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.
Authors
- Pages
- 454
- Published in
- Ottawa, CA
Table of Contents
- DAVID L.A. GORDON 1
- Town and Crown 1
- DAVID L.A. GORDON 1
- Town and Crown 1
- DAVID L.A. GORDON 1
- Town and Crown 1
- By David L.A. Gordon 3
- Table of Contents 7
- List of Figures 9
- Preface 13
- Prologue 15
- CHAPTER 1 19
- A Magnificent Site Pre-1826 19
- CHAPTER 2 49
- Building Bytown 1826-1832 49
- CHAPTER 3 69
- Imperial Outpost 1832-1857 69
- CHAPTER 4 87
- CHAPTER 5 105
- Lumbertown 1868-1900 105
- CHAPTER 6 133
- CHAPTER 7 151
- Crown Plans City Beautiful 151
- CHAPTER 8 175
- Roaring Twenties 1920-1930 175
- CHAPTER 9 193
- 1930-1944 193
- CHAPTER 10 209
- Post-War Plans 1945-1959 209
- CHAPTER 11 239
- Boom Town 1960-69 239
- CHAPTER 12 269
- Town vs. Crown 1970-1989 269
- CHAPTER 13 301
- From Red Tape to Blue Chips 1990-2011 301
- CHAPTER 14 333
- Town and Crown Lessons for the Future of Canadas Capital 333
- Epilogue 347
- Cast of Characters 349
- Bibliographic Essay 357
- Acknowledgements 365
- Endnotes 367
- INDEX 445
- Town a 455
- Town and Crown 455