08-06-2016, 02:02 PM
I think this is a great idea. The buildings downtown Kitchener (constructed and proposed) are decent for a city its size. And it's a wise idea to attempt to maintain some sense of direction and aesthetic in a rapidly growing city. Waterloo has built a plethora of ugly student towers that will not age well. I'm glad he spoke out about that, because nobody really has.
Kitchener itself may be slow to grow and much of it is old and in need of investment, but it has a distinct atmosphere in its core with the manufacturing history and the evidence of that everywhere (in buildings, preserved mechanical works, sculptures) alongside the modernisation. Whereas Waterloo seems to have no real direction. It's just growing and building to accommodate students. IMO Kitchener will ultimately remain the a more distinct part of the region in the coming decades.
Kitchener itself may be slow to grow and much of it is old and in need of investment, but it has a distinct atmosphere in its core with the manufacturing history and the evidence of that everywhere (in buildings, preserved mechanical works, sculptures) alongside the modernisation. Whereas Waterloo seems to have no real direction. It's just growing and building to accommodate students. IMO Kitchener will ultimately remain the a more distinct part of the region in the coming decades.