Raise the Hammer

Nearly a decade after hammering away at what needs to be done right in order to turn Hamilton downtown around, there is no political buy-in.

If the ends are to revitalize downtown Hamilton in our lifetime, the central thrust of arguments around this concern should not be focused around 'automobile speed' or 'anti-automobile sentiments' - but rather re-framed around economic sustainability. In not doing so, we are only hurting the cause of revitalization and delaying what is inevitable.

"Why Remove Urban Highways: Cities are not removing all highways because of a sudden awakening of environmental consciousness or realization that car culture is bad. Rather, cities are removing urban highways in very specific circumstances, which include":

1. Costs of Reconstruction and Repair.
2. Economic Revitalization.
3. Increased Property Value.
4. Making Waterfronts Accessible.
5. Offering Better Solutions to Meet Mobility Needs.

~ from THE LIFE AND DEATH OF URBAN HIGHWAYS

"The search for scientific bases for confronting problems of social policy is bound to fail, because of the nature of these problems. They are "wicked" problems, whereas science has developed to deal with "tame" problems. Policy problems cannot be definitively described. Moreover, in a pluralistic society there is nothing like the undisputable public good; there is no objective definition of equity; policies that respond to social problems cannot be meaningfully correct or false; and it makes no sense to talk about "optimal solutions" to social problems unless severe qualifications are imposed first. Even worse, there are no "solutions" in the sense of definitive and objective answers."

"George Bernard Shaw diagnosed the case several years ago; in more recent times popular protest may have already become a social movement. Shaw averred that "every profession is a conspiracy against the laity." The contemporary publics are responding as though they have made the same discovery."

~ from: DILEMMAS IN A GENERAL THEORY OF PLANNING, Horst Rittel, Melvin Webber

Comment edited by Mahesh_P_Butani on 2012-05-11 16:16:26