Can Hamilton become the new Pittsburgh?
 

Can Hamilton become the new Pittsburgh?
A city once maligned for its grimy steel industry -- not unlike Hamilton -- has spent 30 years evolving into a progressive, artsy, high-tech city, voted the best place to live in the United States

September 21, 2009
Mitch Potter
Toronto Star
PITTSBURGH
http://www.thespec.com/News/Business/article/638619

Newly scrubbed and ready for its close-up, Pittsburgh is promising a glimpse of a clean, green post-industrial future as the leaders of the world's 20 most powerful economies converge here Thursday to compare notes on slaying the dragon of global recession.

The timing is fortuitous for a city whose molten blend of steelworks and smog was once described as "hell with the lid off" by Boston writer James Parton.

Thirty years have passed since the steel industry collapsed -- a crash that cost Pittsburgh nearly half its population and, many assumed, its future.

Today, at 312,000 people with the surrounding seven counties boasting 2.5 million, there is more than a whiff of renaissance in the city's now breathable air.

USA Today hails the reviving city's skyline nestled in a panoramic triangle of rivers and hills as the second most impressive in the United States, behind New York. The Economist magazine of London, England, goes further, recently declaring it "America's most livable city," and 29th in the world.

Pittsburgh? Some have known of its charms for decades, many don't. It is not unlike the reputation of Hamilton -- based on an ignorant, dated waterfront view of a smoke-belching industry that belies its geographic beauty and diversifying economy of the last 30 years.

Says Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell: "Many of the great steel factories that went for blocks and blocks and blocks, they're gone. But they've been replaced by a clean green renaissance, a combination of green jobs, life sciences jobs, robotics, high-technology manufacturing, recreation and entertainment."

It is the governor's job to lead such boosterism. But he is not just blowing smoke. When the G20 comes to town, it will set up shop in the world's largest "green" building, the David Lawrence Convention Center, the most impressive of 39 structures driving for a zero-carbon footprint.

Rendell, in his sixth year as governor, acknowledges the transformation was decades in the making and it took the combined heft of public, private and academic leaders to bring about.

But finally, Pittsburgh has something to show for it, including new engines of prosperity driving for a lion's share of high-technology jobs. These past six years, the state has steered more than $1 billion US into green economy projects, backed by legislation establishing the country's most aggressive standards for solar and photovoltaic power.

A key factor, other Pittsburgh backers say, is the depth of the local talent pool, with 35 universities and colleges in the region, including University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. A legacy of the rich industrialists of an earlier era, the schools have been instrumental partners in a multidisciplinary, cross-industry effort to open new horizons in areas such as nanotechnology.

"Through bad times and good times -- and we've seen both --Pittsburgh is focusing on finding technology solutions," said Greg Babe, president and CEO of Bayer Corp.

Babe notes the creation in 2006 by public and private stakeholders of a Pittsburgh nanotech centre that has underwritten 12 projects so far, ranging from the development of organic-based solar cells to energy efficient LED lighting.

"This is playing a key role in accelerating the commercialization of nanotech research. We're using the funding to bridge the 'valley of death' between the proof of concept and customer-relevant products," he said.

Babe said results thus far suggest emerging nanotech breakthroughs could be "a game-changer" in advanced wind energy production, pointing to research showing that the addition of as few as 20 kilograms of ultra-lightweight carbon nanotubes under development in Pittsburgh can reduce the weight of the wind turbine blade by as much as three tonnes.

The same technology, he said, is being applied to strengthen metals such as aluminum and magnesium "so that we get a lightweight outcome with the strength of steel that could be applied to make lighter engine blocks and much, much more."

The hard numbers don't fully support Pittsburgh's buoyant tub-thumping.

Unemployment here is rising, as are bankruptcies. But Governor Rendell stresses that the area's jobless rate remains "a point or more" better than the national average (which is 10 per cent), notwithstanding the region's extreme exposure to the crash of the automotive and housing sectors.

But as a state, Pennsylvania is also the most aggressive in courting overseas business, having placed representatives in 31 countries, including Canada, which remains its leading trade partner.

If you go looking for a U.S. state business office in India, he points out, Pennsylvania is the only one you will find.

Pennsylvania's $34.3 billion US in exports last year included shipments from more than 100 companies with a foothold in the Pittsburgh area that do $1 billion of business each year.

Says Rendell: "Our investment in international business development is to aid the small- and middle-sized companies with exports. They don't know how to do it and they need the help," he said.

The most impressive signs of Pittsburgh life, however, are aesthetic, from the revival of a derelict 14-block swath of the downtown core into a culture district studded with museums and theatres to the enlivened south and north ends, the latter now the home of the glistening seven-storey Andy Warhol Museum.

"Art is often where this begins," says Warhol Museum director Tom Sokolowski, whose venue has mounted touring Warhol exhibits in 15 of the 19 countries coming for the G20. Warhol was born in Pittsburgh.

"When I came to Pittsburgh 13 years ago, the north shore was old and broken down."

But as so often happens in the backdraft of decline, the neighbourhood drew in young artists in search of affordable terrain to hone their talent.

"It is a new kind of Florence," Sokolowski said, tempting the bounds of hyperbole. "Pittsburgh is a place that young artists can come, perhaps work part-time as a chef at a greasy spoon, but spend most of their time making their art. That is not feasible in big capitals anymore."

A long afternoon's wander through Pittsburgh on foot, however, shows plenty of gaps in the reviving city's smile.

The eastern stretch of the city's downtown, beyond the historic H.J. Heinz factory, is still playing catch-up, with former industrial brown fields awaiting new purpose.

Yet further northeast the strip district is rising anew with a rugged, rustic blend of wholesale markets, night clubs and bars.

"You never have to worry about finding something to do. Pittsburgh has a lot going on these days," said Stephen Pennington, 30, a new resident from Detroit.

"I look back at my time at GM and everybody I knew is gone ... But in Pittsburgh, there's energy at least. You can feel the place is back on its feet again."

And this is why Hamilton has no chance of becoming the new Pittsburgh. At least not with our current crop of business, media, and political 'leaders'.

Absolutely we can- we've already left the steel industry behind as our primary source of employment. Medical, research, and post-secondary education are growing!

It does take something that the people in power are sorely lacking- a united vision for this city, and the foresight to make the decisions that will move us there. There is SO MUCH potential here. To work with the great existing architecture, to clear the slate where we need to. But we cannot do anything half assed. Whether working in Hamilton or commuting to Toronto, Hamilton must offer a BETTER standard of living if we're going to attract the people, retailers, and businesses that will feed a positive upward spiral.

But it's going to be tough- how many city councilors have zero interest in downtown renewal because they live, work, and play in the suburbs?

From the Star article (emphasis mine):

Hamilton's the province's third largest city, while Pittsburgh is PA's second largest city. That (along with the fact that Waterloo's "new engines of prosperity" have arguably made it a magnet for innovation dollars) might make a difference in how state/provincial funds are allocated. Being able to tap into a superfund is always a bonus.

Even aside from that, however, as long as Hamilton's economy is public-fund reliant, as long as private investment is relatively timid or "sea changes" isolated to massive philanthropic gifts to universities and hospitals, as long as those institutions remain reluctant to commit to downtown, and as long as local politicians favour quick-fix solutions or ends achievable within a four-year term, the city may have trouble even getting to Pittsburgh's starting block.

.... and from elsewhere on SSP, "PITTSBURGH | Rundown", aka The Pittsburgh Development Thread

That's a tough call...
I mean any city has the potential to do anything and seeing as you can truly compare Hamilton to Pittsburgh just that we're a bit smaller, I'd say it could happen.
This'll take time though and keep in mind Pittsburgh gets money from county, state and federal levels where as Hamilton...I'm not actually sure where we get ours for development.

Steel Mills - Only time will tell for us but Pittsburgh seems to have recovered from it's fallout moving more towards the hightech sector

Transportation - They have quit an extensive light rail system through one part of the area that turns into a subway downtown. We simply need light rail to begin with. Bring back our damn incline too! I'd love that

That dirty dirty image - I love the fact how it was called 'Hell with the lid off' and being there last month, my mind was blown away and that I could actually call certain viewpoints of the city "beautiful"...for a mid-east town.

Downtown - Walkable, almost reminded me of NYC but very very busy and bustling. Even at night after the Pirates game you felt very safe and wanted a night on the town. As for Hamilton you feel very safe before 6:00 and need an excuse to stay downtown. As much as it's trying to comeback, it still has lots of work to do.

All in all, we do have the potential...but as much as I'd like to say we beat Pittsburgh on a lot of points (maybe those waterfalls), our US counterpart certainly takes the cake.

Two different cities, based primarily on this:

Pittsburgh is Pittsburgh, the downtown is the only metro centre in the area.

Hamilton is quickly turning into just another bedroom community to Toronto. There's opportunities elsewhere that are nearby, while Pittsburgh, that's all there is.

If Toronto didn't exist, and Hamilton was on it's own - geographically, well then we may be talking, but two very different cities, based on geography and what metro areas are nearby.

I think you hit the nail on the head with that one. Hamilton needs to be understood in the context of a metropolitan area and there's no escaping that geography. We've been losing jobs to Toronto's sprawl for decades.

the problem is pittsburgh is beautiful...hamilton isnt....hamiltons downtown isnt that big and the buildings arent that great.

We need to get rid of the highways running through the downtown.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES
November 30, 2009
Hamilton Place Theatre
Doors open: 6:00 pm Program: 7:00 - 9:00 pm
THIS IS A FREE EVENT LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE
To order tickets visit: www.mohawkcollegeenterprise.ca or call 905.667.6230

With Special Guest Speaker
Bill Strickland, renowned author

This is the story of one man’s crusade to inspire others to dream bigger and to achieve the extraordinary in Pittsburgh; a city that experienced widespread unemployment following the decline of the steel industry.

Strickland envisioned a template for “social change” and immediately began to form collaborative relationships with all those who shared his vision.

http://www.hecfi.ca/uploads/Strickla...Vmarketing.pdf

In for 2 tickets.

Looks like an interesting evening. The collaborative relationships are really key, since the time frame for these visions outlives administrations, and often whole political careers -- Hamilton's ongoing Harbour cleanup, intimately related to its steel giants, is a similar case. It's not simply a matter of fraternal steel cities sharing tips for success, though. What some overlook is that Pittburgh's success is a 30-year story with its roots in the complete decimation of its steel industry -- the city apparently lost 60,000 steel jobs between 1984-1986, more than twice twice the amount that StatsCan reportedly says was shed nationwide from 1980-1996. We were lucky, but then again not. Sometimes massive trauma helps open your eyes to other options, and more progressive ways of being.

very interesting - i plan to attend this one.

DOWN. Now I wonder if I can find a date for this.... I've got 40 days.

Thanks Steeltown. Reserved my ticket.

Moi aussi.

Steel can you put me down for one ticket. ? thanks........

This is true. Pitts skyline is awesome. The downtown is fronted by water on three sides, beautiful bridges and vistas.

Hamilton could only wish to be Pittsburgh. Pit was and always will be in a different league then the Hammer.


If Hamilton picked up the downtown and placed it along/near the waterfront, and removed Halton and Peel then Hamilton would be a different city and comparable to Pittsburgh.

When we relocate the CN yard we will have prime waterfront land. I imagine the pressure to relocate the yard will happen if we win the 2015 Pan Am bid.

It's easy peasy....

To order tickets visit: www.mohawkcollegeenterprise.ca or call 905.667.6230

looks like a lot of forumers are attending - how about a forum meetup pre or post event?

got my tix.. thanks

sure I can meet anywhere anytime.... actually we can have pre- post- drinks at my house... I'm okay w that...

I can do post but not pre.

that's a great offer realcity. post-event drinks at your place, and we'll all bring some of the drinks?

okay post then.

thanks guys. Nothing like throwing a party and no one shows. When it gets closer I'll remind everyone again... and give address in PMs

I'm down for post drink as well. That is if you're done giving me shit for the shoe thread.

awesome Jon.... shoe thread lol .... peace

:cheers:
:drunk:

I'm not sure if I can make it for the post-drinks, but thanks a lot for offering your space. Very generous of you.

Next monday? Is this actually assigned seats or can we maybe find each other before it starts? I got #54 and #56 (?).

I wouldn't be surprised to see Hamilton surge over the next 50 years. The shocking blindness to Hamilton's assets by Hamiltonians needs to stop though. Hopefully, locals will see the wisdom in renovating and upgrading, rather than demolishing what's there now.

Renovate your old office buildings, convert your warehouses to luxury lofts, and beautify your streets. Much has been neglected for decades and looks shabby, but you've got some of the best building stock in the country.

It's general admission, so yeah, we should try to meet up.

I've got a few extra tickets. If anyone wants them, pm me.

I may need another one of those tickets for tomorrow but I'll pm if needed, Highwater.

i think im coming.
can meet up afterwards for drinks too

btw, i didnt get tickets or anything, i registered a while ago, and all i got was a confirmation via email with an invoice number..

do i need something to get in?

How long ago was that? I got my tickets in the mail a couple weeks later.

Yeah, mine came in the mail a few weeks ago. Talk to Highwater to get one, she has extras.

I might be there but I can't find my tickets.

This just in - one extra ticket is available. Meet at the Summers Lane entrance at 6:45 if you want it.

Did post drinks happen? Sorry I crapped out. Socializing fail.

Just FairHamilton and I and my SO and friends. Would have been nice to have got together, but didn't see you after the talk. What did you think? Very moving and inspiring I thought.

I was impressed with the man and his work, as were everyone with me. The first 45 minutes probably didn't need to happen, well except for the gymnastics show that was just gold. I thought there was too much hot air in those speeches though. I mean, civic engagement being unique to Hamilton? And doesn't Dana Robbins live in Kitchener or something? Correct me if I'm wrong.

All in all it was a pleasure to attend. It didn't feel like a free event at all, I thought I should have more money than I do in order to be there. Still not sure why I got two VIP tickets, #'s 5 and 7. I hope mayor Fred didn't feel too shafted when the two seats on either side of him were empty because we joined the common folk in GA.

It was a pleasure to attend, and I agree with Jon, it felt like a Gala, not a free event.

I enjoyed the inspiration and some examples on how changing the environment around at risk kids have helped. The man clearly works hard. I was impressed by the number of donations that he has received which have turned his buildings into beautiful space.


For specific Hamilton - Pittsburgh comparisons, I though the creativity of learning and comparing from Pittsburgh experience was limited. Because of this, I find the title on the ticket misleading.


However, It is true that Hamilton has a lot of poor people. Finding a way to engage them would bring a lot of spirit into Hamilton.

I'd agree - I was disappointed at the lack of specific comparisons/misleading title, but I did find it a moving and quality event for what it was.

To truly have an impact on what Hamilton needs to do, I think it would be a stronger signal to have people like Don Drummond from TD Bank, or Glen Hodgson from the Conference Board of Canada. Surely it may not be as entertaining, but it will show business leaders that Hamilton serious about changing the way it treats employers and businesses. And it could give us ideas on how to fill up vacant towers, get banks lending to us like every other city, and bring jobs into town.

I have to admit it wouldn't have garnered my interest if the event was more aptly named. Revitalization and urban design issues are what turn my crank moreso than poverty issues (that makes me bad, I realize) and I'm guessing they tried to play up that angle in the advertising. None the less I thoroughly enjoyed it and was impressed with what I saw. It made me believe in people a little bit more.

I had a couple nagging questions, though.

Where are the jobs that all these newly trained people are finding?
and
Do these people stay in the neighbourhood or leave to follow the jobs?

That and there was alot of ugly surface parking around those beautiful buildings.

Eisenberger intrigued by Pittsburgh program

Ken Mann
3/16/2010
http://www.900chml.com/Channels/Reg/...spx?ID=1207456

Hamilton's mayor is off on a fact-finding mission.

Fred Eisenberger will spend the rest of this week in Pittsburgh, a city that is often compared to Hamilton in regards to the transformation of its economy.

One of his meetings will be with Bill Strickland, the founder of an innovative non-profit agency that uses the arts to inspire inner-city teenagers.

By understanding how that program operates and is funded, Eisenberger believes Hamilton can learn some specific lessons about how to grow its own downtown arts community.

He adds that inclusion means creating opportunities for all citizens, including those "who are challenged to find opportunities".

Eisenberger leads a group of city representatives who will leave for Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Mayor visits Pittsburgh in search of ideas to help here

March 18, 2010
Meredith Macleod
The Hamilton Spectator
PITTSBURGH
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/739467

Mayor Fred Eisenberger and a small city arts delegation have arrived in Pittsburgh for a whirlwind tour.

The group includes Jacqueline Norton, manager of the city's film and television office; Glen Norton, a business development consultant in the city's economic development office; and Jeremy Freiburger, a force in Hamilton's arts community and founder of the Imperial Cotton Centre for the Arts.

Eisenberger is scheduled to have a short meeting today with Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and says he hopes to check out the city's light rail transit line, its waterfront stadium built on a former brownfield and its burgeoning arts scene.

"So many people compare Pittsburgh to Hamilton and there are lots of similarities ... I will be looking to see what can be applied here," he said.

A key stop for the Hamilton contingent will be a visit to the Manchester Craftsmen Guild, an inner-city arts and vocational training centre renowned for its impact on a very impoverished section of Pittsburgh.

An audience packed Hamilton Place in December to hear Bill Strickland, the centre's founder and CEO, deliver a message of hope and innovation.

His model has been adopted in cities across North America, including Halifax and Vancouver. Strickland's goal is to build 100 such non-profit centres in the United States and another 100 around the world.

Eisenberger, who shared a van with the rest of the visiting delegation to make the five-hour trek to Pittsburgh yesterday, also said he intends to "drop in and say hello" at the headquarters of U.S. Steel during his visit.

Freiburger said he'll be interested in the ways Hamilton is different from Pittsburgh. Once a steel giant that was crippled when the mills shut down in the 1980s, Pittsburgh is still a home to major corporate head offices and has a strong legacy of foundation funds pouring into the creative sector.

"Pittsburgh openly states that it has embraced the arts as part of its turnaround," said Freiburger.

"The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council has developed a wealth of information on surviving through economic depression with the arts. So again I want to see it in action."

Freiburger, who is paying for the trip personally, said he hopes the group can develop a "shared reality" based on what they see.

"I want to ensure we don't just come home and say, 'That was cool, let's build one of those.' We need to find Hamilton's model and vision so I hope we have some collective sparks."

The Pittsburgh makeover
Hamilton group finds striking similarities, inspiration

March 19, 2010
Meredith Macleod
The Hamilton Spectator
PITTSBURGH
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/740050

The possibilities are apparent on every street corner as a group of Hamiltonians travel this Pennsylvania city that is transforming itself from a steel power to a white-collar metropolis based on research and medicine.

Amid gleaming corporate towers are heritage buildings that remind this contingent of home. An historic downtown hotel where the group is booked is eerily reminiscent, from the street and inside, of the dormant Royal Connaught Hotel in its heyday. The 596-room William Penn Omni Hotel is fully booked mid-week in March.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger, who leads the group of city staff and arts advocate Jeremy Freiburger, says he's hopeful the Connaught, owned by a powerful local consortium, will be revived. "I think it's only a matter of time. I'm quite optimistic about it," he says.

Just a stone's throw from the hotel is a former Gimbles department store that now serves as office space for ketchup giant Heinz. It bears more than a passing resemblance to the Lister Block that is undergoing redevelopment on James Street North.

There are several reminders of what's been lost in Hamilton, too. Pittsburgh's courthouse echoes the former City Hall that was torn down to make way for the Eaton Centre. A stretch of old theatres in Pittsburgh's Cultural District conjure up visions of the Century Theatre that was recently demolished. There are two incline railways that carry riders up Mt. Washington on the city's southern end, much like Hamilton once had.

The group excitedly talks about a return of an incline. Perhaps it could be a project of civic pride and Hamiltonians could pitch in to make it happen again, is one suggestion.

Pittsburgh has many of the elements Eisenberger wants for his city: a light rail system, a waterfront stadium, downtown employment. Much like Hamilton but on an even greater scale, the compact, pie-shaped Pittsburgh downtown is a bustling hub in the daytime. It literally clears out at the end of the day.

The visitors are clearly impressed by the conversion of former railyard lands that once served the city's steel industry. A couple of tracks remain and diners are often startled by the squeal of freight trains as they thunder past what is now a beautiful restaurant in a former grand train station.

Much like our city, there is plenty of work to do. There is a lot of vacant street level space and stretches of housing with boarded up windows just outside the core.

But the momentum is clearly here. Just ask Pittsburgh hockey, baseball and football fans who all enjoy new facilities.

While U.S. Steel maintains its headquarters in Pittsburgh, there is little profile for steel anymore. The giant's tower now bears the acronym UPMC, for its biggest tenant, University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre. Where steel was once made is now the Southside Works, a stretch of retailers, restaurants and condo-style apartments. The headquarters of American Eagle Outfitters is there and the only nod to steel is a series of parking garages named things like ingot, ladle and furnace.

Bill Strickland stepped in when the steel industry collapsed in the 1980s and helped local employers like Alcoa and Bayer train workers for its industries. His vocational school and a renowned arts program for high-school students are located about a 15-minute drive from the heart of the downtown in a waterfront industrial area.

The Manchester Bidwell Corporation offers an impressive array of opportunities for young people and adults who haven't been offered many elsewhere, says Strickland. The Hamilton group spent several hours touring the art and design studios, classrooms, culinary arts and horticultural facilities that make up the centre.

Strickland, who visited Hamilton a few months ago, wants to establish 100 centres like his around the U.S. and another 100 around the world. There are several in operation now and the first in Canada will be in Halifax. He encourages the Hamilton group to consider his model but warns that his standards are high.

"It's non-negotiable. We'll build a beautiful building wherever we go. Environment absolutely influences behaviour." The dynamic Strickland, who has convinced CEOs and politicians to hand over millions for his vision, is a firm believer that his students dress well, show up on time and are respectful and committed.

Eisenberger spent about half an hour with Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl who, when elected three years ago at 26, was the youngest mayor of a major city in the U.S. He didn't know much about Hamilton, said Eisenberger, and seemed unaware of U.S. Steel's presence here.

I can't wait to see what changes we'll be doing to make Hamilton more like Pittsburgh when Eisenberger gets back. It's so exciting.

2007 Pittsburgh: 66% overweight/obese (total population), 23% physically inactive (total population)

2007 Hamilton: 53.2% overweight/obese (18+ population), 47% physically inactive (12+ population)