Hamilton's public profile

[Boomtown_Hamilton]

Originally Posted by BrianE

I think Boomtown is also responsible for a lot of the great Panoramio pictures for Hamilton on Google Earth. Unless I am mistaken about your identity.

Yep, that's me.

A lot of the photos there of Hamilton on Google Earth were the ones I added last summer. I still have a ton that need to be added that I took this summer in places like Dundas, Stoney Creek, Beach Boulevard and the Hamilton Mountain.

When I first logged onto Google Earth 2 years ago I went to Toronto and saw thousands of images that were uploaded there and then when I went onto Hamilton was hardly a thing so I just felt like I had to do something about it and started adding some of my Hamilton photos there onto Google Earth.

Cheers!

[Boomtown_Hamilton]

Originally Posted by highwater

Thirded. Boomtown's wikipedia pages are a monumental achievement. Don't beat yourself up too much about not starting up another grassroots movement. You've done way more than most already.

Hey Helen,

Thanks a million! ...and just so you know buds, when it comes to Hamilton I'm only just getting started!

Cheers!

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by flar

The lower city bounded by the 403, escarpment, harbour and Red Hill Valley has a population of 133,837 and an area of 49.16 km2 for a density of 2722.48 per km2. If you subtract the industrial census tracts, it's 126,983 in 32.12km2 for 3953.39 per km2. Between Queen, the rail corridor, Wentworth, and the Escarpment there is a population of 40,136 in 5.81 km2 for a population density of 6908.09 per km2. Not too shabby.

those are great stats.
Where do you find this info?? I'd like to noodle around and do some comparisons.

[flar]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

those are great stats.
Where do you find this info?? I'd like to noodle around and do some comparisons.

I have the stats for every individual census tract so I can put them together any which way. I don't think they are publicly downloadable though.

[raisethehammer]

ok, so maybe this is an opportunity for us to spread the word about the Hammer:

http://www.thestar.com/Travel/article/513646

Off the top of my head I'm thinking about our 100+ waterfalls, RBG and views of the GTA from Sam Lawrence Park. Perhaps even Pier 4/8 and the James North arts district would be a great day trip to promote.

[Boomtown_Hamilton]

There is another area here that I wanted to touch upon here the other day but was not able to because of the high traffic load here at skyscraperpage.

I think the other area here is, generally speaking, Hamiltonians are their own worst enemy. Many Hamiltonians have a very low image and opinion of the city and tend to be negative and very pessimistic. If a lot Hamiltonians are not going to be thinking positive thoughts of the city then why should others from outside the city think positive of it. So I think before we can convince outsiders and Non_Hamiltonians to think positively about the city we need that to start happening here in town with Hamiltonians themselves and so now the question becomes how do we go about doing that? because if we can start to get the majority of the Hamilton citizenry to start to think highly of the city then all of a sudden the city would have its best group of salespersons that it could posssibly have...its own citizens.

That then brings us to the next focus and another question that needs to be answered; (1) Why do a lot of Hamiltonians have such a low opinion of the city? This is where it could get lengthy and complicated. Some of you out there have your own theories and opinions here. I'd like to know what your opinions are on this before I share with you all my own personal opinions and theories here with this. After that gets answered the next question then becomes, (2) What can we do about it?

[flar]

Originally Posted by Boomtown_Hamilton

There is another area here that I wanted to touch upon here the other day but was not able to because of the high traffic load here at skyscraperpage.

I think the other area here is, generally speaking, Hamiltonians are their own worst enemy. Many Hamiltonians have a very low image and opinion of the city and tend to be negative and very pessimistic. If a lot Hamiltonians are not going to be thinking positive thoughts of the city then why should others from outside the city think positive of it. So I think before we can convince outsiders and Non_Hamiltonians to think positively about the city we need that to start happening here in town with Hamiltonians themselves and so now the question becomes how do we go about doing that? because if we can start to get the majority of the Hamilton citizenry to start to think highly of the city then all of a sudden the city would have its best group of salespersons that it could posssibly have...its own citizens.

That then brings us to the next focus and another question that needs to be answered; (1) Why do a lot of Hamiltonians have such a low opinion of the city? This is where it could get lengthy and complicated. Some of you out there have your own theories and opinions here. I'd like to know what your opinions are on this before I share with you all my own personal opinions and theories here with this. After that gets answered the next question then becomes, (2) What can we do about it?

I agree with this, and very few people who live here are good ambassadors of the city. A lot of self deprecation when people talk about Hamilton, a lot of people who ignorantly say stuff like "the mountain is nice" or "Ancaster is nice" instead of defending the city.

To answer the questions:
1. it's an inferiority complex that seems to go back generations.
2. bring in new blood and do better at keeping our best and brightest.

[highwater]

I don't have time right now to go into any great depth on this, but off the top of my head I'd say in order to be passionate you have to have a sense of place. When we made the car king in this city, we created alot of generic landscapes that placed convenience above character and quality. Who was it who said "there's no there there"? (Kunstler?) In any case, outside of the lower city and the mountain brow, all we have is the "geography of nowhere". There's no sense of identity, or anything that makes the city unique. Why would you care about Hamilton when you live in Anywhereville, North America?

[ryan_mcgreal]

Originally Posted by highwater

Who was it who said "there's no there there"?

It was Gertrude Stein, talking about Oakland.

[flar]

Originally Posted by highwater

I don't have time right now to go into any great depth on this, but off the top of my head I'd say in order to be passionate you have to have a sense of place. When we made the car king in this city, we created alot of generic landscapes that placed convenience above character and quality. Who was it who said "there's no there there"? (Kunstler?) In any case, outside of the lower city and the mountain brow, all we have is the "geography of nowhere". There's no sense of identity, or anything that makes the city unique. Why would you care about Hamilton when you live in Anywhereville, North America?

That's an interesting idea, I think it would apply better to a place like Mississauga than Hamilton. I think Hamilton's problems have deeper (generational) roots.

I read this interesting piece the other day:

Pardon My Lunch Bucket (1972?)

by David Proulx



"Pardon my lunch bucket ma'am," said the burly man in the hard hat as he edged his way down the aisle of the bus.

"Now you were asking about Hamilton? Well, you see, a few years back this town had what you might call a bad case of inferiority complex. A real bad case. It was always 'Toronto's doing this, Buffalo's doing that and we're doing nothin'.

"You know, things like that. Down-in-the-dumps talk. Well, all of a sudden some of the boys downtown and the boys at the city hall got talking and decided they we're sick and tired of wearing Toronto's hand-me-downs.

"There was nothing wrong with the city that a new spirit and a few new buildings wouldn't cure...say a new downtown core...somewhere where the people could go and shop and look around, a place where they could take their friends from out of town with a little pride.

"And some new housing to get rid of those old decaying buildings in the north end, an urban renewal project, something that would perk up the people of the area yet would cause very little relocation.

"Now with this Lloyd Jackson Square project, the tall buildings, the pedestrian malls, separating pedestrians from all the traffic and such, the new stores and expanded old ones, well Hamilton is putting on a new face.

"The old Hamilton, the grimy old town, is disappearing. What you're seeing now is new money coming in, new people from abroad settling and bring their cultures with them--and getting us interested in them as well.

"The people are slowly changing their ideas about the old town. A few years back, they'd admit they were from Hamilton all right, but only if you pressed them. Kind of apologetic-like. But not now. That attitude is changing to one of pride, the kind of elated feeling you get when everyone gathers around for a big celebration...People are getting out and taking a second look at their town, rediscovering it if you will, finding places and things they never knew existed. A lot has changed in the last few years and all for the better.

"Just let me drop my lunch bucket off first. Been meaning to get rid of that image for quite a while now."

[Boomtown_Hamilton]

Originally Posted by flar

That's an interesting idea, I think it would apply better to a place like Mississauga than Hamilton. I think Hamilton's problems have deeper (generational) roots.

I read this interesting piece the other day:

I know exactly what you mean by trying to press people into admitting that they are from Hamilton. For example, if you go to the GTA area and ask someone from Scarborough where they are from they will tell you that they are from Toronto. If you ask someone from North York where they are from they will tell you that they are from Toronto. On the other hand, over at this end of the Lake if you ask someone from Stoney Creek where they are from they won't tell you that they are from Hamilton, they will tell you that they are from Stoney Creek. As well, if you ask someone from Dundas where they are from they won't tell you that they are from Hamilton they will tell you they're from Dundas.

In Hamilton you get the exact opposite happening compared to Toronto.

[ryan_mcgreal]

Here's what Proulx had to say about the then-planned fustercluck that is now Jackson Square et al.:

[The city is] cutting away the rot of the Victorian age. [In its place will go] the 26-story [sic] Stelco Tower, rising 330 feet, a four-storey banking pavilion, an enclosed shopping concourse, a two-acre landscaped plaza, two movie theatres with a total of 1,200 seats and underground parking for more than 250 cars... followed by ... a major shopping centre, an addition to the shopping concourse, a 24-storey office tower, a 400-500-room hotel, a department store extension, five apartment towers with 800 units, more underground parking and an enlarged plaza.

Added to that will be the city's $10,000,000 theatre-auditorium ... a trade-convention centre, new art gallery, new main library and new farmers' market. Pedestrians will cross over major streets on elevated walk ways, high above the noise and fumes of traffic while most of the projects will be interconnected by underground and concourse level walkways. [emphasis added]

His sheer contempt for urban life was palpable.

[Jon Dalton]

I read through the whole 'Discover Hamilton' magazine put put by the spec tonight. Overall, I thought it was lame. More of an advertising publication than anything else, in particular advertising for new homes in the outer suburbs. The articles have such a broad based appeal that they dumb down Hamilton's best qualities - for example it mentions in passing that 'James North is somewhat of an art hub'.

Dear Hamilton: Shoot for the moon, you might hit the stars (or how does that go?)

Seems like we're just shooting for beer cans lined up on a fence.

[highwater]

Originally Posted by flar

That's an interesting idea, I think it would apply better to a place like Mississauga than Hamilton. I think Hamilton's problems have deeper (generational) roots.

That's kinda my point. Outside the lower city and the mountain brow, Hamilton might as well be Mississauga, and that's where more and more Hamiltonians are living. (It's also where prospective Hamiltonians are told they should live, because it's so clean and safe - like Mississauga.) But I agree there's also a historical inferiority complex dating from the post-war period. This is especially dangerous because older generations, who should be our link to the past and everything that makes Hamilton unique, tend to have real contempt for their city, so they're not able to pass on anything of value to future generations.

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by Jon Dalton

I read through the whole 'Discover Hamilton' magazine put put by the spec tonight. Overall, I thought it was lame. More of an advertising publication than anything else, in particular advertising for new homes in the outer suburbs. The articles have such a broad based appeal that they dumb down Hamilton's best qualities - for example it mentions in passing that 'James North is somewhat of an art hub'.

Dear Hamilton: Shoot for the moon, you might hit the stars (or how does that go?)

Seems like we're just shooting for beer cans lined up on a fence.

yea, I'm not sure what the point was. It was lame.

[omro]

Originally Posted by flar

Shame that in 1972 they made such a mess of it And that 35 years later people still want the same thing.

[ryan_mcgreal]

Originally Posted by highwater

This is especially dangerous because older generations, who should be our link to the past and everything that makes Hamilton unique, tend to have real contempt for their city, so they're not able to pass on anything of value to future generations.

As a result, young people who have independently discovered a passion for the city have had to reconstruct a cultural web of awareness that they never received from their Baby Boomer parents. They're doing this by exploring urban neighbourhoods, documenting them (in words and photos), finding and reading reference books like Vanished Hamilton and Their Town, sharing stories and ideas with other new urbanists, and so on.

They're also building links with older residents who don't share the prevailing mood of civic self-loathing - often artists, architects, historians, etc. - to create a sense of historical continuity.

Essentially, they're reaching back before the postwar "renewal" phase to try and pick up the dropped threads of urbanism and find inspiration for restoring old buildings and constructing new ones to fit better into the urban fabric. To paraphrase John Gilmore, they have interpreted the Pardon My Lunch Bucket mentality as damage and are attempting to route around it.

[raisethehammer]

I still wish we would have gotten the 800 residential units on Jackson square...we missed out on one of the most important phases of that mess.

[highwater]

Originally Posted by ryan_mcgreal

As a result, young people who have independently discovered a passion for the city have had to reconstruct a cultural web of awareness that they never received from their Baby Boomer parents.

Uh oh. We're finishing each other's thoughts now. We have to stop meeting like this.

Originally Posted by ryan_mcgreal

They're doing this by exploring urban neighbourhoods, documenting them (in words and photos), finding and reading reference books like Vanished Hamilton and Their Town, sharing stories and ideas with other new urbanists, and so on.

It is possible to pick up the threads, as you say. I don't think 'dangerous' was too much of an overstatement, though. It's always dangerous to lose knowledge and memory. In Hamilton we've even lost living memory, in a conscious attempt to wipe the slate clean, which is even more egregious. It makes picking up the threads so much more challenging, since there is an entire generation with a stake in making sure they remain dropped.

Originally Posted by ryan_mcgreal

They're also building links with older residents who don't share the prevailing mood of civic self-loathing - often artists, architects, historians, etc. - to create a sense of historical continuity.

You forgot hippies. We've got a few in Westdale. They save my sanity and my a** from time to time.

[Boomtown_Hamilton]

Originally Posted by highwater

Uh oh. We're finishing each other's thoughts now. We have to stop meeting like this.



It is possible to pick up the threads, as you say. I don't think 'dangerous' was too much of an overstatement, though. It's always dangerous to lose knowledge and memory. In Hamilton we've even lost living memory, in a conscious attempt to wipe the slate clean, which is even more egregious. It makes picking up the threads so much more challenging, since there is an entire generation with a stake in making sure they remain dropped.



You forgot hippies. We've got a few in Westdale. They save my sanity and my a** from time to time.

Hi Helen,

We now know some of the things that you don't like about Hamilton but I was just wondering if you'd like to share with us what are some of the things that you like about Hamilton because there must be something you like about it since you live and work here in Hamilton?

Just curious.