Heritage

Letter: Protect Gore Buildings so Downtown Can Flourish

By Anna Greenspan
Published August 16, 2013

I am writing to implore Hamilton City Council to save the buildings in Gore Park that are threatened with demolition, since this is the best way to ensure that this part of the downtown core be included in the current revitalization of Hamilton.

I am a Hamiltonian who teaches urbanism at the New York University campus in Shanghai. Every year I spend part of my time here and have been increasingly impressed - even astonished - by the bottom-up regeneration that is occurring in this city.

The local downtown community - clustered in particularly on James Street North - have created the kind of grassroots revitalization that urbanists everywhere dream of. Hamilton is becoming a counter-model to the decline of the rustbelt city.

It has become abundantly clear that this process relies on the adaptive re-use of old buildings, whose architecture is particularly suited to a mix of small business and residence, rather than any type of large-scale development.

There is an immense amount of energy and commitment to a contemporary revival of Hamilton's downtown. Protecting the buildings at Gore Park is one of the best ways for Council to help this spirit flourish and spread.

Anna Greenspan holds a doctorate in philosophy and cybernetic culture. Her current research interests include urbanism, digital technology, street markets, futurism and the philosophy of time. Her book Shanghai Future: Modernity Remade is forthcoming in December 2013. Anna lives for most of the year in Shanghai, China. She guides walks for Context Travel and works as an adjunct professor at NYU Shanghai. Anna is a founder of the Shanghai Studies Society.

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By Sigma Cub (anonymous) | Posted August 16, 2013 at 08:45:26

The Greenspan family rocks.

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