Benefits and gaps to goal of Hamilton as a transportation gateway: McMaster study

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April 28, 2009

The McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics (MITL) recently released the findings and recommendations of a study that examined the City of Hamilton in terms of its potential as a goods movement gateway serving the Southern Ontario region.

“The central thesis of this report is that economic development and job creation need not conflict with environmental sustainability,” said Pavlos Kanaroglou, director of MITL. “Development of employment lands coupled with a strong urban intensification strategy and investment in public transit infrastructure is ideal for promoting economic interaction and gateway development while minimizing congestion and transport related emissions.”

Should Hamilton be successful in its quest to develop as a gateway, the report identified several important benefits to expect and some are already coming to fruition. These are as follows:

  • A population of skilled and talented people lead productive and prosperous lives in a well-planned, compact and uncongested city with a vital central core.
  • World class teaching and research institutions play a key role in developing the population and related innovative firms see Hamilton as an ideal place to conduct business.
  • Hamilton is seen as a strategic place to locate a firm, especially so for those that have a logistics element or require good access to a leading 24-hour cargo and passenger airport. The industrial parks are full and generate significant, job-creating multiplier effects.
  • Development around the airport is seen as exemplary in that new residential sprawl is avoided, firms with low carbon footprint are attracted and a high proportion of the workforce accesses the development via public transit.

    • Many of the key components to make Hamilton a gateway for Southern Ontario are already in place. However to an investigation of gateway cities from around the world reveals several proven principles that Hamilton should take into account:

  • Place a lot of emphasis on being uncongested; which is good for the flow of goods and for the reduction of emissions.
  • Have developed effective transport-focused organizations.
  • Are effective at building consensus, partnerships and alliances involving the public and private sectors and other jurisdictions when required.
  • Are very good at self-promotion and creating a compelling value proposition to attract business.
  • Do not rest on their laurels even if they have excellent locational advantages.
  • Have fully embraced containerization.
  • Do all of the “little” things well even as they maintain compelling visions.

    • “Hamilton currently has gaps between where it is and where it can be as a gateway. Pursuing steps outlined above will help to close those gaps,” said Pavlos Kanaroglou, director of MITL. “Developments that are contrary to these themes, such as suburban residential sprawl, will only increase the gaps.”

    The McMaster Institute of Transportation and Logistics will continue to focus on successes of other gateways and to communicate this insight to the public and stakeholders. The objective is to keep Hamilton's gateway development current with worldwide best practices as they evolve.