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KW culture to change
#1
Quote:Quoting tmlittle on urbantoronto:

 Transit riders in KW don't have a complaint culture which can have good and bad aspects to it, there isn't the overwhelming negativity of other cities but there's also little momentum toward improvements.


I saw this on UrbanToronto and thought it was an interesting point that I don't think I agree with, but I didn't really think the Ottawa Transit Development thread, or UrbanToronto, was the correct place to discuss it. Hopefully tmlittle is on this forum too to chime in.

One of the things I've always like about KW is that it is generally much more welcoming of change than other similar jurisdictions. It's always seemed like a gidder done sort of place, for better or for worst. In that sense, there always seems to be momentum toward improvement, contrary to what tmlittle said.

I'm curious what other people's impressions are.
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#2
(11-05-2019, 02:22 PM)jamincan Wrote:
Quote:Quoting tmlittle on urbantoronto:

 Transit riders in KW don't have a complaint culture which can have good and bad aspects to it, there isn't the overwhelming negativity of other cities but there's also little momentum toward improvements.


I saw this on UrbanToronto and thought it was an interesting point that I don't think I agree with, but I didn't really think the Ottawa Transit Development thread, or UrbanToronto, was the correct place to discuss it. Hopefully tmlittle is on this forum too to chime in.

One of the things I've always like about KW is that it is generally much more welcoming of change than other similar jurisdictions. It's always seemed like a gidder done sort of place, for better or for worst. In that sense, there always seems to be momentum toward improvement, contrary to what tmlittle said.

I'm curious what other people's impressions are.

I'd agree that there's not much of a "complaint culture" here, but the idea that there's little momentum toward improvements doesn't reflect my K-W.  The place has always been about "progress".
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#3
It's that 'Mennonite barn-raising spirit' that politicians often invoke, I think.
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#4
(11-05-2019, 05:12 PM)KevinL Wrote: It's that 'Mennonite barn-raising spirit' that politicians often invoke, I think.

Busy Berlin is alive after a century.
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#5
Coincidentally, "Progress" was one of the names suggested to replace Berlin! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_to_...ntario.jpg (middle column, 5th from the top)
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#6
Somehow the idea that it could have become "Ontario City" makes me smile. I could see it going well with a yellow "no name" sort of logo ..... Wink
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#7
As an outsider who's done a decent amount of research on the area of late, it seems like K-W has the go getter mentality jamincan describes (not unlike Alberta).

My home region of Niagara once had that, but seems to have vanquished with the demise of our industrial base during 90s and early 00s.

It seems like a really exciting time for KW and Waterloo region as a whole.
Keep up the progress, Waterluvians!
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#8
(06-19-2020, 08:37 PM)Wigs Wrote: As an outsider who's done a decent amount of research on the area of late, it seems like K-W has the go getter mentality jamincan describes (not unlike Alberta).

My home region of Niagara once had that, but seems to have vanquished with the demise of our industrial base during 90s and early 00s.

It seems like a really exciting time for KW and Waterloo region as a whole.
Keep up the progress, Waterluvians!

Interesting that you say that - I have long thought that K-W and Calgary, despite their differences, share that aspect in their civic cultures.  Also a pretty strong sense of self-reliance (government is OK as long as it doesn't get in the way).
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#9
panamaniac,

I lived in Calgary during the recent time the skyline dramatically changed (The Bow being most prominent) and the West LRT was built in addition to other stations in the NE, and construction on the ring road.

Definite parallels between the two with K-W building the ion light rail and many highrises under construction at once (skyscraper page diagram shows 12 buildings b/w 16-39 storeys u/c, is that correct?). Also a young, well educated workforce willing to take risks!

KW benefits from a more robust economy as Alberta, and Calgary in particular being the epicenter "rides the tornado" with the boom bust oil/gas cycles. 

This NFB doc shows what little has changed in the mindset in 35-40 years. 
https://www.nfb.ca/film/riding_the_tornado/

This recent crash was so bad that companies just abandoned skyscrapers and workers just left papers and junk behind as if fleeing from a Chernobyl type incident. LMAO
Can only imagine how high the office vacancy increased from as low as 2-3% at one point.

Many transplants fled back to Ontario, BC, or Saskatchewan during this period. No doubt KW probably benefited (if only a tiny amount) from this talent pool moving back to the mother province.
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#10
Waterloo region population
1995: 421,000
2005: 507,000
2015: 574,000
2020: ~631,000
Growth: ~210,000, ~50% increase

Niagara region population
1996: 403,554
2006: 427,421
2016: 447,888
2020: ~455,000-460,000
Growth: ~52,000-57,000, ~13-14% increase

Waterloo is leaving Niagara in the dust with both population growth and job growth.
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