Mapping out Hamilton's future

[SteelTown]

Mapping out Hamilton's future

September 29, 2007
DAVID ESTOK
The Hamilton Spectator

Where is Hamilton heading?

Starting today, The Hamilton Spectator is devoting resources and time to find out. As you have read in other parts of this newspaper, we are looking to start a debate and engage Hamiltonians about our future. The ongoing series starts today with a story by Wade Hemsworth about what Hamilton might look like in the year 2022.

During the rest of the week we will look at City Hall, economic development, the downtown and much more. The series, which is being done under the leadership of special reports editor Agnes Bongers with assistance from business editor Aviva Boxer, is meant to be future-oriented and offer solutions. History is important but we wanted a fresh look at where we are going and what are the opportunities, rather than rehashing the past.

Is Hamilton changing? What do we need in order to push this city into the future? As the economy changes, how will we change? If there was one thing you could do that you think would improve Hamilton, what would it be? Whether it is the waterfront or a new stadium, all-day GO service, a lively artistic community, strong and leading-edge academic communities, affordable housing or a green city --what is Hamilton Next?

Almost two years ago, in October 2005, The Spectator set out on a journey to cover and explain poverty in our community. Our commitment to that idea remains as strong as ever but poverty is a symptom of our lack of prosperity. How do we refuel our economy and re-establish our historic role at the head of the lake?

We will write about Hamilton Next for much of the next year. We will also launch a special section on Oct. 31 that will deal with issues such as immigration, philanthropy, jobs and the environment. On our website, Spectator readers will be able to build their own version of the next Hamilton, voting and debating where this city should be headed.

We look forward to your comments and feedback on Hamilton Next.

[SteelTown]

Hamilton Next
The blueprint for tomorrow's city; SPECIAL REPORT: PART 1 OF 7

The Hamilton Spectator
(Sep 29, 2007)

The numbers tell Hamilton's story: 11,600 manufacturing jobs lost in two years; 27 per cent downtown office vacancy rate; more than 100,000 people living on the margins.

We are a city that knows economic hardship.

But what of our future?

Hotels planned for the downtown, jobs in the burgeoning biotechnology frontier, a changed economic development strategy.

Is this city on the cusp of an economic upturn? Isn't Hamilton always "on the cusp" of an economic upturn?

What if this time it's true?

For the next week, The Spectator will examine what it would take to climb over that cusp, to touch upon prosperity.

Today, we look at what could be. Not a dream, but a doable version of the future through the eyes of local visionaries. The Hamilton we'd all like to see.

Next week we'll examine some of the issues affecting success -- city hall, economic development, visions, changing jobs and rebuilding the downtown. How we get there and what stands in our way.

We'll end Saturday with questions for our provincial politicians as we head into election day.

Turn to page A19 to walk through a vision of Hamilton. Reporter Wade Hemsworth takes us to the year 2022.

We in Hamilton know the path this city has taken, sometimes painfully so. But where might it be headed next?

Our history has at times been a tough one, in terms of our economic health and in our ability to regroup and understand how to build a better future.

This city needs and deserves better than the survival mode.

It is the duty of everyone in this community to make the choices, demand the leadership, enlighten the attitudes and create the conditions that will let Hamilton smash its "have not" complex and blossom into Canada's most talked-about success story.

But what does a "better future" actually look like? And how do we get there?

The Spectator has embarked on a journey to try to find some answers.

We have had the honour of being Hamilton's newspaper for more than 160 years, through bad times and good. As Hamilton's oldest business, we feel a responsibility to not only scrutinize how your city is run, but to help find ways that will let the city thrive.

In today's edition we launch a special series called Hamilton Next.

For weeks, a team of Spec writers, photographers and editors has been talking to community leaders, reviewing the city's track record, examining our assets and studying the kinds of strategies that help other cities realize their potential.

In our pages every day for the next week, the Hamilton Next project will examine our situation and probe for ideas and answers. But as with other commitments this newspaper has made, our involvement won't end there.

In late October we will release a special stand-alone publication on Hamilton Next, a more forensic review of the city's hits and misses, and of opportunities yet to be seized.

The vigil will continue into 2008. We'll sustain our reporting to keep you updated on issues being raised, and we'll organize public forums so the community's own voices can have some ownership of this vital campaign.

And watch thespec.com for a new Internet game called Future City, where everyone can examine hypothetical planning and development options, then vote for the schemes they feel would best transform Hamilton.

Two years ago The Spectator adopted local poverty as one of our core causes. Today we add the concept of local prosperity to that agenda. The two are inseparable in their importance to a better, stronger Hamilton.

Let's all work together to find our better future.

Ian Oliver, publisher

[SteelTown]

A walk through the future
(Sep 29, 2007)

The future was always with us.

It was not the future of moving sidewalks, monorails or robot maids.

In fact, it was always here -- in our lake, on our Mountain, in the streets that lie between them.

Today, in 2022, it's obvious that Hamilton is healthy again.

Signs of prosperity are everywhere, from the harbour to the airport. Downtown, Barton Street and a half-dozen other neighbourhoods are alive.

Looking back, it's almost funny how long it took for us to appreciate the true depth and nature of our problems, and how quickly a few changes pulled Hamilton out of its long winter.

Sure, it's still a long way from perfect, but no place is perfect. A city is like a person, and everyone could do better.

Hamilton was like the person who hears too often that he or she is ugly and backward and actually begins to believe it. But after an attitude change, some new clothes and a fresh haircut, things started to turn around.

Looking back, it took the outsiders to help us see.

They didn't come willingly. They were pushed by economic and geographic circumstances, no longer able to afford to live in Toronto or its overpriced, congested suburbs, unable to resist at least investigating houses that were selling for a fraction of similar homes mere kilometres away. Greenbelt legislation that limited growth in the original GTA all but corralled them here.

The GO train was what carried them, proving indeed to be the magic bullet it had long been predicted to become. All-day, full service finally made it reasonable to live here and work in Toronto.

And as Toronto finally moved to Hamilton, Hamilton finally began to get over its pointless antagonism and to embrace a more prosperous future.

Turned out, to the amazement of the people who rode in on those trains, there was a whole, fully built city down below the Mountain, with tracts of large brick homes, treed yards, parks -- half empty and going cheap.

Once the people came, so did shops, restaurants and cafes that quickly raised the quality of life, eventually replacing the dollar stores and cheque cashers that had turned parts of the city into a real-life Pottersville from the movie It's a Wonderful Life.

The birthplace of the improvement was easy to find. It was the west harbour, where earlier progress with Bayfront and Pier 4 parks finally crossed the tracks after CN sold its rail yard to a public-private partnership. From that grew terraced housing, more parkland, restaurants and shops, becoming everything Toronto's waterfront had not.

The west harbour project drew favourable comparisons to Vancouver, further boosting the buzz that had started when the International Joint Commission removed Hamilton Harbour from its list of Great Lakes toxic hot spots after the poisonous Randle Reef was finally capped.

Once the Red Hill Valley Parkway opened, another pebble fell out of the municipal shoe, leading the way to the rapid development of industrial lands near the airport. The mix of offices and industries there created a fuller, more stable platform for the Hamilton economy, with medium-size employers representing a broad range of businesses -- all seeking relief from the built-out, overpriced industrial parks of the GTA.

Together with the new businesses to emerge from the early successes of the McMaster Innovation Park, those new companies on the Mountain had finally put some new money into the city's tax base.

That, in turn, had helped to dismantle the toxic political culture that had held back so much progress, where decades of extreme partisanship, parochialism, micromanagement and aversion to change had repelled economic development like a force field.

What's more, the GO train had carried the people who would demand better. To go with their commuter trains, they got high-speed bus lines running north and south and east and west across the city, fulfilling a promise that dated way back to the Dalton McGuinty era.

The lower city of the "New Hamilton" as the Toronto papers were calling it, also attracted retirees and empty-nesters from Hamilton's own suburbs, attracted by the proximity to services, and it drew young adults, who had grown up with new environmental ideas and a determination to live and work without owning cars.

Neighbourhoods came out of hibernation, as the economic and social fabric of communities achieved a richer blend of ages, backgrounds and incomes.

Neither the poor nor poverty had disappeared, nor could they ever, but two things had happened. Poverty had been reduced by the improving employment picture, and distributed itself more equitably across Hamilton and Ontario itself after the province had "reloaded" social services costs that Mike Harris had devolved to the cities.

Bringing more people -- more "eyes in the street" -- generated a greater sense of belonging and security, accelerating the rejuvenation.

The long procession of slogans and logos had never been able to turn Hamilton's aspirations into realities, but nothing led like success itself.

Perceptions that had taken two generations to build died hard -- and slowly -- but they died just the same.

What helped was the scientists, students and researchers seeing Hamilton for the first time when they came to work at the innovation park, the Braley research tower behind the General hospital and McMaster's medical training unit downtown.

Today, new hotels are bustling, and though it still doesn't look like downtown will ever be the true commercial heart of the city again, it's certainly busy. Instead of trying to make it back to what it had been, the city's leaders worked -- and they're still working -- to make it into a neighbourhood that happens to be in the middle of the city, a place with the right mix of businesses to serve the people who live and work there.

There are more condos now, some in new buildings built over old parking lots, some in the former ghost buildings that had lined the major streets, haunting hopes for a better future.

In the lobbies of the hotels, real tourists trade enthusiastic conversations about where they've been or where they're planning to go walking: to the harbour, to the trails, to the theatres. So easy, so safe, so surprising, they're saying. You can still hear the surprise in their voices.

Where has Hamilton been all this time?

[SteelTown]

Next Hamilton video link #1:

http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/video2/future1.html

[SteelTown]

Hamilton Next video link #1:

http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/video2/future1.html

[HAMRetrofit]

Ummm...to help revive the city one might want to remove trucks like these from passing through downtown as a start.

[SteelTown]

HAHA wasn't it DCTed that said he never seen a truck go down Main St?

[BCTed]

It is fairly obvious to anyone with even a slightly discerning eye that that truck has been Photoshopped into the picture.

It is quite a poor Photoshop job at that. Notice how the edges of the truck are kind of blurry and do not really fit in with the rest of the pic?

[raisethehammer]

what, did the truck knock out his mic?? does nobody check these things before they post the video on their site?

[the dude]

is it possible that this is a reaction to the cbc coming to town? i just can't figure out why the spec has taken such an interest in the city, and downtown all of a sudden. another thing i'm not sure of is whether this is just a joke or if they really want some tangible ideas for the future. if that's the case then terry cooke was a very bad choice.

you know, one day i'm gonna go out to my corner and video york for about 3 minutes and we'll all see how many trucks cruise past during that time. yes, i really have nothing better to do than that.

[SteelTown]

I think the Spec has been pretty accurate with Hamilton's future in 2022. It shows better public transit makes a big difference, 24 hrs GO transit and rapid transit for East/West and North/South. Though I believe the city will go with LRT for East/West, Dalton McGunity has been saying it so the City should be going ahead with it too.

It'll be a good day once CN sells it CN yard in the future.

[HAMRetrofit]

Originally Posted by BCTed

It is fairly obvious to anyone with even a slightly discerning eye that that truck has been Photoshopped into the picture.

It is quite a poor Photoshop job at that. Notice how the edges of the truck are kind of blurry and do not really fit in with the rest of the pic?

That image is not Photoshopped the truck passes through the video at exactly 2:40:313. Verify this for yourself since you don’t believe me.

By the way I really don't appreciate your comment accusing me of Photoshopping the image as to alter the truth.

[raisethehammer]

I think BC Ted was kidding....yes, he does have a sense of humour like the rest of us. haha.

[HAMRetrofit]

Massive trucks flying through the downtown core of a city with tens of thousands of people living within the vacinity is nothing to joke about. It is just sadistic.

I cannot fathom why Hamilton cannot see that these very basic things need to change before any significant turn around will occur.

[SteelTown]

Just one more month before trucks are bye bye on Main St and hello to Red Hill Expressway and Linc.

[raisethehammer]

I predict it will take a minimum of 5 years to address the truck situation on Main.
Hamilton DOES understand these basic things, but refuses to do anything about it because their elections donors will get upset.
I'm interested to see how deep the Spec gets tomorrow when scoping out the problems at city hall....they can end this series after that piece, because that's where it all starts and ends. City hall is brutal. Councillors have no vision beyond their next paycheck and city staff are comfortable with their well-paying jobs doing the least amount of work possible. That's the main reason they support BRT over LRT. Less work, less hassle.
Oh ya, and less redevelopment, less transit users, less tax assessment growth etc.... they don't care though. It's all about not having to work too hard tomorrow.

[SteelTown]

Once Red Hill opens you'll see a difference but give it time so truckers are aware of the new bypass and over time we'll probably see significantly less amount of trucks. My uncle is a trucker and he's gonna use the Red Hill once it opens so will the rest of the trucking company. Eventually City Hall will have to firm up a new truck route for the City. Then tada! no trucks on Main St.

Truckers get off 403 to Main St to get to the East end of the industrial side, but eventually they can keep going south on 403, hop on the Linc, go down the Red Hill and exit off King or Barton to the industrial side. Eventually if more and more trucks use the Linc there's plenty of room to add an extra lane along the Linc, that's why there's a big gap in the middle of the Linc.

[the dude]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

Hamilton DOES understand these basic things, but refuses to do anything about it because their elections donors will get upset. I'm interested to see how deep the Spec gets tomorrow when scoping out the problems at city hall....they can end this series after that piece, because that's where it all starts and ends. City hall is brutal. Councillors have no vision beyond their next paycheck and city staff are comfortable with their well-paying jobs doing the least amount of work possible. That's the main reason they support BRT over LRT. Less work, less hassle. Oh ya, and less redevelopment, less transit users, less tax assessment growth etc.... they don't care though. It's all about not having to work too hard tomorrow.

sweet rant! pretty much nailed it there. i don't think we'll read that in the spec tomorrow, though.

[HAMRetrofit]

I think they could really shake the fence with this series if they go deep enough and really develop a sense of urgency. If they really get into this in a serious way it would really put them on the map as an urban newspaper and a credible media outlet in Central Ontario. However, if they fluff over the issues it will just be a catastrophe and hard to take seriously.

It would be amazing to have one major newspaper in Central Ontario that focused on local urban issues and became the definitive voice for urban Hamilton and Toronto. We really don't have a core urban newspaper that would focus on these subjects in a fresh unbiased way and maybe even look at global urban issues as well. I bet there would be a market for this since this is the type of information that is the least accessible.


Toronto Star - Some urban focus not distinctly urban
Hamilton Spectator - Bipolar not distinctly urban focused
Globe and Mail - Business oriented global coverage not urban focused
National Post – National and global coverage not urban focused

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by HAMRetrofit

Massive trucks flying through the downtown core of a city with tens of thousands of people living within the vacinity is nothing to joke about. It is just sadistic.

How terribly inappropriate of me to attempt to make light of such a grim situation. Tens of thousands of people are being marginally inconvenienced and all I can do is make jokes.