The Post-war Revival of Canadian Planning: Assessing the Impact of the Community Planning Association of Canada

J Plan Hist. 2024 May;23(2):110-125. doi: 10.1177/15385132231222853. Epub 2024 Jan 22.

Abstract

The Community Planning Association of Canada (CPAC) advocated for the re-establishment of planning in post-war Canada. During this period, the federal government set reconstruction objectives, and both Central (now Canada) Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the CPAC were formed. We believe that 1944-1947 was a critical juncture establishing planned suburban development in Canada as a path-dependent process with tremendous momentum into the 21st-century. Using a historical-institutional approach, the role of CMHC and the influence of the CPAC is examined. Analysis relying on extensive archival material demonstrates that the CPAC gave a tremendous push along the path-dependent process of suburbanization.

Keywords: Canada; community planning; post-war reconstruction; suburbs.