This year, the annual meeting of the Canadian Historical Association is in Ottawa, and I’m excited to be presenting my research on the Eaton Centre for the first time. The Centre was one of the most ambitious–and controversial–urban development projects in Canadian history. First dreamt up as an urban renewal project by city planners in the 1950s, it was eventually completed in the late 1970s. My presentation will try to use a few key moments in the project’s history to shed light on the changing relationships between local government, citizens, and private developers in Toronto. I’m delighted to have been asked to join this urban history panel, and look forward to an interesting discussion!
Remaking and Reimagining the City
Harold Bérubé (Université de Sherbrooke): A different kind of urban redevelopment: The case of Montréal’s “Golden Square Mile” (1945-1980)
Daniel Horner (Ryerson University): Re-thinking the city: Migration, urban space and liberal governance in Montréal during the middle decades of the nineteenth century
Don Nerbas (Cape Breton University): Place Ville Marie and the making of modern Montréal
Daniel Ross (York University): Planning for progress, planning for people: The Eaton Centre and the development debate in Toronto
Commentator: Michèle Dagenais