Hamilton's industrial age is over. In the steel capital of Canada, there
are no more skies lit red by foundries at sunset, no more traffic jams
at shift change. Instead, an urban renaissance is taking shape. But who
wins and who loses in the city's not-too-distant future? Is it possible
to lift a downtrodden, post-industrial city out of poverty in a way that
benefits people across the social spectrum, not just a wealthy elite?
In Shift Change, author Stephen Dale sets up the Hammer as a
battlefield, a laboratory, a chessboard. As investors cash in on a real
estate gold rush and the all-too-familiar wheels of gentrification begin
to turn, there's still a rare opportunity for both old-guard and
newcomer Hamiltonians to come together and write a different story--one
in which Steeltown becomes an economically diverse and inclusive urban
centre for all.
What plays out in these pages and at this very moment is a real-time
case study that will capture the attention and the imagination of anyone
interested in equitable redevelopment, housing activism, and social
justice in the North American city.