Comment 45209

By Shempatolla (registered) - website | Posted August 09, 2010 at 09:06:01

The City of Manchester in the UK is the single best example I could find of an example of public investment in sports and entertainment infrastructure leading to the critical mass needed to help revitalize and spur downtown revitalization. Manchester held the 2008 Common Wealth Games. It is very similar to Hamilton. ie) Rust belt, city reinventing itself, disproportionately high ratio's of social service needs etc. The city chose to build its other facilities downtown. Post games this has led to increased levels of investment, people moving back to the core, legacy facilities being used by the people who live in the area on a daily basis.

This is what could and I suspect will happen in Hamilton with a WH stadium, velodrome etc. Detractors, naysayers, and EM supporters like to spout off about Copp's, Hamilton Place, etc, etc. In reality it takes a collection of facilities and attractions that become destinations to attract enough people to make the critical mass necessary to be effective. Livable sustainable cities have vibrant, diverse, and social cores, accessible by public transit, walking, cycling. We know this. You attain these goals by the types of public investment we have been talking about and the ending of zoning policies that allow for the development of giant box stores on the city's periphery and the profligation of dollar stores, bingo halls and peep shows in the downtown.

The construction of Jackson Square, Lime Ridge Mall, The Meadow Lands, The Eaton Center and the allowing of the types of retail businesses that popped up in downtown has as much to do with downtowns decline as an other single factor. It took over 30 years. Its not going to reverse over night but its starting. The WH stadium can help accelerate that change.

Cheers

Greg Galante

Hamilton

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