A plan is almost in place for approximately 700 alleyways throughout the City of Hamilton.
After several years of study, city staff say they expect to report back to councillors by early fall with an asset management strategy that includes current conditions and functions. This strategy will provide guidance in deciding whether preserving an alley is in the public interest.
Hamilton’s massive network of alleyways, most of it in the lower city, ranges from those used by pedestrians and connect entire neighbourhoods to those that are “unassumed” and not maintained by the municipality.
Their future role has generated discussion for a range of reasons in recent years, including their potential as affordable housing locations and accessible public green spaces, but also because they can be a magnet for crime, ranging from illegal dumping to drug use.
Several residents appeared before Hamilton’s public works committee on Monday morning to outline the benefits of preserving and maintaining alleyways and to call for a consistent process that governs any that are closed and sold.
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Brenda Duke represents Beautiful Alleys, a volunteer group that cleans up trash and needles in the pathways and has also taken to brightening them up through the addition of gardens and colourful art in recent years.
Duke urges the city to see the alleys as a “network of safe access” with the potential to build neighbourhoods, and as places where kids can ride their bikes without being on the street.
Beatrice Ekoko of Environment Hamilton agrees, describing the alleys as “green gold” with endless potential as public green spaces.
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