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Glen Murray on Downtown Hamilton

Interesting article from July 5 edition of Hamilton Spectator:

Quote:

This is where the magic is

Glen Murray is a former mayor of Winnipeg, credited by many with sparking its revitalization, and is now leading a Canadian think-tank dedicated to healthy cities. He's also high on Hamilton. As part of The Spectator's commitment to being part of the momentum behind a push for change, we invited him on a tour of downtown Hamilton. The squelchers

July 05, 2008
The Hamilton Spectator

Glen Murray says Hamilton reminds him a lot of Winnipeg. Which is the butt of more jokes? Hard to call.

The two towns have almost the same population, are a similar age and have similar industrial pasts. Hamilton was the port of entry for many immigrants who ended up in Winnipeg and elsewhere in the West.

He says both cities have self-esteem issues and a strong "utilitarian underpinning."

Hamilton was founded on industry and grew quickly because of its steel mills. But hard times have battered this city's pride and created a strong culture of what the late urban theorist Jane Jacobs called squelchers, Murray says.

Squelchers don't trust new ideas, search for reasons why things won't work and dwell on failures of the past to justify doing nothing now.

"Hamilton has developed an impoverishment view of the world," said Murray.

"People feel the city can't afford anything and that every dollar has to go to filling potholes and hiring police officers. If every tax dollar goes to that, you become a poor city. It's no longer about hope, the future, the opportunities, the vision."

Murray says it's most often a "provocateur" who's been successful elsewhere who comes in and sees what others don't see because they look at the city with fresh eyes.

Murray says Mayor Fred Eisenberger understands what it will take to turn the city around. Murray is also encouraged by the level of civic engagement in generating change.

The key will be to overcome the squelcher mentality, embrace the ideas of outsiders and truly take stock of the opportunities available, he says.

"You must have confidence as a community to build a bigger picture of who you are."

Meredith Macleod

Glen Murray winces visibly every time he sees a parking lot. On a tour of downtown Hamilton, the former mayor of Winnipeg looks like a man in some very serious pain.

"This parking just kills everything," he says, pointing to an expanse of cars on a broken asphalt lot on King William Street.

"I have never seen a city with so much ugly surface parking as Hamilton ... Do you want to walk past this? There is absolutely nothing attractive.

"The biggest killers of downtowns have been urban shopping malls and parking lots."

But those same lots offer the city a great chance to infill, intensify and revitalize a compact downtown framed by natural beauty and packed with interesting and historic architecture, says Murray.

He believes Hamilton has all the pieces in place to be a leading city in Canada. During a much-talked-about address to the city's first Economic Summit in May, he shocked city leaders by saying, "I can't think of one thing that is stopping you from being the economic powerhouse of this country."

But back downtown on a cool June day, Murray practically curses every time he sees a strip mall. Never mind Jackson Square and the City Centre. "It's one of the great urban blunders of all time," he says, standing in the shadow of the hulking Lister building and shaking his head.

"Every city has one (a core shopping mall) and it's killed every city."

Murray spent five hours recently touring the city's waterfront and downtown at the invitation of The Spectator, offering his perspective on what Hamilton has going for it and what it must change.

Now president of the Canadian Urban Institute, a think-tank on city revitalization that does research and action plans around the world, Murray is certainly an expert.

And he is an unabashed Hamilton fan. This city, he says, has an "embarrassment of riches" of beautiful architecture, the great natural beauty of the escarpment and the lake, deep transportation links, a leading university and college, great hospitals, proximity to Canada's megacity and the U.S. border and is nestled in the country's richest corridor.

"Find me a place in North America which has all this and hasn't had the penny drop." Murray brought a very successful U.S. developer to Hamilton recently who specializes in restoring historic buildings in struggling cities. "He told me that this is where the magic is."
As we wind our way around by foot and by car, Murray is impressed by the 1930s beauty of the John Sopinka Courthouse, the waterfront amenities, the restoration of the central fire hall at King William and John, the green space and fountain at Gore Park, the grand LIUNA Station, the hidden gem of the Century Theatre on Mary Street, the imposing Scottish Rite, Cathedral of Christ the King, the James Street armoury.

He cranes his neck to vacant upper floor space on Main, King, James and John and says there are great opportunities for live/work lofts for artists, designers and multimedia and technology companies. That's the new economy: small, nimble, creative companies that value open space, big windows, heritage buildings, vibrant neighbourhoods and access to mass transit.

Murray says Hamilton must determine the kinds of businesses it wants to attract and must nurture an action plan to do so.

In Winnipeg, says Murray, the city discovered a fledgling group of animation and special-effects companies, helped co-ordinate the relocation of a college program to that neighbourhood and gave incentives for businesses to convert vacant space into live/work units. Within five years, it grew into a $380-million industry.

He says the city must be prepared to give a nudge to turn a neighbourhood or street around. That might mean offering a loan or a tax break to the first and second investors with a good plan and willing to take a risk. But it wouldn't be long before the city can back out and let market forces carry the momentum.

Ultimately, the key is intensification, filling in those parking lots, reclaiming vacant buildings and creating mixed-used residential and commercial developments. The result is 24-hour neighbourhoods, instead of the bedroom communities vacant during the day or the core areas that drain away at night.

"This is the last great affordable urban environment that hasn't really begun its revitalization," says Murray as we stand at Gore Park.

"It's an extraordinary opportunity you have here." He admits that he was shocked when he first visited Hamilton for a mayors' conference in the early '90s. "The two most understated, undersold cities in Canada are Saint John, N.B., and Hamilton."

Murray believes Hamilton has a great opportunity to capitalize on the shortcomings of its enormous neighbour to the east.

"Toronto has grown so big and so complicated, there is a disconnect and sense of fear between the political and corporate leadership.

"Hamilton is big enough to have a world-class art gallery, a big-city newspaper, a big corporate presence, a big university, but it's small and overlooked enough to build relationships and the leadership to manage the transformation."

One tangible place Hamilton should concentrate is on the ever-growing nonprofit sector, says Murray, because Toronto rents and property values are driving out those organizations, along with the young and the middle class.

We stop by Harry Stinson's swanky sales office for his Royal Connaught project. He plans a hotel/condo/office redevelopment of the historic hotel along with a 100-storey glass pyramid next door.

Murray can hardly contain his excitement. "Isn't this exactly what I was talking about? Shared live/work spaces, large-scale intensification in the heart of the city?"

It's not long before Stinson is at our side. He and Murray first met at Hamilton's Economic Summit, but Murray says he's been a longtime fan of Stinson's condo developments.

"Harry built my favourite building in Toronto, 1 King West," says Murray. "It was a brilliant vision, it was transformational.

"He's one of my heroes."

Murray thinks the Connaught project could do the same thing for Hamilton. "I think you don't need many developments like this to change everything. This would make this a 24-hour neighbourhood and change this strip from dollar stores and -- I'll be nice -- dance clubs, to boutiques, restaurants and cafes."
The Connaught's fully furnished units will start at $199,000 and head up to $1 million for a penthouse.

Murray says this project will bring people to Hamilton who wouldn't otherwise come here. In fact, he took a brochure himself, saying the development was more interesting than what he paid double for in the Distillery District of Toronto.

Welcome to Hamilton, Mr Murray. Good luck getting rid of the squelchers tho.
Does your American friend want to buy a bldg? Maybe the old Fed Bldg @ Main & Caroline?
It's a historic building garage sale... Everything must go!!!

Quote:

I have never seen a city with so much ugly surface parking as Hamilton ... Do you want to walk past this? There is absolutely nothing attractive.

I noticed this too, the downtown is quite the car park. Imagine the amount of land that could be used for other things if there were a few multistorey car parks or subterranean car parks were built and those surface ones were used as green spaces or plazas or useful buildings were built on them. I remember visiting a square in San Francisco, I forget the name of it, but it used to be all parking. Then they buried the parking underneath and built a piazza above ground and that's actually very pleasant now and they still have the parking and it's hidden.

Referencing other threads, consider the uses of the land near the Hunter Street GO if that car park near to it were available for an alternative use?

Hamilton Next
Focus on the future city

July 05, 2008
The Hamilton Spectator

Ideas gush out of Glen Murray like a geyser as he takes in Hamilton. Here are just a few:

* More signage pointing pedestrians to destinations along the waterfront

* Development that will make waterfront areas of Bayfront Park, Pier 8, year-round, 24-hour destinations, including office space, condos, hotels, restaurants, outdoor art gallery or sculpture park

* A historic-looking trolley running down James Street, linking the waterfront to the escarpment and showcasing the restaurants, shops and galleries along the street

* Anchor the Lister Block with a library or other public destination, maybe high-end liquor store, maybe public sculpture park, district energy solution, try to attract non-governmental organizations

* Digital audio tours of the city and its landmarks

* Plaques telling the story of notable buildings

* Rapid transit strategy that looks at innovative, green technology such as light rail that runs on optical readers, or personal rapid transit that runs individual, computer- operated cable cars on tracks above the streets

* Arm's-length agency to broker deals between investors and the city, help property owners negotiate financing and zoning hurdles, tap into heritage tax credits and brownfield incentives and act as a lender of last resort

* District plans that map out centres of industry, commerce, architecture, matched with action plans and incentive programs to create restaurant rows, discovery districts, gallery blocks or ethnic villages

* Connect districts with interesting pedestrian corridors

* Create a spirit of risk-taking, entrepreneurship at City Hall

In his words: "The most successful cities in the world all share two things: a great university and old architecture. Hamilton has both."

"You couldn't afford to build like that now. This is authentic. There is a real presence of history here," looking at 8-10 John Street South, which appears to be mostly vacant.

"We used to build buildings that were representative of our values and civic esteem. We didn't build high schools that looked like fertilizer factories. We have to reach back to those buildings for our pride today. Architecture should be a celebration of who we are and what we deserve."

"You have two waterfronts in Hamilton, the industrial, practical side and the natural, commercial, cultural and residential side. It's one of the most beautiful waterfronts in Ontario."

"It's like time stopped here. You have beautiful buildings from the 1920s and '30s and then it just jumps to the 1970s and '80s. Those were bad decades for men's hair and urban architecture."

"Downtowns used to be the tax engines of cities. When commercial centres failed, cities started to struggle ... When the tax engine comes roaring back to life, the whole city comes along."

"Ten square blocks of downtown creates the whole image of Hamilton. If it's empty and dead, you can't attract investment."

Quote:

Originally Posted by omro (Post 3654625)

Referencing other threads, consider the uses of the land near the Hunter Street GO if that car park near to it were available for an alternative use?

There's no car park for the GO Station, there's one for the YMCA. This is the biggest complaint about the Hunter GO Station, no parking available. It's probably the only GO Station without a parking lot or a parking garage.

Historical plaques? Vintage trolley connecting James to the waterfront? EcDev/Downtown Renewal department? Pedestrian corridors? Rapid transit strategy emphasizing light rail?

Nice to have Glen here to stir the pot, but aren't half of his new ideas either in place, in progress, or in the pipeline? Maybe I'm just splitting hairs. Agreed on implementation being more important than strategizing.

BTW, look what happens when you go on vacation: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/st...reat-city.html

Yea most of the ideas aren't new

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelTown (Post 3654629)

* More signage pointing pedestrians to destinations along the waterfront - guess more signage never hurts.....perhaps bigger signage.

* Development that will make waterfront areas of Bayfront Park, Pier 8, year-round, 24-hour destinations, including office space, condos, hotels, restaurants, outdoor art gallery or sculpture park - skating rink will be under construction at Pier 4 this fall and restaurants are in the works as well.

* A historic-looking trolley running down James Street, linking the waterfront to the escarpment and showcasing the restaurants, shops and galleries along the street - done

* Anchor the Lister Block with a library or other public destination, maybe high-end liquor store, maybe public sculpture park, district energy solution, try to attract non-governmental organizations - really the key is to get the first floor as retail, good way for the city to create revenue towards mortgage payment

* Digital audio tours of the city and its landmarks - something new, there's a lot of this in Quebec City

* Plaques telling the story of notable buildings - have quite a few

* Rapid transit strategy that looks at innovative, green technology such as light rail that runs on optical readers, or personal rapid transit that runs individual, computer- operated cable cars on tracks above the streets - in the works already

* Arm's-length agency to broker deals between investors and the city, help property owners negotiate financing and zoning hurdles, tap into heritage tax credits and brownfield incentives and act as a lender of last resort - have Hamilton Reality Corp

* District plans that map out centres of industry, commerce, architecture, matched with action plans and incentive programs to create restaurant rows, discovery districts, gallery blocks or ethnic villages - certainly can improve on

* Connect districts with interesting pedestrian corridors - Gore Park redevelopment plan is in the works

* Create a spirit of risk-taking, entrepreneurship at City Hall - a lot needs to be done with reforming City Hall

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelTown (Post 3654631)

Oh, sorry, I was convinced that was I walked away from it there was a giant car park on the opposite side of the street and a little further along. I only went to the GO station once, not to get on a train, but to look at the Art Deco exterior, so I wasn't paying that close attention to the surroundings.

A fabulous article that reaffirms everything we on this board and others have already stated before about Hamilton. Still, it's very encouraging to have such a positive yet still realistic view of the city from a former civic leader in the Spectator.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelTown (Post 3654631)

On Lakeshore west line, neiter Exhibition or Union stations have GO parking. IMO Hamilton GO shouldn't either. It should be viewed (and utilized) in the same fashion as Toronto Union - as a destination hub.

There may be no GO parking but behind Union Station and surrounding ACC is plenty of parking.

Wow...great article, although nothing new.
Anyone who understands anything about making a city successful knows all this stuff.
The key is to get it implemented here. Squelchers will never go away (we even see that on this board), but who cares?
Let them squelch while the city is reborn by those who care.

Quote:

Originally Posted by markbarbera (Post 3654963)

Agreed!! It's a downtown, not a suburban station, and no parking is required.

As for saying there is plenty of parking around Union Station/ACC, there is also plenty of parking lots in the vicinity of the Hamilton GO Centre. Many of them pretty much empty at 6:50am prior to the last train of the morning.

The biggest problem with parking around the Hamilton GO Centre is the daily rate period that is 6am to 6pm, and all trains leaving Union Station after 5pm come into Hamilton after 6pm........ But, hey the HSR better anyways.

Opinions from someone who makes the commute to Toronto 5 days a week.

I also agree... no more parking lots downtown - even for the Hunter GO Station. With gas prices and the eco concerns, the last thing this city should do is promote driving.

In fact I think these issues have come at a perfect time for Hamilton and it's effort of being revived - as it really stresses the need for LRT and a healthy downtown, while discouraging the overuse of cars and suburban sprawl.

I also commute to Toronto 5 days a week using the GO.

In any case, good article even if most of the points are well known.

One thing that really holds true is the idea of looking at the city with "fresh eyes". I know many from other cities whose opinion of Hamilton are based on very little knowledge and old stereotypes. I also know many Hamiltonians who don't hold out much hope for this city - however I'm starting to see these opinions slowly change over. For the longest time I've had a narrow view of this city and what it offers. Only in the last few years did I realize that this city has so many advantages (some mentioned in the article above) which makes me believe we're sitting on something very undervalued. In a way I've been "mentally away" from this city for so long that I'm just recently seeing this city with "fresh eyes" and can really envision a future in which this city can realize it's potential.

Hamilton has a real chance to turn it around now and I really hope we don't blow this opportunity.

Im not talking about adding another parking lot, just converting perhaps that land at the corner of Hunter and John to a parking garage with retail.

HSR cant cover all areas of Hamilton, some just have to take a car. I rather have commuters park and take GO Transit to GTA instead of driving all the way to GTA along the QEW.

Sorry, I didn't mean to start an argument about car parks, as there are a lot more suggestions in the interview than just parking. I mistakenly thought that there was a car park opposite and along from the Hunter GO which belonged to it. There is one nearby, looking at Google Earth, but it was a little further along than my memory had it. Only mentioned it because I thought that if this were turned into underground or multistorey parking then the ground level land could be used for buses as has been suggested elsewhere. However I was mistaken about the land around the site. There does seem to be a big car park behing the GO station though, whether that's remotely connected or not, I wouldn't know.

That said a lot of the car parks on King Street in the Downtown area really should be either turned into underground parking or removed and merged into multistorey parking at the periphery that would reduce the number of cars stationary in the Downtown area. In a lot of British cities the downtown areas have become pedestrianised with parking on the periphery to encourage shoppers, in effect turning the downtown into a large open air Mall. In a lot of places this has worked. Old flat level car parks were then either paved over to create a square with seating and shubbery, to add a touch of green, or were built over with more shops or turned into open air markets for fruit and veg (not many towns have the benefit of Hamilton's Farmer's Market). I'm not saying that you should necessarily pedestrianise Hamilton's Downtown, but the multistorey parking or preferably underground parking on the periphery to reduce the number of cars taking up space Downtown would certainly be a benefit.

Has Hamilton's local government actually formed any bodies that address or even look into development issues such as have been mentioned by Glen Murray and many people on this board in various other threads? Most cities here in the UK have some form of Development Committee, though their results vary. Is there actually some form of public forum where people can say to the city, "we'd like this done" as opposed to them saying, "we've had a great idea" which no one else actually thinks is and the people left to live with that decision for years later.

Murray likes city's direction
MPP says we're doing things right

March 05, 2010
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/733220

The Ontario Liberal party's star-in-waiting says Hamilton is well-positioned to blossom as a place to live and work.

Glen Murray, who recently won a byelection in Toronto, credits smart planning and innovation for his rosy forecast for the city.

He also touted Mayor Fred Eisenberger as one reason Hamilton is ahead of the curve in reinventing a city which once relied on manufacturing.

"He gets it. He has a vision to lead the city through change at a critical time."

Murray, the former president and CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute, was speaking at the latest in the mayor's luncheon series, which had the theme Gaining Momentum: How Hamilton is moving forward.

He said Hamilton is well on its way to reinventing the local economy through health sciences, high-tech and education, citing the creation of 40,000 jobs in those sectors to replace 25,000 jobs lost in manufacturing.

"That's two for one basically, better than anyone else in the world."

Murray, who is regarded as a candidate for a minister's portfolio in the McGuinty government, made his remarks at Liuna Station, which he said was emotional for him.

"My grandmother walked through those doors as an 18-year-old from Ukraine," he said of the former train station where immigrants arrived.

He called on about 200 at the lunch to honour her generation and the one that followed, "which gave us so much," by building a revitalized city for future generations.

Murray said when he was mayor of Winnipeg, he inherited a city centre full of parking lots, which produced little tax revenue.

They were developed to help stabilize residential taxes, the same tack Hamilton is taking.

He added that with areas such as Locke Street and James Street North, pockets of Hamilton are bringing the human dimension of a city back.

Asked later about his very upbeat message, he said Hamilton has it all.

"You have both the critical mass and the agility in a compact setting" to make good things happen.

Murray said the Pan Am Games in 2015 can accelerate the city's progress. 'It gives you a horizon to reach for. The Games are a big part of the transformation of this city."

Murray was the mayor of Winnipeg during the 1999 Pan Am Games. He called them an important factor in upgrading sports and recreation facilities in that city.

"The 2015 Games in Toronto and Hamilton will be much bigger," adding they might lead to an Olympics in the same way the 2007 Pan Ams set up Rio de Janeiro to win the 2016 Olympics.

Asked about Hamilton's west harbour stadium site and its detractors, he said facilities like that will always create controversy.

"I had that with a hockey rink in Winnipeg. But no one says boo after opening night."

Interesting. I got the chance to meet Glen Murray last year (surprisingly humble guy, honest conversation) and I hadn't read either of these articles before today. Not hearing too much new in these words, but glad to hear he shares the thoughts of many others on the matter.