Quote:
Originally Posted by transplant99
This is from an article about the "peace" bridge but seems rather applicable on this topic as well.
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While I agree with Nenshi on a great many things, including these exact words, I don't agree with the position that the words were used to support.
Nenshi brings up the Milwaukee example saying that he saw the art museum without actually having gone to Milwaukee specifically to see it. Lo and behold, look at what he is bringing up, rather unprompted, 7 or 8 years later.
To round out this argument, I'll copy and paste from a post I made a few months ago in the Peace Bridge thread.
Quote:
Thing is, the tourism spin-off argument was never about that [getting a big influx of people who will come specifically to see the bridge]. Sure, there may be a handful of bridge architecture enthusiasts who may make a special trip just to check out the bridge, but that economic and social impact would be negligible.
It's about little spin-offs like the business traveler seeing it from his hotel room and deciding to walk down and have a look; the kid in the car seeing the uniquely-shaped red bridge while driving by and asking his mom if they can go see it sometime; the tourist passing through on their way to Banff and adding the bridge to their tour of the Calgary Tower and Glenbow Museum; the people in town for Stampede that make it part of their trip; the local Calgarians that make it part of their bike trip or photo op, etc.
Do people go to Toronto just for the CN Tower? Some may, but most make it part of their trip that includes the Hockey Hall of Fame, catching a live play, Blue Jays/Raptors game, Royal Ontario Museum, etc. Do people go to Chicago to visit Grant Park? Most wouldn't, but they may take a spin by there while there to check out the Sears Tower, a Lake Michigan ferry ride, Wrigley Field, and the Hancock Observatory.
The bridge isn't the reason to go to Calgary, but it's one more reason.
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To add, it should be said that being for or against funding for arts is generally an ideological gap that can't be closed. The impasse seen in this thread is a testament to this.