From the Star article (emphasis mine):
Quote:
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.
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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.