The Bottom-Up Revolution Craig Cassar: How To Take a Holistic Approach to City Building
Jul 3, 2025
Craig Cassar, a first-term City Councilor in Hamilton, Ontario, shares his journey from corporate leadership to municipal advocacy. He discusses Hamilton's challenges and triumphs in sustainable city building, emphasizing the synergy between urbanism and environmentalism. The conversation highlights the importance of grassroots engagement in urban planning, resisting expansion into farmland, and promoting human-centric designs. Cassar also advocates for initiatives like the Hamilton Butterfly Way Project, which intertwine nature with urban development for a healthier community.
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Community Wins Against Sprawl
- In 2021, local council opposed urban boundary expansion to protect prime farmland.
- Community engagement and vocal citizen involvement are crucial wins in the fight against sprawl.
Education Key to Transit Support
- Deeply rooted car culture resists active transportation investment.
- Educating residents on benefits of transit and placemaking is key to shifting support.
Implement Smart Urban Policies
- Remove parking minimums and allow diverse housing types along transit corridors.
- Invest in transit and update zoning to enable missing middle housing.
