List of contributors to Raise the Hammer, with a brief bio for each author and links to that author's articles.
Tray lives with his family in Hamilton and works as a graphic designer.
Planning Over a Cliff - Hamilton can become the city of the future if we can bravely face the reality of the future. Published Apr. 30, 2008
HWDSB Decision Reveals Agenda - Something tells me that the School Board is not playing fair in its refusal to consider any option other than the Jerome Park Mountain headquarters. Published Apr. 30, 2008
CBC in Hamilton Update - CBC Radio Hamilton is one step closer to reality with the latest Heritage Standing Committee report. Published Mar. 24, 2008
Hamilton Education Centre: The Dilemma and the Agenda - If we want to project an image to private investment that Hamilton is the right place to invest, then we first need to invest in our downtown ourselves. Published Feb. 14, 2008
Banning Drive Thrus 2.0 - Sooner or later, cities will ban drive thrus. Hamilton can choose to lead or lag in this initiative. Published Nov. 27, 2007
Public Space Defines a City - If we always do what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always got. Published Oct. 22, 2007
Pesticide By-Law Proves to be Worthless - What did we expect when we passed a law that bans pesticides - except for the reasons that people normally use pesticides? Published Oct. 22, 2007
The London Tap House - This London-based company is opening a five-floor entertainment, dance club, lounge and restaurant complex in Hamilton, featuring a 240 seat roof-top patio. Published Sep. 28, 2007
Homogenous Life Part Two: Homogeneous Media - As media ownership grows more homogeneous, diversity and accountability start to disappear. Published Sep. 9, 2007
Terraces on King - International Village has turned a hard, sharp corner and it looks like only bigger and better things can happen from here. Published Sep. 9, 2007
The Anti-Idling By-Law is an Embarrassment - City Council and staff lost sight of why it was they were making a new law. Published May. 18, 2007
The Coming Economic Collapse - An economist shares ways to profit from the coming economic collapse he believes will be triggered by declining global oil production. Published Apr. 30, 2007
The Cost of Convenience - The problem with convenience at any cost is that it can sometimes cause more harm than good. Published Apr. 10, 2007
The Hanging of Angélique - Afua Cooper's thorough research is matched by her amazing writing, which puts the story together in a perfect timeline that keeps the reader wanting to know what happened next. Published Jan. 10, 2007
Former RTH Atrocity to Get a Facelift - Buildings that turn inward and isolate the street and its inhabitants are often blamed for destroying streetlife. Published Jan. 10, 2007
My Three Wishes - My wishes can be simplified to this: I wish for council and staff to make the proper choices to build a livable and vibrant city. Published Dec. 13, 2006
The Power of the New Press - Did this election discredit the 'power of the press' or confirm it? Published Nov. 23, 2006
Remembrance Day Ceremonies and Armouries Tour - The John W. Foote VC Armoury building is 100 years old this year. To commemorate Remembrance Day as well as the Armoury's anniversary, here is a photo tour of the parade and the building. Published Nov. 23, 2006
Trust is a Political Issue - The only way to bring trust back to politics is not to vote for candidates who have broken our trust. Published Nov. 8, 2006
Less Pageantry, More Policy - The issues so far have been lame ducks. Let's hear a mayoral candidate talk about what it is a city leader and municipal government can do to make Hamilton great again. Published Oct. 20, 2006
Parking and Suburbanization Downtown - The solution for an ailing downtown is to become denser and more urban. Published Oct. 6, 2006
Mountain Park Avenue Condos - A new condo development will feed into the vibrancy on Concession Street. Published Sep. 20, 2006
Cityview Terrace - This six-story development frames the street and provides affordable living within walking distance of downtown Hamilton. Published May. 5, 2006
A Row Over Row Houses - Slower car traffic and more eyes on the street will actually make Queensdale safer and more livable. Published Apr. 21, 2006
Next Stop: Atlantic Station - A new infill development in Atlanta proves that many people want to live in real neighbourhoods. Published Apr. 21, 2006
Our World Leaders' Response to Peak Oil - Editorial Cartoon: Our World Leaders' Response to Peak Oil Published Apr. 9, 2006
King East Sails off a Sandbar - I look forward to the day – and it's coming soon – that King East and The International Village can shine proudly on the city like it so deserves. Published Mar. 18, 2006
Peak Oil Paradigm Shift: The Urgent Need for a Sustainable Energy Model - Instead of a doomsday scenario, Peak Oil Paradigm Shift author Bilaal Abdullah paints a possible future without oil and energy wars. Published Mar. 18, 2006
Peak Oil is Now Official - Mexico's supergiant Cantarell oilfield is now in decline. Can the rest of the world make up the shortfall? Published Mar. 18, 2006
A Chip Off the Old Block - LIUNA's newest plans to rebuild the Lister Block hews much closer to the original building. Published Mar. 18, 2006
The Hamilton Poverty Project - The Hamilton Poverty Project Published Mar. 18, 2006
Hamilton's Anti-Idling Campaign - Hamilton's Anti-Idling Campaign Published Mar. 1, 2006
No Idle Matter - After spending hundreds of millions of dollars for a highway to sprawl development on the southeast mountain, we can't afford an anti-idling bylaw? Published Mar. 1, 2006
Homogeneous Food (Homogeneous Life Part 1) - Massive, chemical dependent farming is energy intensive, environmentally destructive, and bland. There are better ways to feed ourselves. Published Feb. 15, 2006
Sign Litter - Mobile signs are ugly, tacky, and distracting to motorists. The current by-law is not the problem; enforcement is. Published Dec. 14, 2005
Pig Out - As usual, Hamilton City Council struggles to bring home the bacon. Published Nov. 28, 2005
Art in Hamilton - Think of how dreary life would be without art, movies, theatres, operas, symphonies, and literature. Published Nov. 10, 2005
Interview with Richard Harris - Professor Richard Harris talks to RTH about the logic of suburbia and the future of sprawl. Published Oct. 21, 2005
Park Parking Lot, Meadowlands - The epitome of car dependent sprawl is when a 'local' children's playground requires a parking lot. Published Oct. 21, 2005
Liquidation World Banner, Hamilton City Centre - These cheap versions of billboards are ridiculously oversized. At least the blank wall doesn't make eyes reverberate. Published Oct. 7, 2005
Unhampered by HMP - If the under-used block at Main St. and Bay St. is developed properly, it could be a very successful anchor on the west side. Published Oct. 7, 2005
Unraveling the Gas 'Conspiracy' - People will believe anything if it means preserving our entitlement to cheap gasoline. Published Oct. 7, 2005
Replicating The Lister: An Update - Will Warren Green restore the Lister Block in a way that preserves its architectural and historical significance? Not likely. Published Oct. 7, 2005
The End of the Tunnel - We are heading toward a troubled future. The directions we choose now will help determine where we end up. Published Sep. 15, 2005
It's Time to Get on Board - Hamilton needs an Architectural Review Board to ensure new developments follow the principles of good urban design. Published Sep. 15, 2005
Making Real Neighbourhoods - Compact neighbourhoods allow the residents to forget that they live in a giant metropolis, regardless of its size. Published Jul. 1, 2005
Getting Back on Track - If Hamilton wants to begin the process of intensification, then it must start with transit. Published Jun. 16, 2005
City to recommend a new 40 km/h School Zone - Gordon Price and St. Vincent de Paul schools will get a new School Zone posted area if the city's recommendation goes ahead. Published Jun. 16, 2005
Movie Palace Packs Them In - A restored 1920s theatre provides a delightful experience for moviegoers and plenty of warm nostalgia for us just old enough to remember old-fashioned movie houses. Published May. 31, 2005
Hamilton Club Gets a Scrubbing - Hamilton Club does its part in cleaning up Hamilton. Every little bit counts. Published May. 31, 2005
What about Buchanan? - Hamilton could use another museum celebrating the rich history of Upper Canada and the role Hamilton and its powerbrokers played in the young Dominion. Published May. 31, 2005
Et Tu, Brutalism? - So the future didn't happen. Does this mean we destroy all the Brutalism style buildings, much the same as we tore down all our Victorian and Georgian streetwalls? Published May. 31, 2005
Gordon Price Elementary School - I was going to poke fun at this building and its parking lot in front of the main doors and how absurd it is. Unfortunately, this isn't funny; it's dangerous. Published May. 16, 2005
A Challenge for Hamilton City Councillors - Hamilton City Council has the choice to be global leaders and ban drive-thrus. Published May. 16, 2005
"Replicating" the Lister - I fear the worst: a demolition and a reconstruct of something that resembles the Lister only from the outside. Published May. 16, 2005
King West Photo Tour - Trevor Shaw comes in from the suburbs to see what makes King West tick. Published Apr. 14, 2005
The Mountain Goes Vertical - An in-fill project at Mohawk and Upper Ottawa holds the promise for densification in the upper city. Published Apr. 14, 2005
Dalton Timmis Has Left the Building - The siren song of "free" parking and highway accessibility has lured another business out of the core. Published Apr. 14, 2005
Big Box Development, Meadowlands of Ancaster - The Meadowlands of Ancaster, the epitome of sprawl, are helping usher in the end of suburbia. Published Apr. 14, 2005
Tivoli Redevelopment Options Review - Trevor Shaw appraises the four current proposals for redeveloping the Tivoli and offers some suggestions. Published Apr. 4, 2005
Once Upon a Time - I know, as well as many Hamiltonians, that our city is Canada's best-kept secret, but sshhh. Published Mar. 14, 2005
Books About Hamilton - Here's a short list of books about Hamilton. Published Mar. 14, 2005
VIA Rail in Stoney Creek - Published Mar. 14, 2005
Hamilton Bookstore Tour - See a photo essay on some of the bookstores Hamilton has to offer. Published Mar. 14, 2005
Interview With James Howard Kunstler - Trevor Shaw talks with James Howard Kunstler about what future we might expect for the suburbs. Published Feb. 19, 2005
Tightening the Belt - The new provincial Greenbelt plan might finally bring an end to sprawl. Published Feb. 19, 2005
Let's Make Real Neighbourhoods - Hamilton has not built a real neighbourhood in over fifty years. While I praise Locke Street and Concession Street for making comebacks as real neighbourhoods, Hamilton can and should do more. Published Jan. 14, 2005
Bay Street Breaker Boxes - I saw the work crews install a matching pair of shiny steel box things on Bay Street. I thought it must be temporary - maybe they will be lowered underground. I was wrong. Published Jan. 14, 2005
Reach, Dream, Rise, Crumble - Hamilton is like a marathon runner with angina. We need a strong, healthy heart - the core - or nothing else will function properly. Published Dec. 14, 2004
A Window on the Lister Deal, Published Jul. 8, 2008 under Lister Block
History Repeats: Public Subsidy for Property Development in Hamilton, Published May. 1, 2008 under Revitalization
Don't Pursue Past Achievers, Published Apr. 9, 2008 under Revitalization
London CoC on Drive Thru Proliferation, Published Feb. 28, 2008 under Drive-Thru
Can Stinson Break the Downtown Property Stalemate?, Published Dec. 22, 2007 under Revitalization
Hamilton at Top of CBC's List, Published Sep. 20, 2007 under Media
Opera Ontario Launches Emergency Fundraising Campaign, Published Sep. 17, 2007 under Arts
The Importance of Public Broadcasting, Published Sep. 17, 2007 under Media
CHCH is Whole Again, Published Jul. 27, 2007 under Media
Proposed Land Use Violates City Priorities, Published Jul. 16, 2007 under Sprawl
Coming Soon: Affordable Solar Power, Published Jan. 12, 2007 under Energy
Public Health Investigating The Piazza, Published Nov. 18, 2006 under News
Gore Park(ing Lot), Published Sep. 15, 2006 under Revitalization
Bunker Buster, Published Dec. 20, 2005 under Revitalization
Death Knell for Local Mainstream Media, Published Jul. 11, 2005 under Media
Signontology, Published Jul. 8, 2005 under Neighbourhoods
Chump Change, Published Mar. 15, 2005 under Politics
(return to Contributors)
Proponents do not have to rationalize the need for transit or look at alternatives (only alternative construction methods) since the need for transit and the benefits to communities, the environment and the economy are clear." -- From the Government of Ontario's New Transit Environmental Assessment Process
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'Benign Neutrality' is What's Wrong (Jul. 22, 2008) -
Ahhh, things have become a whole lot clearer today after reading a letter to the editor in today's Spectator by John Dolbec of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.
The most telling comment i
The City as Dynamic System (Jul. 18, 2008) - I wrote yesterday about the complex and often counterintuitive properties of networks, and the role that simplistic "common sense" thinking can play in leading people to false conclusions about ho
Heat Alert 'Trigger' Too High (Jul. 17, 2008) - Toronto has issued an extreme heat alert - that city's highest warning level to inform and protect vulnerable residents from the dangers of extreme heat. The high humidex is supposed to last u
Passport to Hamilton (Jul. 17, 2008) -
A great new initiative developed by Environment Hamilton and the HSR will be unveiled at a public launch this Friday, July 18th at 10:00 am at Williams Coffee Pub on the waterfront.
Passport
Beyond 'Common Sense': How Traffic Networks Work (Jul. 16, 2008) - With all the talk recently about the Downtown Transportation Master Plan and some councillors' objections to spending money to convert downtown streets to two-way, it seems instructive to stud
Free HSR Fares Not The Way To Go (Jul. 16, 2008) -
Councillor Sam Merulla's recent suggestion that public transit in Hamilton ought to be free would risk making transit an economically and politically unsustainable venture for the city.
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