Cities as Crucibles: Reflections on Canada’s Urban Future

This book reflects the experience of one of Canada’s most experienced urbanists. The vast majority of Canadians live in cities, and this trend will accelerate. Yet, discussion of urban requirements, policy and agendas barely registers for many citizens.

In this important book, François Lapointe, a practicing urbanist, provides a distinctive analysis of urban reality and an imaginative and thought-provoking vision of a sustainable, healthy, and resilient urban future.

He asks essential questions: What do we see in Cities? What does it tell us? What do we need to do about it? Cities as crucibles is a challenging read on governance and urbanism.

François Lapointe is conducting research on the governance of capital cities, particularly the governance of Canada’s Capital, previously in association with the Centre on Governance of the University of Ottawa, but now as an independent researcher. He was Vice President, Capital Planning at the National Capital Commission in Ottawa until 2013 and, before that, Lapointe worked in senior planning positions for the City of Ottawa and in the Saint-Jérôme area. Over the course of five decades, he made significant contributions to the planning profession at local, regional, and national levels through strategic planning and management, urban governance, environmental planning, and communications skills. In 2003 he was the recipient of the Hans Blumenfeld Award and named Membre émérite by the Ordre des urbanistes du Québec, in recognition of his contribution to urbanism in the province of Quebec.