The Shape of the City

Toronto Struggles with Modern Planning

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, City Planning & Urban Development
Cover of the book The Shape of the City by John Sewell, University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Sewell ISBN: 9781442659308
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division Publication: December 15, 1993
Imprint: Language: English
Author: John Sewell
ISBN: 9781442659308
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
Publication: December 15, 1993
Imprint:
Language: English

Critics have long voiced concerns about the wisdom of living in cities and the effects of city life on physical and mental health. For a century, planners have tried to meet these issues. John Sewell traces changes in urban planning, from the pre-Depression garden cities to postwar modernism and a revival of interest in the streetscape grid.

In this far-ranging review, Sewell recounts the arrival of modern city planning with its emphasis on lower densities, limited access streets, segregated uses, and considerable green space. He makes Toronto a case history, with its pioneering suburban development in Don Mills and its other planned communities, including Regent Park, St Jamestown, Thorncrest Village, and Bramalea.

The heyday of the modern planning movement was in the 1940s to the 1960s, and the Don Mills concept was repeated in spirit and in style across Canada. Eventually, strong public reaction brought modern planning almost to a halt within the city of Toronto. The battles centred on saving the Old City Hall and stopping the Spadina Expressway. Sewell concludes that although the modernist approach remains ascendant in the suburbs, the City of Toronto has begun to replace it with alternatives that work.

This is a reflective but vigorous statement by a committed urban reformer. Few Canadians are better suited to point the way towards city planning for the future.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Critics have long voiced concerns about the wisdom of living in cities and the effects of city life on physical and mental health. For a century, planners have tried to meet these issues. John Sewell traces changes in urban planning, from the pre-Depression garden cities to postwar modernism and a revival of interest in the streetscape grid.

In this far-ranging review, Sewell recounts the arrival of modern city planning with its emphasis on lower densities, limited access streets, segregated uses, and considerable green space. He makes Toronto a case history, with its pioneering suburban development in Don Mills and its other planned communities, including Regent Park, St Jamestown, Thorncrest Village, and Bramalea.

The heyday of the modern planning movement was in the 1940s to the 1960s, and the Don Mills concept was repeated in spirit and in style across Canada. Eventually, strong public reaction brought modern planning almost to a halt within the city of Toronto. The battles centred on saving the Old City Hall and stopping the Spadina Expressway. Sewell concludes that although the modernist approach remains ascendant in the suburbs, the City of Toronto has begun to replace it with alternatives that work.

This is a reflective but vigorous statement by a committed urban reformer. Few Canadians are better suited to point the way towards city planning for the future.

More books from University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division

Cover of the book José Bergamín by John Sewell
Cover of the book Studies in the Eighteenth Century II by John Sewell
Cover of the book French 'Ecocritique' by John Sewell
Cover of the book New Readings in the Vercelli Book by John Sewell
Cover of the book From Adam Smith to Maynard Keynes by John Sewell
Cover of the book Canadians and Foreign Policy by John Sewell
Cover of the book Associations and Law by John Sewell
Cover of the book University College by John Sewell
Cover of the book Japan as a 'Normal Country'? by John Sewell
Cover of the book Textual Masculinity and the Exchange of Women in Renaissance Venice by John Sewell
Cover of the book Canada and the Far East, 1940-1953 by John Sewell
Cover of the book The Fate of Labour Socialism by John Sewell
Cover of the book Revitalizing Liberal Values in a Globalizing World by John Sewell
Cover of the book Rotman on Design by John Sewell
Cover of the book Adult Education and Health by John Sewell
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy