Hamilton Pier 8 Redevelopment | 147m | 45s | Cityzen | Omar Gandhi

[Sunnyside]

Hamilton, is uniquely bad at investing in/creating public spaces.

Using John-Rebecca Park as an example, the design here wasn’t the main problem, the cheap and lazy execution is what gave us this (old photo, looks worse today):

(John-Rebecca Park:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1193185568093552640

)


This example (Perk Plaza) from another Rust Belt City around the corner, Cleveland, shows how an urban mound park (properly executed) can turn out beautiful!

(Perk Plaza: https://www.americancityandcounty.com/slides/perk-park-planted-mounds/)


What you don’t see in the above photo is the ‘playing field’ portion of the park, which is just a sheet of grass bordered by trees —An important feature John-Rebecca totally lacks. There’s no one to just chill, read a book, have a picnic, take a nap, whatever.

And speaking of Toronto’s waterfront, its public spaces are amazing!! HTO Park (another ‘mound’ style parkette), Sugar Beach, Music Gardens, Sherbourne Commons are all beautifully designed and executed!

(HTO Park:

https://flic.kr/p/Po9fz

)

On a certain level, I think I and many other Hamiltonians are just glad to see new public spaces in principle. It's a low bar, but the degree of the city's decline runs deep in the public consciousness. The problem is this mentality permeates every facet of the city, and clearly this extends to those who actually design and build new spaces. I legitimately don't think many residents even know what a good public space could be here; it's hard to know what we want when there's nothing to go off of. It perhaps seems silly, but "It's better than nothing" is very much true; nothing was/is the status quo as far as new public spaces go, and preceding that was building outright hostile public spaces.

In short, we don't know what we are doing and the public has no frame of reference for what they should want; we merely know that we should be building public spaces. I doubt the question of "how" has even entered the room yet. I will give the city credit that they have actually delivered a public space, that in a sense feels "big", and is far more inviting than what existed prior. The area at least has a chance to grow into a new local focal point where only lost visions existed prior.

 

[macro]

Hamilton, is uniquely bad at investing in/creating public spaces.

Using John-Rebecca Park as an example, the design here wasn’t the main problem, the cheap and lazy execution is what gave us this (old photo, looks worse today):

(John-Rebecca Park:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1193185568093552640

)


This example (Perk Plaza) from another Rust Belt City around the corner, Cleveland, shows how an urban mound park (properly executed) can turn out beautiful!

(Perk Plaza: https://www.americancityandcounty.com/slides/perk-park-planted-mounds/)


What you don’t see in the above photo is the ‘playing field’ portion of the park, which is just a sheet of grass bordered by trees —An important feature John-Rebecca totally lacks. There’s no one to just chill, read a book, have a picnic, take a nap, whatever.

And speaking of Toronto’s waterfront, its public spaces are amazing!! HTO Park (another ‘mound’ style parkette), Sugar Beach, Music Gardens, Sherbourne Commons are all beautifully designed and executed!

(HTO Park:

https://flic.kr/p/Po9fz

)

Not to completely disagree, I just don’t understand the criticism here. The Toronto example is surrounded on 3 sides by water, and I don’t see much of a difference in the Cleveland example except for maybe the maturity of the trees. When the trees grow and the 10+ towers come up within 2 blocks of the this park over the next decade, the park will become a crucial link in what feels like a new “desire path” forming between the King William corridor and Barton Village via Beasley, if it wasn’t for the police station in the way.

This is getting off topic though.

 

[rbt]

What a missed opportunity

Those suburban patches of grass should have been rain gardens:

https://lastavica.hr/images/blog/swallow-green/urban-rain-gardens-lastavica-main.jpeg

And the amount of concrete is so bizarre. It looks blinding in the sun!

The only up side here is the public art installation. Looks great and has a huge impact over the area.

That looks like a very fast way to kill a garden and the trees too: large amounts of winter salt along with roadway oil and tire grit applied directly to the roots.

 

[Chris R.]

That looks like a very fast way to kill a garden and the trees too: large amounts of winter salt along with roadway oil and tire grit applied directly to the roots.

There are native plant species in Ontario that don't mind higher than normal salt.

All that being said, our salting of the roads has its own environmental issues.

 

[DC83]

View attachment 510496

The above photo of Piers 5-7 looks more like the new big box plazas in Upper Stoney Creek

…when it should look more like the Canary District downtown Toronto

Not to completely disagree, I just don’t understand the criticism here. The Toronto example is surrounded on 3 sides by water, and I don’t see much of a difference in the Cleveland example except for maybe the maturity of the trees. When the trees grow and the 10+ towers come up within 2 blocks of the this park over the next decade, the park will become a crucial link in what feels like a new “desire path” forming between the King William corridor and Barton Village via Beasley, if it wasn’t for the police station in the way.
View attachment 510633
This is getting off topic though.

Don’t even get me started on the lack of urban greenways downtown Hamilton, despite the ample opportunity!

You pointed just out one, but there’s opportunity to connect that greenway to Pier 4 Bayfront Park via Gore Park - Jackson Sqaure Roof - SJAM Land - Central Park:

The City should have forced the Royal Connaught developers to convert the parking lot directly east of the old hotel into an urban parkette connected to Gore Park, leaving the historic eastern side of the structure exposed to admirers. Unfortunately, that side will be blocked by another horrific stucco-and-spandrel ishbox.


Anyone familiar with the old Garrison Creek pathway in Toronto understands how awesome a feature this is to have in a dense urban setting:

This doesn’t mean stuff doesn’t get built, it just means whatever gets built takes its surroundings into consideration.

Walk the Garrison Creek path this autumn. You’ll get it.

 

[DC83]

There are native plant species in Ontario that don't mind higher than normal salt.

All that being said, our salting of the roads has its own environmental issues.

There was once a rain garden downtown Hamilton —right up the road fro this Pier 8 project— then the city gave up on it after what looks like two years:

2019

2021

(LOL @ the LOL on the road pointing out how embarrassing this is)

 

[Chris R.]

There was once a rain garden downtown Hamilton —right up the road fro this Pier 8 project— then the city gave up on it after what looks like two years:

2019
View attachment 510727

2021
View attachment 510728


(LOL @ the LOL on the road pointing out how embarrassing this is)

Regarding that Bioswale, this is what I got from staff:

"The bioswale was removed and filled with stone. There was a sink hole situation happening there due to the amount of water being held. It had became a tripping hazard."

 

[Wigs]

Yeah we used to shop at A&P all the time - I used to love the conveyor belt thing which would bring your groceries to the outside to pick up

Was it similar to this?

https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/ouaw54

 

[Chronamut]

Was it similar to this?

https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/ouaw54

Yup! Just like that!

 

[DC83]

What’s wrong with this scenario (taken in the ‘beach-y’ section of the Promenade):

Wheelchairs can’t roll in sand.

This is why proper cities install wheelchair mats in their sand-covered public areas.

Whether this was a design oversight, or due to budget cuts, it’s more proof this City just doesn’t get urban living.

 

[Chris R.]

What’s wrong with this scenario (taken in the ‘beach-y’ section of the Promenade):

View attachment 514363

Wheelchairs can’t roll in sand.

This is why proper cities install wheelchair mats in their sand-covered public areas.

Whether this was a design oversight, or due to budget cuts, it’s more proof this City just doesn’t get urban living.

Are these new?


I don't think this is a huge deal there are plenty of similar sitting areas with accessible access both to the east and west of the sandy area.

 

[DC83]

Are these new?


I don't think this is a huge deal there are plenty of similar sitting areas with accessible access both to the east and west of the sandy area.

Why put a wheelchair-accessible table in the middle of a Sandy area if you’re not going to provide a way for the wheelchair to reach it?

Makes no sense.

 

[Chris R.]

Why put a wheelchair-accessible table in the middle of a Sandy area if you’re not going to provide a way for the wheelchair to reach it?

Makes no sense.

Is it supposed to be a specifically wheelchair accessible table? I don't know what the others looks like exactly off the top of my head. It could just be they used the same model everywhere regardless of location.

 

[DC83]

Is it supposed to be a specifically wheelchair accessible table? I don't know what the others looks like exactly off the top of my head. It could just be they used the same model everywhere regardless of location.

Yes, there are only three benches. The fourth side is open for wheelchairs. Same as at restaurants etc.

 

[Chris R.]

Yes, there are only three benches. The fourth side is open for wheelchairs. Same as at restaurants etc.

But I mean is that different than the other tables also on Pier 8? For simplicity of the order they may have just purchased 10 of the same table rather than 9 of one version and 1 with 4 sides.

Could also be a spot to place a stroller with a child. I don't think this is an egregious and purposely limiting addition.