Allow Restaurants To Use Tables In Public Outdoor Spaces Downtown
• St. Andrews Eliminating Water Street Parking To Cater To Daytrippers