打印

作者

Jeremy Parsons;Richard Harris

来源

URBAN GEOGRAPHY,Vol.41,Issue2,P.247-267

语言

英文

关键字

Land development,developers,suburbs,Canada,mid-sized centers

作者单位

School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University , Hamilton, Canada

摘要

We know remarkably little about how suburbs are developed, especially in mid-sized urban centers. A wide-ranging literature review, historical and contemporary, indicates that developers are key, risk-taking agents, who seek compensation in high profit margins, and that they require local knowledge together with cooperation from local politicians with whom they develop close relations. Anecdotal evidence and plausible speculation suggest that their symbiosis is closest in suburban settings and smaller urban centers, where developers are more likely to be homegrown. A case study of the Meadowlands, a suburban project adjacent to Hamilton, Ontario, confirms these general and more geographically-specific expectations about developers and the development process. It draws on planning documents, newspaper accounts, legal decisions, and interviews with local land developers, politicians, and planners. By comparison with the United States, distinctive Canadian elements are tighter land use regulations and the supervisory role played by the province of Ontario. KEYWORDS: Land developmentdeveloperssuburbsCanadamid-sized centers Acknowledgments We would like to thank those who agreed to be interviewed for this research, as well as Walt Peace, John Weaver, and two anonymous referees for their comments on an earlier version. This work was supported in part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada through its Major Collaborative Research Initiative (MCRI) program. Disclosure statement No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. The disclosure statement as been inserted. Please correct if this is inaccurate. Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [MCRI].