Comment 88924

By Cultosaurus (registered) | Posted May 24, 2013 at 07:09:18 in reply to Comment 88920

You are right, one way streets didn't cause the problem. That answer is far more complex and involves a number of factors (collapse of the manufacturing industry, unchecked suburban sprawl development, bad urban design, ineffective leadership etc.) That being said, in order for Hamilton to fully turn itself around and be a destination, a place to you work, play and live - it has to stop being a 20 minute city with multiple freeway-like roads running through it.

You state that people won't give up their single-family homes and SUVs, but I argue that people are doing that in record numbers. Yes, there will always be people that want that style of life, but the popularity of inner-city neighbourhoods in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Chicago, etc. show that a ton of people prefer a much different style of life. The millennials coming up right now are rejecting their parent's suburban lifestyle at a ridiculous rate (88% according to the Wall Street Journal), but they can't really afford the cost of living in the larger cities. What city could be a more perfect choice for that then Hamilton?

What you see as waste and illogical is in fact an investment in Hamilton's prosperity and future. If we decide to keep the status quo and not pursue things like two-way streets or the LRT we can guarantee that we'll end up like Indianapolis or Kansas City and the future will pass us by.

Lastly your really sad attempt to target Ryan as some kind of know-more-than-you-elitist is disingenuous. After trolling this site for I don't know how long, do you really think Ryan hasn't backed up his assertions? That these are really just his wild ideas without any academic or analytical foundation? Come on now, let's save the big "YOU"s, unless you actually are that insecure about your knowledge.

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