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.

David L.A. Gordon is professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning and Department of Geography and Planning at Queen’s University.

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