Canadian Urban Institute

The Canadian Urban Institute recently released a publication prepared for the City of Hamilton and Infrastructure Ontario titled Building Momentum: Made in Hamilton Infraststructure Solutions. The report provides a roadmap for infrastructure investments that will help to drive the regeneration of Hamilton's local economy. The report recieved substantial coverage in the local press:

• Hamilton Spectator, February 10, 2010
• Hamilton Spectator, February 11, 2010
• CHCH TV, February 11, 2010

Access the report online from our Publications Archive.

Background: Building Momentum

The City of Hamilton, in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, asked the Canadian Urban Institute to assess the long-term infrastructure requirements, strategic directions, and growth vision for the City of Hamilton, and to help identify priorities for investment in infrastructure projects by analyzing existing and proposed community assets. The analysis included placing potential projects and planning initiatives in the context of provincial and federal initiatives and regional trends. Work was conducted through 2009 and the report was made public in January 2010 after being accepted by the clients.

Setting priorities means identifying which projects offer not only the greatest return on investment, but also have the potential to stimulate other projects or actions and thereby add to Hamilton’s tax base and quality of life. By coordinating its investment in related projects that support each other, the City of Hamilton can gain the greatest benefit from its investments.

What the report represents is a long-term perspective on how Hamilton can best invest strategically for the future. Hamilton’s many current plans and projects – such as the priority investment opportunities along the B-Line LRT line (as reflected in the new Urban Official Plan) and the importance of increasing commercial and industrial assessment largely through investments in new business and industrial parks (e.g. the airport employment growth district and Brownfield redevelopment etc) – complement the recommendations in the report. Ultimately, the report revolved around a stakeholder engagement process that was intended to help the Hamilton community think innovatively about how, at the intersection of community planning and infrastructure investment, the city’s economy could be regenerated.

Value Planning: planning that strengthens the tax base and quality of life.

Building Momentum assesses the long-term infrastructure requirements for the City of Hamilton, and suggests priorities for investment in infrastructure projects by identifying and analyzing existing and proposed community assets. The City of Hamilton has completed several planning exercises. These were considered during the initial research phase of the report and set the context for the interviews and discussions in which stakeholders identified priority infrastructure projects to meet the objectives of the current plans and policies. It was assumed during the interview process that hard infrastructure – such as water, waste water, roads and bridges – were critical to future city-building and would be maintained and improved as part of Hamilton’s effective asset management program.

Starting with a list of more than 100 potential priority infrastructure projects suggested by Hamilton councillors, staff, and stakeholders, CUI researchers conducted an analysis to identify “foundational projects.”

A foundational project is:

• valuable in its own right;
• stimulates productivity and economic competitiveness;
• offers a clear return on investment, building on the tax base;
• provides a platform for other projects (it is not a “one off” or isolated asset);
• advances municipal priorities;
• advances provincial policies and initiatives (Growth Plan, etc.);
• contributes to quality of place and quality of life.

Through consultation with Hamilton stakeholders, 25 foundational projects were identified. These consultations also drew out six principles for infrastructure investment in the city: invest in the heart of the city strategically to drive regeneration; ensure connectivity; work at all scales; leverage cultural and creative assets; focus on quality of place; and build on existing green assets.

The 25 foundational projects were grouped into five districts: four in the downtown and waterfront areas of Hamilton, and the fifth in the McMaster Innovation Park. For each district, an analysis was conducted that drew on best practices from other industrial cities that have carried out successful revitalization programs in similar districts under similar circumstances. Based on this analysis, the CUI project team calculated the estimated increase in assessment value and taxes for private sector developments that would build on major and minor infrastructure investments in each of the five districts.

“Be bold, authentic & unique: whatever Hamilton does in the next five years it has to be bold enough, different enough that people in Toronto and its suburbs are talking about it.”

-Pittsburgh Interviewee

Tapping CUI’s expertise in best practice research

In our role as Canada’s applied policy institute, we seek out examples of best practices in Canada and abroad. Our team invested considerable effort in researching the evolution of “rust-belt” city revitalization including fieldwork in Portland, Oregon, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (which included interviews with current and past mayors, planners, development corporations, chambers of commerce, students, and leading entrepreneurs). The CUI team was able to both inspire and educate stakeholders about the possibilities for the future. (Our best practice findings were subsequently published in articles in the Ontario Planning Journal). The intent of the best practice research was twofold: one) to help our team understand what combination of investments have driven regeneration in other cities; and, two) to inspire the community to think “outside the box” about their city’s potential.

Key Findings & Recommendations

The report concludes with a listing of 25 foundational projects and three key strategies:

• a.Proceed with creating an arm’s-length development corporation with a city-wide mandate. This recommendation highlights the effectiveness of such corporations in other cities where revitalization has been successful. The structure of such a corporation should reflect Hamilton’s strengths; many different models are possible.
• b.Prepare a comprehensive financing strategy. The City of Hamilton needs to mobilize limited resources through integrated strategic investment and planning.
• c.Maintain momentum with quick wins. Projects that require limited investment and can be launched relatively quickly will give Hamiltonians a sense that progress is being made while longer-term initiatives are planned. Examples include festivals, design competitions, bike-sharing programs, public art programs, fast-track approvals for sidewalk cafés, and initiatives to make use of vacant upper storeys in commercial areas. Many other quick-win projects are possible.The response from interviewees, stakeholders, and city staff during the course of the project was enthusiastic, and we helped awaken a sense of optimism about the future. The report has since received favourable coverage in the press (print, television, and radio). Hamilton has huge potential: what this report offered was a way to unlock the potential of this often-overlooked urban centre.

Relevance of the Research

Many North American cities have been caught in a downward spiral, caused by bankruptcies, foreclosures, out-migration, a sharp increase in social needs, and changes in housing and the location of work. These cities are struggling to provide services and compete in a global economy with an ever-decreasing tax base. Yet a few cities have succeeded in reversing this downward spiral, reinventing themselves and creating livable and prosperous places that attract employers and residents.

The City of Hamilton has struggled to stimulate investment across the City in a coordinated manner that would appeal to the broader marketplace. Part of this challenge is a result of the perception by residents, business owners, and visitors that even though Hamilton economy is diverse, the City is continuing to lose jobs, businesses and residents because it lacks the necessary assets to attract them. However, Hamilton does have assets that characterize other cities that have made a reputation for livability and have thereby become important nodes in the network of creative cities. These assets include heritage architecture, a viable downtown containing important civic and cultural institutions, a world-class university, a varied housing stock for people of all income levels, access to recreational opportunities, and a central and well-connected location in southern Ontario.

By developing a comprehensive investment and policy framework using insights from the community engagement process, and by developing an innovative approach to ranking and visualizing infrastructure investment priorities, we were able to link planning concepts (such as zoning or transit-oriented development) to the existing realities and potential future of Hamilton. The validity of our research allowed City staff to move quickly to implement our recommendations, including the formation of a citywide development corporation and undertaking a comprehensive financial study to link public investment in light rail transit (LRT) with private investments and community objectives for infill, brownfield redevelopment, and re-urbanization.  The credibility of our research was also reinforced by the strong endorsement of private-sector stakeholders and recent announcements by the Province of Ontario of new infrastructure investments in Hamilton’s downtown core.