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 Doctors beyond Borders by John Sewell
Cover of the book The Rebirth of Anthropological Theory by John Sewell
Cover of the book Encyclopedia of Ukraine by John Sewell
Cover of the book Geometry of the Passions by John Sewell
Cover of the book Watching YouTube by John Sewell
Cover of the book The Idea File of Harold Adams Innis by John Sewell
Cover of the book Studies in Siberian Ethnogenesis No. 2 by John Sewell
Cover of the book University College by John Sewell
Cover of the book Economic Thinking and Pollution Problems by John Sewell
Cover of the book On Crimes and Punishments and Other Writings by John Sewell
Cover of the book Denys Arcand's Le Declin de l'empire americain and Les Invasions barbares by John Sewell
Cover of the book The Future of the Page by John Sewell
Cover of the book Essays on German Literature by John Sewell
Cover of the book Secret Service by John Sewell
Cover of the book Diplomacy and its Discontents 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