Population projections for London

[Highinthesky]

I don't even know where this Milton comparison came from. For one people are say that the GTA/Toronto is having an impact on growth in KW and some of speculated that the affect is going to increase over time. Nowhere did that become a KW compared to Milton thing, oh which btw Milton is part of the GTA.

[ssiguy]

Yes. it would be nice if the city was growing a bit faster but it is still doing reasonably well especially considering the local economy.
Hamilton looks like it's doing well but it's growth is much slower than London's. It's CMA is growing but most of that is due strickly because of Burlington now being another suburban GTA city.
Windsor actually declined and Niagara stood still.

[ssiguy]

Just did a little checking on the Ontario gov demographic site. Waterloo region took over CMA London quite a while ago as it's a relatively small county. Here's the REAL story...........estimates for 2011 place Waterloo actually overtaking Hamilton! Yup, 536,000 vs 535,000.
Of the big 5 urban centres in Southern Ontario in the last 50 years London has more than held its own. It has grown significantly faster than Windsor or Niagara and a bit faster than Hamilton. It's not that London has done poorly but rather Waterloo region has boomed non-stop for 50 years.
At that time KW was the smallest of the CMA followed by London. Now London has swept by Niagara and Windsor.

[MolsonExport]

SSP London meetup tomorrow (saturday february 12) at Crabby Joes downtown. come one, come all.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=188121

[ldoto]

According to Mayor Joe Fontana's Economic Council, London is on the cusp of greatness.

On Thursday, the council gathered to present ideas and answers to three questions they have been considering the past several months.

The group has been charged with the task of figuring out new ways to make London more welcoming and attractive to business, create business expansion and job creation, and improve how the city does business with London business.

The Mayor's Economic Council or MEC received dozens of what the group refers to as Pillar reports. The Pillars are made up of ten major sectors of the city's economy, including health care, manufacturing and education.

While no specific projects were announced, representatives in attendance at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn were expressing optimism about London's economic future.

"We've said and declared that we want to grow," said Mayor Fontana. "We want to double our population growth. We want to open up our corridors."

Hundreds of Londoners have been involved with the council and many sent along suggestions via email, according to Fontana.

The MEC will now take all of the recommendations and create a final report which will be released in mid-April.

[ericlewis91]

1) better road network
2) increased downtown density
3) more industry/business along 401 + attract more business
4) BRT? (like waterloo iXpress)

population growth?

[MolsonExport]

I like the enthusiasm, but what will the record eventually show? Trying is better than the status quo.

[Snark]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I like the enthusiasm, but what will the record eventually show? Trying is better than the status quo.

The record will show that Joe is bi-winning!

[haljackey]

London population growth exploding at rate unseen in quarter-century

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/...uarter-century

[jammer139]

The bump from GTA expat's looking for relatively cheap condo's has pushed up housing prices in London area. Certainly they don't care about a non RAPID bus plan as much as they care about cheaper living and snowbird living in the southern USA and trips overseas.

[Stevo26]

Originally Posted by haljackey

London population growth exploding at rate unseen in quarter-century

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/...uarter-century

And how is the city going to accommodate this growth? By building only half a BRT system, of course, and maintaining the status quo so as not to ruffle the feathers of overly sensitive birds.

Leave light rail and better BRT to someone else to decide on at an undetermined future date, when the opportunity to build a LRT system might be gone forever, just like it was with the in-city expressway.

[ssiguy]

New StatsCan figures and it couldn't be better. London is the now the 2nd fastest growing Metro in the country and grew last year { July 2018 to July 2019} by a whopping 12,500 and second only to Kitchener. What's even better is that this growth is happening in the City and not satellite communities. The City accounted for 11,700 of that growth for an annualized rate of a whopping 2.8%. The city's population as of last July was 426,000.

This city-focused growth means more infill and higher density in the already built-up areas and will lead to many more condo/apt towers going up in the Core.

[jammer139]

The surrounding bedroom communities are also all growing with. Mt Bridges, Komoka, Kilworth, Ilderton, Dorchester, Belmont, Thorndale all seeing new homes being built.

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

The City accounted for 11,700 of that growth for an annualized rate of a whopping 2.8%. The city's population as of last July was 426,000.

Have a source for this? I haven't been able to find figures for the actual city itself. 2016 census has the city at 383,822.

Problem is London isn't really ready to handle this growth. Unlike places like Waterloo Region, we have no local freeways, no rapid transit (but a partial BRT system is coming) and no regional transit to London's joke of a CMA (nearest small towns/cities are a ~20 min drive away through corn fields).

[ssiguy]

The new 2019 CMA and city population numbers are posted on the StatsCan thread on the national forum.
I appreciate that London has growing satellite areas and especially Kilworth/Komoka but building houses does not always equate with population growth. Many of those new houses are simply people leaving Mom & Dad's and moving into their own place and having only 1 or 2 kids. Those SFH homes that were built in the 1960/70/80s that have 5 or 6 people living in them now have just 1 or 2. This is why most fast growing cities still have areas of their city that are experiencing population decline...……….the demographics of the area have changed.

Population growth estimates are a tricky proposition and especially in a country like Canada where so much of our growth is based upon immigration. Unfortunately for urban planners, immigration is a political issue and not a demographic forecasting one. It just takes a change in government and political decision to drastically change our immigration rates, whether it be a increase or decrease, to throw all projections right out the window.

[jammer139]

Valid point. There is no doubt that we are seeing an influx of people moving into London region cashing out of the GTA as well. Labour participation rates will be interesting to look at in the next census.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

The new 2019 CMA and city population numbers are posted on the StatsCan thread on the national forum.
I appreciate that London has growing satellite areas and especially Kilworth/Komoka but building houses does not always equate with population growth. Many of those new houses are simply people leaving Mom & Dad's and moving into their own place and having only 1 or 2 kids. Those SFH homes that were built in the 1960/70/80s that have 5 or 6 people living in them now have just 1 or 2. This is why most fast growing cities still have areas of their city that are experiencing population decline...……….the demographics of the area have changed.

Population growth estimates are a tricky proposition and especially in a country like Canada where so much of our growth is based upon immigration. Unfortunately for urban planners, immigration is a political issue and not a demographic forecasting one. It just takes a change in government and political decision to drastically change our immigration rates, whether it be a increase or decrease, to throw all projections right out the window.

That’s precisely why Toronto’s continued growth is highly vulnerable to a change in immigration policy. A drastic drop in immigration would be disastrous for Toronto, as all of their population growth is driven by immigration.

[ssiguy]

A drop in immigration rates would certainly hit Toronto but far less so London because London isn't a huge immigration draw to begin with.

London's strong population growth will continue {although perhaps not at the same dizzying rate} because London's population growth is far more diverse. Unlike Toronto, London is seeing more Ontarians move there than leave. This is partly due to Toronto being expensive and hence not a draw for new families, people cashing out in Toronto and moving to London, London's increasingly diversified economy, strong employment gains which has seen it's unemployment rate drop below both the provincial and federal rates while increasing the participation rate, far fewer Londoners/Ontarians moving out of the province for greener pastures like Alberta, far fewer seniors moving to BC for it's warmer climate due to it's astronomical housing costs, and those wanting to leave the Toronto urban blob which now extends to Kitchener.

There is another advantage London has over any other city in Southern Ontario.....a damn good reputation. Tell someone you are moving to Hamilton, Kitchener, Oshawa, Sarnia, Windsor or Brantford and watch them cringe and offer their condolences. Tell them you are moving to London and the first thing they will say is that "they like London and it's a lovely city". You are more likely to get jealousy than empathy.

London has a great reputation nationwide as a pleasant, handsome, safe, green, and very lieable city and it is indeed all those things. This is London's key advantage and one Londoners often don't appreciate.............a high quality of life and a likeable and beautiful city pays real economic benefits.

[Blitz]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

There is another advantage London has over any other city in Southern Ontario.....a damn good reputation. Tell someone you are moving to Hamilton, Kitchener, Oshawa, Sarnia, Windsor or Brantford and watch them cringe and offer their condolences. Tell them you are moving to London and the first thing they will say is that "they like London and it's a lovely city". You are more likely to get jealousy than empathy.

It's so tiring how you bash the other small cities in the region even though every city in this region (including London) has been struggling economically for a while now. You hold onto tired stereotypes from the '80s and '90s since you haven't even lived here in 30 years. Just because a city has a more industrial heritage, that does not make it cringeworthy. The character of the urban neighbourhoods in Windsor and Hamilton blow away anything you see in London. It's a matter of perspective. Unlike you, I have actually lived in downtown London for the past 10 years. It has changed a lot just during that period (and not for the better) and it has changed even more since you last lived here.

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by Blitz

I The character of the urban neighbourhoods in Windsor and Hamilton blow away anything you see in London. It's a matter of perspective. Unlike you, I have actually lived in downtown London for the past 10 years. It has changed a lot just during that period (and not for the better) and it has changed even more since you last lived here.

I've been working downtown for a few years now. Sometimes it's downright scary walking the streets by yourself, doesn't matter your gender, age, or what you look like either.

I agree that both Windsor and Hamilton have more of a urban fabric as well. Wyandotte St in Windsor blows out Richmond Row in London, for example.

These condo booms downtown are mostly for people that will jump in their cars and go shopping in the big box centres. They may live downtown, but won't interact/contribute to it much. I know many, many people who will never come downtown again to do anything besides seeing a game at the Bud, a show at the Grand, or a festival in Vic Park.