Shaping the Urban Landscape: Aspects of the Canadian City-Building Process

Toby Rupert was a librarian living in Toronto.

This collection of essays contains both freshly written and recently published articles, about half of each, though the latter have been rewritten or revised for inclusion here. These are studies in decision-making as it concerns such topics as banks, speculators, boosterism, subdividing, public transit, and so forth. Typical cities examined include Halifax, Guelph, Montreal, Quebec City, Hamilton, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Vancouver.

Both Artibise and Stelter are well known for their previous anthologies and bibliographies. In this case, while the paper and binding appear to be sturdy, an index or overall bibliography could have been useful. Still, this is a needed collection of material in support of urban history programs.