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I don't think interest rates factor directly into CPI. Instead, they push up the cost to produce everything, which in turn pushes up CPI. Mortgage rates specifically push up rents as building owners pass on their higher financing costs. For owner occupied properties, CPI includes owner equivalent rent, which is the rental amount that would have to be paid in order to substitute a currently owned house as a rental property. Rising interest rates do create a positive feedback loop, which is why fiscal and monetary stimulus is playing with fire.
The early 90s was a very atypical time. Government spending dropped by more than 20% while the economy contracted. Canada was on an economic reform mission that was twice the size of when an average developing country gets an IMF package.
The lessons were very useful - debt doesn't matter until suddenly it does. Too bad they were forgotten so easily. Canada is poised to repeat the 90s and won't be bailed out by a US tech boom, falling interest rates or the Boomers being in their peak earning years.
Does U of C actually have any brutalist buildings?
The original portion of Mac Hall (which is the nicest example of brutalism but has unfortunately been mutilated by additions and renovations), education tower and block, science B, social science tower, science theaters, math sciences, the original portions of ENGG, the old university theater, and arguably a couple others. So there's a few lol.
Mackimmie Tower (formerly), Social Sciences Tower, Earth Sciences Tower, Mac Hall, Schulich Faculty of Engineering, Haskayne School of Business……..
It's still brutalism. Them being not pretty doesn't make them not brutalist, especially considering brutalism is essentially 99% hideous with only a handful of excellent examples (University Hall Lethbridge, Academic Quadrangle SFU, [to a lesser extent] former CBE headquarters, etc)
You bet - look at the similarity in design language between the photos below. Brutalism is all about material expression.
Okay, I'll admit that most of these are pseudo-Brutalist buildings (or Brutalism-inspired), but I'm putting my foot down when it comes to Haskayne. At least if you're talking about Scurfield Hall. That's definitely closer to 1980s PoMo than 1950s/60s brutalism.
Okay, last post on this topic... but the original Mackimmie block was a beautiful international style design before a very unfortunate recladding in the 70s.
