The 2021 Canadian census revealed a substantial uptick in the population of the Halifax peninsula for the first time in over half a century. This reflects an ongoing wave of residential development in the urban core which has taken place against a backdrop of municipal zoning reform and record growth in Nova Scotia’s population.
The above graph shows the historical population of the five census tracts that roughly cover Halifax’s downtown area. Between 2016 and 2021, downtown Halifax grew by around 4,305 residents, representing growth of around 28 per cent (outpacing the 14 per cent growth of the Halifax peninsula during the same period). In 2021, downtown was home to around 27 per cent of the peninsular population.
The five highlighted census tracts roughly cover the downtown Halifax area (Source for base map: Statistics Canada, 2022)
The downtown area has roughly recovered its 1941 population level. The sharp population decline during the 1950s and 1960s can be partly attributed to the easing of wartime overcrowding and large-scale “slum clearance” and urban renewal within the downtown area, which was carried out in large part in accordance with a 1957 urban redevelopment study authored by town planner Gordon Stephenson.
The population of downtown Halifax will likely continue to rise beyond 2021 as mixed-use development continues. The demolition of the Cogswell Interchange, which began in 2022, will open up a significant amount of centrally located land for commercial and residential development.
Cogswell Interchange, which is currently being demolished. The land occupied by the sprawling interchange will be replaced with a mixed-use urban district. (Photo: Ben MacLeod, 2016)