Town and Crown: An Illustrated History of Canada's Capital

by David L. A. Gordon

Overview

Town and Crown is an illustrated history of the planning and development of Canada’s capital, filling a significant gap in our urban scholarship. It is the story of the transformation of the region from a subarctic wilderness portage to an attractive modern metropolis with a high quality of life. The book examines the period from 1800 to 2011 and is the first major study that covers both sides of the Ottawa River, addressing the settlement history of Aboriginal, French, and English peoples.

Ottawa’s transformation was a significant Canadian achievement of the new profession of urban planning in the mid-20th century. Our national capital has the country’s most complete history of community planning and served as a gateway for important international planning ideas and designers. Town and Crown illustrates the influence of landscape architect and Olmsted protégé Frederick Todd, Chicago’s City Beautiful architect Edward Bennett, and British planner Thomas Adams. Prime Minister Mackenzie King maintained a direct interest in planning Canada’s capital for almost fifty years, choosing France’s leading urbaniste, Jacques Gréber, to plan the post-1945 redevelopment of the region.

The principal research method for Town and Crown includes over sixteen years of archival studies in North America, Australia, and Europe, and interviews with key politicians, designers, and planners that supplemented the contemporary research. The narrative is supplemented by over 200 images drawn from early sketches, historical maps, plans, and archival photography to illustrate the physical transformation of Canada’s federal capital.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780776638874
Publisher:	Les Presses de l'Université d'Ottawa/University of Ottawa Press
Publication date:	08/10/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	454
File size:	3 MB
Language:	French

About the Author

David Gordon est professeur et directeur de l'école de planification urbaine et régionale (SURP) de l'université Queen's. Ses derniers ouvrages sont Planning Twentieth Century Capital Cities et Planning Canadian Communities (avec Gerald Hodge), qui ont remporté le Prix national de distinction 2014 de l'Institut canadien des urbanistes. Il a également enseigné à l'Université de Toronto, à McGill, à Ryerson, à Riga, en Australie occidentale, à Harvard et à l'Université de Pennsylvanie, où il a été boursier Fulbright. Avant de devenir professeur, David a été urbaniste professionnel pendant plus de 15 ans, en tant que directeur d'un cabinet de conception urbaine et chef de projet pour une agence du secteur riverain de Toronto. Gordon a été directeur du SURP de 2008 à 2018, coordonnateur de la faculté du National Executive Forum on Public Property pendant 15 ans et est un directeur fondateur du Council for Canadian Urbanism, dont il préside le comité de recherche. Il aime également célébrer les réalisations des anciens du SURP à travers le Canada et participer à la planification du réaménagement du campus de Queen's. Gordon est né à Ottawa, où sa famille vit depuis près d'un siècle.

David Gordon, FCIP is Professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning of the Department of Geography and Planning at Queen’s University. He was SURP Director from 2008-2018. Prior to returning to Queen’s, he practised in the public and private sector for 15 years. David is a founding Director of the Council for Canadian Urbanism, a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners and has shared their National Award of Distinction four times.
His books on planning history and urban redevelopment include Town and Crown: An Illustrated History of Canada’s Capital; Planning Twentieth Century Capital Cities; and Battery Park City: Politics and Planning on the New York Waterfront. David has taught community planning at other universities including McGill, Ryerson, Toronto, Latvia, Western Australia, Harvard, MIT and Pennsylvania, where he was a Fulbright Senior Scholar. He holds a DDes from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and an MPl and BSc from Queen’s.