| Creeping Conformity: How Canada Became Suburban, 1900-1960 Contributor(s): Harris, Richard (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0802035566 ISBN-13: 9780802035561 Publisher: University of Toronto Press OUR PRICE: $68.40 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: June 2004 Annotation: Creeping Conformity, the first history of suburbanization in Canada, provides a geographical perspective - both physical and social - on Canada's suburban past. Shaped by internal and external migration, decentralization of employment, and increased use of the streetcar and then the automobile, the rise of the suburb held great social promise, reflecting the aspirations of Canadian families for more domestic space and home ownership. After 1945 however, the suburbs became stereotyped as a generic, physically standardized, and socially conformist type of place. By 1960, they had grown further away - physically and culturally - from their respective parent cities, and brought unanticipated social and environmental consequences. Government intervention too played a key role, causing a change in perception and encouraging mortgage indebtedness, amortization, and building and subdivision regulations to become the suburban norm. Suburban homes became less affordable and more standardized, and, for the first time, Canadian commentators began to speak disdainfully of 'the suburbs, ' or simply 'suburbia.' Well researched, compellingly argued, and beautifully illustrated with maps and photos, Creeping Conformity traces how these perceptions emerged to reflect a new suburban reality. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Canada - Post-confederation (1867-) - Social Science | Sociology - General - Architecture | Urban & Land Use Planning |
| Dewey: 307.740 |
| LCCN: 2005270155 |
| Series: Themes in Canadian History |
| Physical Information: 0.84" H x 5.46" W x 8.78" (0.87 lbs) 160 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Canadian - Demographic Orientation - Urban |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Creeping Conformity, the first history of suburbanization in Canada, provides a geographical perspective - both physical and social - on Canada's suburban past. Shaped by internal and external migration, decentralization of employment, and increased use of the streetcar and then the automobile, the rise of the suburb held great social promise, reflecting the aspirations of Canadian families for more domestic space and home ownership. After 1945 however, the suburbs became stereotyped as generic, physically standardized, and socially conformist places. By 1960, they had grown further away - physically and culturally - from their respective parent cities, and brought unanticipated social and environmental consequences. Government intervention also played a key role, encouraging mortgage indebtedness, amortization, and building and subdivision regulations to become the suburban norm. Suburban homes became less affordable and more standardized, and for the first time, Canadian commentators began to speak disdainfully of 'the suburbs, ' or simply 'suburbia.' Creeping Conformity traces how these perceptions emerged to reflect a new suburban reality. |
Contributor Bio(s): Harris, Richard: - Richard Harris is a professor in the School of Geography and Earth Sciences at McMaster University. |