Unplanned Suburbs: Toronto's American Tragedy, 1900 to 1950 (Creating the North American Landscape)

Book info: Unplanned Suburbs: Toronto's American Tragedy, 1900 to 1950 (Creating the North American Landscape) (Hardcover, 376 pages) – The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. Language: English.

"This is an outstanding book... What Richard Harris has done is to add a completely new dimension to North American urban history... This is a great step forward for Canadian urban history, and indeed for American history as a whole." -- Anthony R. Sutcliffe, Cities

"The book is remarkable for its breadth, depth, and accuracy... Unplanned Suburbs stands out... impressively as an excellent historical research primer." -- APA Journal

"Harris tells a nearly forgotten story... If he is right about Toronto's suburban history being typical of North America, an entire chapter of it--the owner-built blue-collar suburb--has simply dropped out of memory." -- Planning

"This book demonstrates great commitment to the subject, impressive research skills, and engaging reporting... Get it and read it." -- Canadian Journal of Urban Research

"Harris's study... is based on first-rate scholarship and should make an impact among urban historians and geographers." -- Journal of Urban Design

"This very readable volume makes a significant contribution... that will be of interest to those in the fields of urban planning, housing, urban sociology, and urban history." -- Urban Studies

"A superb study of working-class suburbanization..." -- Journal of Social History

It is widely believed that only the growth of mass suburbs after World War II brought suburban living within reach of blue-collar workers, immigrants, and racial minorities. But in this original and intensive study of Toronto, Richard Harris shows that even prewar suburbs were socially and ethnically diverse, with a significant number of lower-income North American families making their homes on the urban fringe. In the United States and Canada, lack of planning set the stage for a uniquely North American tragedy. Unplanned Suburbs serves as a reminder of the dangers of unchecked suburban growth.