The disappearing grid: how the Canadian government changed suburban community design, 1944-69

Abstract

ABSTRACT Canada became a suburban nation after WWII, but how the design of its suburbs evolved from grids to neighbourhood units of curvilinear streets is little known. During the post-war period, the federal government shaped suburban neighbourhoods by promoting community planning and new design standards, acting through the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The archival record demonstrates that the Canadian government influenced suburban design in wartime housing, veterans’ housing and military communities, developing hundreds of neighbourhoods and several new towns. CMHC also partnered with other federal and provincial agencies and encouraged private builders to adopt the government’s preferred design principles.