There are no upcoming events right now.
Why not post one?
Recent Articles
- Justice for Indigenous Peoples is Long Overdueby Ryan McGreal, published June 30, 2021 in Commentary
(0 comments)
- Third-Party Election Advertising Ban About Silencing Workersby Chantal Mancini, published June 29, 2021 in Politics
(0 comments)
- Did Doug Ford Test the 'Great Barrington Declaration' on Ontarians?by Ryan McGreal, published June 29, 2021 in Special Report: COVID-19
(1 comment)
- An Update on Raise the Hammerby Ryan McGreal, published June 28, 2021 in Site Notes
(0 comments)
- Nestlé Selling North American Water Bottling to an Private Equity Firmby Doreen Nicoll, published February 23, 2021 in Healing Gaia
(0 comments)
- Jolley Old Sam Lawrenceby Sean Burak, published February 19, 2021 in Special Report: Cycling
(0 comments)
- Right-Wing Extremism is a Driving Force in Modern Conservatismby Ryan McGreal, published February 18, 2021 in Special Report: Extremism
(0 comments)
- Municipalities Need to Unite against Ford's Firehose of Land Use Changesby Michelle Silverton, published February 16, 2021 in Special Report
(0 comments)
- Challenging Doug Ford's Pandemic Narrativeby Ryan McGreal, published January 25, 2021 in Special Report: COVID-19
(1 comment)
- The Year 2020 Has Been a Wakeup Callby Michael Nabert, published December 31, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
(0 comments)
- The COVID-19 Marshmallow Experimentby Ryan McGreal, published December 22, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
(0 comments)
- All I Want for Christmas, 2020by Kevin Somers, published December 21, 2020 in Entertainment and Sports
(1 comment)
- Hamilton Shelters Remarkably COVID-19 Free Thanks to Innovative Testing Programby Jason Allen, published December 21, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
(0 comments)
- Province Rams Through Glass Factory in Stratfordby Doreen Nicoll, published December 21, 2020 in Healing Gaia
(0 comments)
- We Can Prevent Traffic Deaths if We Make Safety a Real Priorityby Ryan McGreal, published December 08, 2020 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
(5 comments)
- These Aren't 'Accidents', These Are Resultsby Tom Flood, published December 04, 2020 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
(1 comment)
- Conservation Conundrumby Paul Weinberg, published December 04, 2020 in Special Report
(0 comments)
- Defund Police Protest Threatens Fragile Ruling Classby Cameron Kroetsch, published December 03, 2020 in Special Report: Anti-Racism
(2 comments)
- Measuring the Potential of Biogas to Reduce GHG Emissionsby John Loukidelis and Thomas Cassidy, published November 23, 2020 in Special Report: Climate Change
(0 comments)
- Ontario Squanders Early Pandemic Sacrificeby Ryan McGreal, published November 18, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
(0 comments)
Article Archives
Blog Archives
Site Tools
Feeds
By Shawn Selway - can't seem to create (anonymous) | Posted November 21, 2009 at 23:53:07
Nice to see some people actually thinking about our own particular geographic situation instead of repeating the usual cliches although there's lots of that too.
Every "brownfield" is different and we have little information about any of them except Hamilton Harbour, about which we have a great deal. A similar detailed mapping of our lands below the Mountain would be very useful when debates like this one are underway.
I find the use of Google maps in satellite view helpful in thinking about our choices. Compare the Barton-Bay-Queen precinct with the Dundurn -403 areas. Then have a look at the rest of the available tracts below the mountain.
Similarly for the American downtown sites that are sometimes mentioned as examples. Most large U.S. cities have highways going right through their historic centres. My favourite folly in this line is Charleston, West Virginia, which was built in a narrow river valley and now has interstates running straight through. Fabulously destructive. But I digress already.
Have a look (if you will) at Pittsburgh by satellite photo. The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area has a population of 2.5 million. The historic centre has 300k, and dropping. In addition to the domed Mellon arena, they have two stadia. Heinz Field seats 65,000 for football, and has sold out for every game since 1972. PNC Park is the baseball stadium. Seats 38,000. These two would be side by side, were it not for the parking lot that separates them, and is itself twice the size of both combined. Google it up, folks. They are served by full size extensions of interstate highways that run straight through town.
What does this have to do with Hamilton? Absolutely nothing, I would say.
Now check Cleveland. Same deal. Pop. 2.2 million. Pop. in historic centre, 450K, dropping like a stone for the past decade. Cleveland Browns Stadium on the water seats 73,000. Served by an extension of I90 that runs down the shore. Oh, and by an airport about the size of ours, also right on the shore. The baseball stadium is Progressive (formerly Jacobs Field). Capacity: 43,000. Sits at the intersection of 77 and 90.
What does this have to do with Hamilton? Again, nothing whatever that I can see. Except for this: commentators who think that US stadia went downtown instead of out in the burbs where the roads are happen to be wrong. The roads are in the "downtown", and that is why the stadia are there. Did I mention that both Pittsburgh and Cleveland have rapid rail transit systems? Not relevant to stadium location question - there. Maybe here.
Clash: London calling to the imitation zone: forget about us, and go it alone.
Permalink | Context