What Canada Can Learn From U.S. Cities
An urban renaissance is underway in many American cities, one fueled by the "common sense" of focusing on fundamentals. Canadian cities are looking south to pick up some good ideas.
"Last April, Washington's oldest continuously operating market burned down, a victim of faulty wiring. The neighbourhood was in shock: The Eastern Market is the very heart of Capitol Hill. But Adrian Fenty, Washington's young new mayor, vowed to have the building restored and reopened in two years or less, and in the meantime city hall used surplus revenues to construct a temporary shelter. The locals raised an astonishing $385,000 in a few weeks to help out the vendors. The market was up and running in its temporary new building by the end of August.
The rescue of the Eastern Market epitomizes the transformation of the District of Columbia. Capitol Hill, which had descended from gentility to crime-infested poverty, is once again thriving. The same is true of Logan Circle, Columbia Heights, the U Street Corridor.
Washington is not alone. Portland's Pearl District, Manhattan's Hudson Heights - where crime has declined by 84 per cent since 1993 - Chicago's South Loop, San Diego's Marina District, Boston's South End, all reflect the renaissance of urban America. Not everywhere, and not all for the same reasons. But the stereotype of the run-down, boarded-up, dangerous downtown is increasingly a myth. America's cities are back.
What happened? Demographics, unintended consequences, the arrival of common sense. City halls across the country were absorbing the same lesson: Focus on the fundamentals. Clean up the parks, scrape off the graffiti, put a cop on every corner, lower taxes, cut the red tape and let market forces do the rest.
Today, most Washington neighbourhoods are safe and clean, and enjoy twice-weekly garbage pickup. How many Canadian neighbourhoods can make the same claim?"
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In my wildest imagination, I
In my wildest imagination, I can't fathom what Canadian cities can learn from US cities, except for what not to do.
RE: In my wildest...
Chris -
Really? Not a thing of value in any US city? I think you need to visit a) some more Canadian cities and b) some more US cities. There are clearly things that can be learned on both sides of the border.
Re: Visiting other cities
I'm quite well-traveled, thank you.
US cities should also serve as examples of what NOT to do
Though I have no issues or objections with the assertion that many U.S. city cores are "back," and that this is in general very much a good thing for cities, Canadians should also consider the unintended (or, as some would assert, intended) consequences of the wholesale gentrification that has occurred in the downtowns of a handful of large U.S. cities. Income inequality in cities like Washington and New York has increased dramatically to the point where there are only too classes - rich and poor. For years, the middle class has been squeezed out of big cities as desirability and demand increase, without an dramatic increase in housing supply. Anecdotally, Canadian cities appear to me to do a much better job of constructing new housing units in central cities as demand warrants, without succumbing to NIMBYism and red tape. Additionally, the U.S. still has numerous cities that serve as prime examples of what NOT to do in terms of governance, planning, etc.