We have lessons to learn in Hamilton. Now’s a good time to pay attention.
This piece “Crisis of Gentrification…” is a must read for those who are following the development of our own Hamilton: City of Music situation. The City’s volunteer Music Strategy Implementation Team, now renamed the “Hamilton Music Industry Working Committee” is heading into a maze of similar issues that are described in this article:
http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/836-the-crisis-of-gentrification-hits-the-austin-music-scene/
The economic forces of change will never kill the force of art and creativity, but they are very real, and they force people to move, and venues to close. They are forces that change the face of a city’s music scene.
Music districts are a must-have, basic feature of any city that wishes to be taken seriously as a City of Music. Along with the designated music districts must come development and zoning bylaws that allow the venues to exist and make a viable business, without real-estate pressures tempting them to sell.
The Toronto Example
Another good read on the same topic of venues closing and neighbourhoods changing:
http://puregrainaudio.com/reviews/toronto-canada-music-city-on-fire
