[Aylmer]

I would like to know where people think the next big metropolis will be!
Not Clagary. Not Edmonton. Toronto is Waaaaaaaaaay out there.

But don't take a far out guess! No no, I want to find the ultimate candidate for a BOOM!

Gimme the suggestions!

[KrisYYC]

Definitely not Ottawa.

Saskatoon is next.

[LordMandeep]

all of the Big Canadian cities are growing rapidly and becoming more popular overseas as well.

[Aylmer]

Definitely not Ottawa.

Saskatoon is next.
Wasn't thinking of Ottawa.
We re already over the monumental 1 000 000 population barrier.

[Aylmer]

I think that Winnipeg is in a good position!

[theman23]

Mississauga. According to some respected commentators, it may already be the greatest city in the country. And it is at least as important as Calgary.

[LordMandeep]

Saskatoon and Regina will become nice good cities...

instead of cities me make fun of for their names..


No, Mississauga still is unknown outside of the Toronto area, because of Toronto of course.

[Aylmer]

Missisauga is rather dependant of Toronto...
If it was blasted off the face of the earth, Mississauga would become a sorry little village...

But Toronto is still on the map so it is possible for your city to become a business center!

[raggedy13]

I'd nominate Kelowna as a small city with great potential. I don't think it will become a major metropolis anytime soon but it could certainly make a good run for becoming one of Canada's more successful mid-sized cities (300k-500k) by mid-century.

Based on growth rates from the 2006 census, Kelowna will be comparable in size to Regina by 2016 (~195k) and surpass it by 2021 (~215k). By 2026 it will be comparable in size to present-day Saskatoon (~235k) but will not actually surpass it until a year or two after 2036 when it will be ~290k. By 2051 it will have surpassed present-day Victoria and Halifax at ~376k.

Personally though I think its growth rate in the long run will increase for at least awhile. It has healthy growth now and it's relatively undiscovered. If it had Calgary's 2001-2006 growth rate it would hit 500k by 2051.


I think that Winnipeg is in a good position!

I don't know a ton about Winnipeg but from what I've seen and heard it seems like a city with a lot of potential. I have no doubt that it will see growth and prosperous times ahead. When I don't know, but certainly this century.

[Cambridgite]

Saskatoon and Regina will become nice good cities...

instead of cities me make fun of for their names..


No, Mississauga still is unknown outside of the Toronto area, because of Toronto of course.

For all intents and purposes, Mississauga should be considered as part of Toronto when talking about boomtowns. And it wouldn't really be a fair comparison since all fast growing metros have boomtown suburbs.

[LordMandeep]

yeah it makes sense...

Brampton grew by as many people as Calgary (108K people) from 2001-2006.

Why though??? Of course it was because it is situated right in the middle of a huge urban area.

[Cambridgite]

But Toronto is still on the map so it is possible for your city to become a business center!

In many ways, it already is a business centre. It has more people commuting into it than out, believe it or not.

A few major contenders come to mind when I think of smaller cities.

Kelowna. As a resort and retirement community with an attractive setting, it could become an attractive place for people working out of their home as well. If enough people discover it, it could even become a magnet for people looking for a hip, attractive lifestyle. Perhaps then, it could be nicknamed 'Vancouver junior' :haha:


Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge-Guelph triangle. Perhaps it's my bias shining through, but these cities have it made. A burgeoning high-tech sector, accelerating immigration, low crime rates, downtown areas that are starting to see a renaissance, and proximity to the big city amenities of Toronto. With about 700,000 people, it's already becoming an increasingly important player on the national stage. Weakness: it can be pretty suburban, dull, and feel a lot smaller than it really is...creating a real "urban" area will take time. It's also an area that's relatively unknown outside of Ontario.

Hamilton. You've all seen Flar's photography by now. Hamilton may have a shabby image on the surface, but its urban gems are just waiting to be discovered. Some people are already discovering them. With proximity to the GTA and the US border, it's well positioned from an economic perspective. There are problems for sure, but nothing that can't be overcome. McMaster has a vital role in potential moving this hidden gem successfully into the knowledge economy.

[MonkeyRonin]

Hamilton.

Nevermind. Already mentioned. Boo.

[spiritedenergy]

Iqaluit.

[joelpiecowye]

i say saskatoon we are right now the fastest growing city in canada but if couldnt choose saskatoon because i live there i would pick Winnipeg

[Kevin_foster]

Where's Clagary?

[wild wild west]

So what are considered the Canadian cities that are already "stars"? Looks like the thread author considers the cutoff to be 1 million?

With a booming high-tech industry and well-regarded post-secondary institutions, I think the Kitchener/Waterloo area is destined for great things. Its already quite a large urban area by Canadian standards, yet is relatively unknown outside of Canada.

I think Canada has some other "undiscovered gems" among its medium-large cities as well. Hamilton, Winnipeg, Quebec and Halifax all seem to have a lot to offer, yet don't get a lot of attention.

[ScottFromCalgary]

Redonkilous

[spiritedenergy]

Moose Jaw.









You'd marry anyone to get out of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

[jeremy_haak]

I'll add my vote to KW.

[waterloowarrior]

In addition to the ones mentioned, a high growth region will probably be Barrie/Simcoe/northern York Region .... it's outside of the Greenbelt (the Simcoe/Barrie part and select areas of York), it has new GO Train links, highway extensions/widenings planned, and developers moving in... Simcoe grew 12% from 01-06, Barrie CMA grew by 19.2%. Areas like Collingwood, Innisfil and Wasaga Beach are becoming big for construction and retirement, and apparantly a lot of land in the Lake Simcoe area is being bought up by developers; there are ads for new "adult lifestyle" communities all the time, and the market will continue to grow with more baby boomers retiring.

[Cambridgite]

In addition to the ones mentioned, a high growth region will probably be Barrie/Simcoe/northern York Region .... it's outside of the Greenbelt, it has new GO Train links, highway extensions planned, and developers moving in... Simcoe grew 12% from 01-06, Barrie CMA grew by 19.2%. Areas like Collingwood, Innisfil and Wasaga Beach are becoming big for construction and retirement, and apparantly a lot of land in the Lake Simcoe area is being bought up by developers; there are ads for new "adult lifestyle" communities all the time, and the market will continue to grow with more baby boomers retiring.

I'm sure it will continue to grow, but whether or not it will grow in a desirable way may be another matter.

[waterloowarrior]

I'm sure it will continue to grow, but whether or not it will grow in a desirable way may be another matter.

It probably will not grow in a desirable way, e.g.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/270681

[Aylmer]

Cool! my thread works!

[MolsonExport]

Mississauga. According to some respected commentators, it may already be the greatest city in the country. And it is at least as important as Calgary.


Mississauga the greatest city in the country? Sorrry to pull a Malek, but


:haha: :haha: :haha:

[Cambridgite]

Mississauga. According to some respected commentators, it may already be the greatest city in the country. And it is at least as important as Calgary.

Who was this respected commentator? Hazel McCallion? ;)

[Aylmer]

No offence but Mississauga is a suburb and will probably remain so.
The city IS Toronto (in the sense that Toronto is more important).

[caltrane74]

Kitchener.

The second Kitchener overtakes London...it will hit a Million people. and then Boom!!!

It'll be the second biggest city in the province.

[Aylmer]

No!
If it ever becomes bigger than Ottawa's current population it will be caused by the suburbinisation of the city. Not a self-sustaining city.

[caltrane74]

Kitchener is in the perfect position. It's centrally located between Toronto - London- and Cottage Country.

Perfect!!

[Aylmer]

Ottawa IS cottage country (Wakefeild, Low, Chealea, Quoyn)
and we have (despite the steriotype) a booming economy.
Kitchener might become a big city but not bigger than Ottawa...

[caltrane74]

Ottawa IS cottage country (Wakefeild, Low, Chealea, Quoyn)
and we have (despite the steriotype) a booming economy.
Kitchener might become a big city but not bigger than Ottawa...

You forgot one thing:

RIM

[Aylmer]

RecearchInMotion?

[caltrane74]

RecearchInMotion?


Don't forget Blackberry is also in Kitchener!!!

[Aylmer]

There is a BMO in Rimouski too.

[Cambridgite]

Kitchener.

The second Kitchener overtakes London...it will hit a Million people. and then Boom!!!

It'll be the second biggest city in the province.

LOL...cause it will be so quick and easy to overtake Hamilton and Ottawa. :haha:

No!
If it ever becomes bigger than Ottawa's current population it will be caused by the suburbinisation of the city. Not a self-sustaining city.

Please elaborate. Has Ottawa not suburbanized to reach 1 million people? :rolleyes: And name me one city that is truly "self-sustaining". We're all connected to the global economy. Toronto dumps its garbage in Michigan and we all get everything from toys to toilet seats imported from China. How is any Canadian city "self-sufficient"?

And if anything, it will become more self-sufficient (in the sense of commuting) as it becomes larger because there will be more available in the city and less need to travel elsewhere. Barrie is about the same travel time to TO as Kitchener, but it's much more dependant.

[Aylmer]

If it is a suburb, it is not self-sustaining.
If it has a downtown that is more that a couple of big-box stores,
it is self-sustaining. Like Ottawa, Toronto and London

[Cambridgite]

If it is a suburb, it is not self-sustaining.
If it has a downtown that is more that a couple of big-box stores,
it is self-sustaining. Like Ottawa, Toronto and London

So are you saying that Kitchener has NO downtown?

[Aylmer]

No.
but if it where to become a nice big city, it will have to do a lot more to make a downtown now so it dosn't end up like Brampton.
Pull a Hamilton!

[jeremy_haak]

Kitchener.

The second Kitchener overtakes London...it will hit a Million people. and then Boom!!!

It'll be the second biggest city in the province.

Why do I have a feeling you're just trolling AylmerOptimist?

In any case, I'll bite. While the Ministry of Finance's population predictions (http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/english/economy/demographics/projections/2007/demog07t6.html) (take them for what they're worth) don't predict Kitchener overtaking Ottawa or Hamilton in the next 25 years, if the region is considered along with Guelph, it very likely will. As a whole, by 2031, they predict a population of ~930,000. By that time, Ottawa (city) is predicted to have a population of 1.1 million and Hamilton (city) a population of 639,000; however, that doesn't include the City of Burlington, which is part of Hamilton's CMA. For reference, the Halton region is projected to double in population over that time period. In any case, considering Waterloo and London have the same population now (5000 less in Waterloo), it doesn't look like Waterloo will be moving ahead of Ottawa or Hamilton within the next 30 years.

[caltrane74]

Well if there is a city that's next, it's definelty Kitchener-Waterloo.

High Tech Central!!!!

[Aylmer]

1,2 million (http://www.ottawa.ca/city_services/statistics/new_growth/background_report/population_projections/ottawa_area_en.html)

[trueviking]

high tech, schmi tech....

the new millenium will be all about water and energy....the global hydrogen economy will replace the petroleum economy of the 20th century....this is a certaintly....the petroleum economy's days are numbered.

what do you need to make hydrogen?....water and and a renewable energy source to separate it from oxygen.

and who has lots of both of these things?

http://www.canadainfolink.ca/nrcmanitoba.jpg

[noodlenoodle]

Or you could do it the way we're looking to do it in Alberta, with coal-derived syngas, complete with CO2 sequestration. No worries about droughts or the environmental impact of more hydroelectric development.

http://www.epcor.ca/About/Media+Room/News+Releases/Recent+News+Releases/Nov2907.htm

[Cambridgite]

high tech, schmi tech....

the new millenium will be all about water and energy....the global hydrogen economy will replace the petroleum economy of the 20th century....this is a certaintly....the petroleum economy's days are numbered.

what do you need to make hydrogen?....water and and a renewable energy source to separate it from oxygen.

and who has lots of both of these things?

http://www.canadainfolink.ca/nrcmanitoba.jpg

We have more water around than you guys do. ;)

http://www.gpcomp.com/unicamp/images/map-a.jpg

And what renewable energy will you guys be using to separate from oxygen, by the way? Don't say ethanol, because crop irrigation requires petrochemicals. In short, we're all screwed. :)

[caltrane74]

Yeah, if it's about water we have enough to flood your entire province.

[Waterlooson]

high tech, schmi tech....

the new millenium will be all about water and energy....the global hydrogen economy will replace the petroleum economy of the 20th century....this is a certaintly....the petroleum economy's days are numbered.

what do you need to make hydrogen?....water and and a renewable energy source to separate it from oxygen.

and who has lots of both of these things?




While it's true that hydrogen - as well as oxygen - can be produced through the electrolysis of water, that is a very uneconomical way to do it.... nearly 100 % of the world's hydrogen is produced from natural gas through a process called reforming... the last time I checked, Manitoba didn't have very much of that.

http://fuelcellsworks.com/JustthebasicsonHydrogen.html

Canada (and the world) still has gigantic amounts of natural gas.... then consider all the frozen gas hydrates in the world (Canada has a huge resource of it) which hold 4 times the energy of all the coal, natural gas and oil in the world.

It will be a long time before Manitoba is producting any significant amount of hydrogen.

[someone123]

Kitchener-Waterloo will grow a lot but then again it is kind of a special case since it is a satellite of Toronto. Hamilton is the same.

[Waterlooson]

This talk about Kelowna growing to 500,000 is just a dream.... they don't have the area needed to grow.

[Mille Sabords]

It'll be Aylmer. Aylmer will come out of nowhere and zoom to 3 million people! They will all live in 85-storey towers with a great balcony view of Ottawa, their cottage country. :cheers:

[caltrane74]

Hilarious!

[trueviking]

you and your great lakes and sissy rivers.

you might have water, but how much hydro electricty do you have, coal boys?...you need both....

thats why manitoba hydro is building a 300 million dollar new head office...they know it is only a matter of time before we rule the kingdom. :evil:

http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/annual-report/soe-reports/soe95/f8-13.gif

[LordMandeep]

i would bet any satellite towns around Calgary could boom as the metro population grows..

[Waterlooson]

If we agree to exclude Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.... I would say Canada's next big area of growth is Waterloo Region + Guelph.

[caltrane74]

I agree.

It's all about the blackberries

[Coldrsx]

burnaby

[noodlenoodle]

you and your great lakes and sissy rivers.

you might have water, but how much hydro electricty do you have, coal boys?...you need both....

You need no hydroelectricity to make hydrogen. You just need coal and water.

[WaterlooInvestor]

Although I'll agree KW's urban area needs further growth (which is happening), there are downtown areas in the city originally established in the 1800's. Check out this King Street Aerials thread I put together: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=141998

taken by Jackie Pfeffer - November 2007: looking East down King Street
http://kijiji.ebayimg.com/i20/06/k/000/78/6e/6790_20.JPG


Now the question here sounds like: what will be the next metro to hit 1 million? My odds would be:

40% - Kitchener-Waterloo
35% - Hamilton
15% - Quebec City
10% - Winnipeg

I used to have KW and Hamilton's position reversed, however I'm now thinking the greenbelt surrounding Hamilton and Burlington will slow that area's growth. Also remember this is only my opinion, it's not fact and can change given new information.

[Distill3d]

burnaby

outside of Vancouver, BBY is still known as Vancouver. and its economy is as dependent on Vancouver's as Missisauga is on Toronto.

my vote is with Kelowna, Saskatoon, or Winnipeg...but more teh Toon or teh Peg

[circle33]

I agree.

It's all about the blackberries

Actually it's all about Saskatoon berries. With this knowledge the answer is obvious.

http://esask.uregina.ca/management/app/assets/img/enc2/selected/51BE9503-1560-95DA-437A5DA36548F89E.jpg

Photo credit: Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan

[harls]

It'll be Aylmer. Aylmer will come out of nowhere and zoom to 3 million people! They will all live in 85-storey towers with a great balcony view of Ottawa, their cottage country. :cheers:


Damn Straight! :haha: this place is ready to explode.

[Cambridgite]

Mmmm blackberries! They're not just cool and high-tech, but delicious too! :)

[Aylmer]

HAHAHA!
* Gag, then roll on the floor apparently breathless and on the verge of death.
Get up then eat a cookie*

I can't agree more with MilleSabords!
Aylmer was almost chosen as the capital!

I call the 85th floor!

[Mille Sabords]

Now the question here sounds like: what will be the next metro to hit 1 million? My odds would be:

40% - Kitchener-Waterloo
35% - Hamilton
15% - Quebec City
10% - Winnipeg

That's a great way to word the question, actually. Lots of things to speculate about but here's my take:

Kitchener-Waterloo - the leading contender, just because of its location and industrial/high-tech base. However, it has a longer way to go.
Québec City - it's already close to the million mark and it's a real sleeper of a city, with sound fundamentals in terms of educated workforce. As immigration rises, language will be a lesser factor. And it's a very pleasant place to be. It's my #2.
Victoria - Like KW it has a much longer way to go, but I wouldn't underestimate the power of no-snow winters with the aging Canadian population. Plus, it's close to vancouver and also a pretty hip town for yout's.
Winnipeg - if all the stars align for the Peg, it may overcome its isolation and drain people away from Sask. and Vid Country to become a larger regional metropolis. Plus, give'em an NHL team already.
Hamilton - If it goes to 1 million, it will be as out-ooze of Toronto IMHO. Although this comment will piss off Hamiltonians, the Hammer is more and more being drawn into the orbit of the Centre of the Universe. At least it'll have decent transit, something Ottawa still has to wait for.
Halifax- Oil wealth travels east and settles in the port city, who baloons to a million and gets Canada's next NHL team!
Churchill, Manitoba: Global warming scorches half the earth between the two tropics, and massive amounts of people migrate north to the empty and newly balmy shores of Hudson's Bay, where the northwest passage becomes a year-round waterway and the new venue for the America's Cup. Churchill becomes a 10-million people megalopolis, burying Toronto in its smog, Ottawa in its smugness, Montreal in its coolhood, Vancouver in its lattés and Calgary in its cowboy hats.

:skyscraper: :upload_71700:

[Aylmer]

NO AYLMER!

I can agree with Pegton and QCity...

I am hopeing for Pegtown to become a bigger city by time I move there...

[Lead]

Surrey

[Aylmer]

B.c

[Aylmer]

Cookies Horray!

Surrey is dependant aswell.
I won't discus it like I did with Mississauga.

[SteelTown]

With Hamilton it's got a good future, $400 million towards rapid transit, a growing knowledge based economy, 3rd most diverse city in Canada, strong port business, a growing airport, retail boom, downtown developmens, a growing population, likely to be the next Canadian city to get an NHL franchise, and likely to be the next city to reach the million mark.

[Aylmer]

I can bet on Hamilton!

[Distill3d]

...likely to be the next Canadian city to get an NHL franchise, and likely to be the next city to reach the million mark.

Hamilton has been the next Canadian City to get an NHL team since before Edmonton, Quebec City, Winnipeg, and Calgary got teams. as much as i'd love to see it happen, Winnipeg is next.

[caltrane74]

K-W, the next great German Canadian City!!!!

[LordMandeep]

Oktoberfest

[Aylmer]

AylmerFest

[SteelTown]

Hamilton has been the next Canadian City to get an NHL team since before Edmonton, Quebec City, Winnipeg, and Calgary got teams. as much as i'd love to see it happen, Winnipeg is next.

At least with Hamilton it has a very wealthy person that's hungry for an NHL team, Jim Bailisille.

[Canadian Mind]

I'm hoping Winnipeg, but not before I can get some property there.

[trueviking]

With Hamilton it's got a good future, $400 million towards rapid transit, .

really?...thats awesome...when is it going to be built?....LRT?

[LordMandeep]

Hamilton will grow, its in a perfect area...

Between Toronto and Niagara and is well connected and i hope it can get some proper Go Service...

[Coldrsx]

hate to be the one to say it, but winnipeg is on the downhill...not the up.

[Aylmer]

Oh, Tsk!

[drew]

hate to be the one to say it, but winnipeg is on the downhill...not the up.


^ not sure how you figure that. Perhaps you would care to explain?

[Aylmer]

It's my opinion.

[Coldrsx]

^ not sure how you figure that. Perhaps you would care to explain?

dont get me wrong, i actually like the peg and have considered moving there for architecture school, but i find the only city other than Hamilton or Edmonton people have very negative opinions of for some reason is Winterpeg.

However my reasoning is based what i see, read, and hear about things going on there. Canwest is slowly entering a new era which means hello toronto...and corporately there is not much there any more. Winnipeg reached its zenith in the middle of the 1900's...

[murman]

dont get me wrong, i actually like the peg and have considered moving there for architecture school, but i find the only city other than Hamilton or Edmonton people have very negative opinions of for some reason is Winterpeg.

However my reasoning is based what i see, read, and hear about things going on there. Canwest is slowly entering a new era which means hello toronto...and corporately there is not much there any more. Winnipeg reached its zenith in the middle of the 1900's...

And is quaintly flash-frozen in 1977.

[Greco Roman]

hate to be the one to say it, but winnipeg is on the downhill...not the up.


Wow. That's a pretty contradictory statement to what you've said before, where you thought things were looking up. Which is it?

You sound like you are from Calgary, not Deadmonton :rolleyes:

[Coldrsx]

Wow. That's a pretty contradictory statement to what you've said before, where you thought things were looking up. Which is it?

You sound like you are from Calgary, not Deadmonton :rolleyes:

Winnipeg is improving, most canadian cities are of late, but relatively speaking...winnipeg is far far off the pace with respect to "the next star".

new cities are rising up taking traditional cities by suprise.

you can use that Edmonton reference anytime you like should the peg surpass Edmonton in activity.

[flar]

Quebec has been secretly outpacing Winnipeg and Hamilton for a while.

[Cambridgite]

K-W, the next great German Canadian City!!!!

It already is the great German-Canadian city! :D

With only 135 immigrants from Germany between 2001-2006, it's hardly becoming any more German....

http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/Immigration/Table404.cfm?Lang=E&T=404&GH=8&GF=541&G5=0&SC=1&RPP=100&SR=1&S=10&O=D&D1=1

But don't let that stop you from wearing leeterhosen, lining King Street, and getting shitfaced!! :notacrook:

[Cambridgite]

dont get me wrong, i actually like the peg and have considered moving there for architecture school, but i find the only city other than Hamilton or Edmonton people have very negative opinions of for some reason is Winterpeg.

Yeah, you Winnipeggers need to work on promoting the city more. Be a little upbeat.

Anyone remember the Simpsons episode where Homer goes to Winnipeg for cheap drugs?

"Winnipeg: We were born here. What's your excuse?"

[Rathgrith]

Two Words: Moose Jaw.

You could also add Churchill there

[GreatTallNorth2]

Kitchener Waterloo Cambridge Guelph is not really a city. It is four cities. The CMA for K/W is not 700,000 people. It is about 450,000. The problem with K/W is that it is sprawlville with no real downtown. It's tallest buildings are about 12 stories high which is pathetic for a CMA of its size. Windsor, which is just over half the size, has a way better skyline.

This region really needs to ditch the regional government and become one city that has one true central downtown.

Having said these things, this area will continue to grow like crazy. With light rail, maybe more density will be added and things will look up.

Winnipeg - a "has been" city
Quebec City - has real potential
Halifax - major potential...capital of Atlantic Canada and closest to Europe.
London - slow and steady pace, will continue to grow, but won't shine due to consistent lack of vision at city hall.
Woodstock - not well known, but there are plans for a second Toyota plant and the spinoff effect might make this city hit 100,000 one day sooner than you think.

[Aylmer]

How about Rossport?
Pop. 100.
I went ther with my family on our way to The West,
Beautiful but there was a major infrastructure issue because
our arrival increased the metro population by 5%...
It grew fast!

[Canadian Mind]

Isn't Churchill closest to Europe?

And holly fuck, your family has 20 people in it?

[Aylmer]

Let me edit that...

Churchill is VERY far away from Europe compared to anything east of Winnipeg...

[Canadian Mind]

You sure about that? I've got aviation charts that say otherwise, I'll see if I can find and image of one on google for ya.

[Aylmer]

You have fun!

It might be closer because you can fly over the north pole to get to Russia...

[Canadian Mind]

Using hat same principle, Churchill is closer to Europe than Halifax except for Ireland and Spain.

Guess the hole in my argument is naval navigation, which I don't have the time to look up. However, I have seen it cited in many news articles that Churchill is the closest port to Europe. The kicker is whether they go by as the crow flies or not.

[MolsonExport]

Churchill is cold as hell, and in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere. If it hits 10K in my lifetime, I will eat my shoes.

[Aylmer]

Litteraly?

I would!

[Cambridgite]

Kitchener Waterloo Cambridge Guelph is not really a city. It is four cities. The CMA for K/W is not 700,000 people. It is about 450,000.

I hear what you're saying. For the population, it depends on how you slice the pie. Since Guelph and Kitchener are listed under Statscan as separate CMAs (commuting interchange of less than 35%), there has to be another way to define the "golden triangle" region. Waterloo Region and Wellington County add up to about 700,000. In 2006, the Kitchener CMA was 451,000 and the Guelph CMA (just added) was 127,000. Neither of those figures include the large student population in both, by the way.

As for it being four cities, it's four cities by municipal boundaries. Cambridge has 3 "downtowns" so it's actually 6 cores that the golden triangle was built on. Gradually, urban sprawl has turned this into two distinct urban areas. 5 of those in the Kitchener CMA and Guelph as a monocentric urban form. This has a major role in explaining why the downtowns are all so small, but the area as a whole truly does act as a single entity and can described as a single city in function (just don't tell long-time locals that :rolleyes: ). Guelph is the only one that can really be thought of as separate, but even then, its ties to Waterloo Region are pretty strong.

The problem with K/W is that it is sprawlville with no real downtown. It's tallest buildings are about 12 stories high which is pathetic for a CMA of its size. Windsor, which is just over half the size, has a way better skyline.

While I agree with the overall judgement you're making, you exaggerate quite a bit when you say that our tallest buildings are 12 storeys. There are condominiums on Erb street in uptown Waterloo that are 23 storeys and the Sunlife Financial building is 18 storeys and about 80m. I'm not saying that's tall, but I am saying you're making it seem much worse than it really is.

I'd like you to show me a photo of the Windsor skyline. Somehow, I don't get the impression that it's "way" better.

This region really needs to ditch the regional government and become one city that has one true central downtown.

Amalgamation is debatable. From what I have heard, it hasn't done wonders for Toronto or Hamilton more efficient, so I don't blame people for being skeptical about its benefits here. I do think we need to start accepting the reality that we're one big city now, not our own little separate towns. Unfortunately, that won't happen until our long-time residents are...well, uh...dead. And unfortunately, civic leaders and developers like to market our area as having "big city amenities and small town charm", so it's hard to get out of that mindset.

Even after 30 years of amalgamation, many Cambridge residents refer to where they live by the original towns, even though they are COMPLETELY glued together with the most banal, Mississauga-style depressing suburbia. I doubt amalgamation will change the way people will think about the region and each little place will have its own identity. Nor will amalgamation make any difference in creating a "real" downtown. Intensification is happening in multiple core areas regardless.

Having said these things, this area will continue to grow like crazy. With light rail, maybe more density will be added and things will look up.

Things are already looking up. But we are starting out from rock bottom, so it's still a long way to go. LRT will definitely accelerate things and KW will be HOT when it does. :cool:

Woodstock - not well known, but there are plans for a second Toyota plant and the spinoff effect might make this city hit 100,000 one day sooner than you think.

100,000 JUST from Toyota and its spinoffs? I doubt it. Maybe 45,000-50,000, as it's current population is around 35,000 or so. Don't forget the automotive supplier networks already exist all around Southern Ontario. As far as small cities under 100,000 are concerned, I'd definitely keep my eye on Woodstock. I do think it will continue growing and the rate of growth will increase. It's centrally located within along the 401 corridor, near the 403 and has cheap land values, which makes it great from an industrial standpoint. It's within a 30 minute commute from both London and Waterloo Region. One of my profs commutes from there actually. As both Waterloo Region and London grow, it will likely be that "solution to the big city".