From time to time, the residents of a particular neighbourhood  will try to sum up their perspective on the history of their  corner of the world for anyone who wants to read or watch or listen. On November 10 this past year, it was the turn of the people of Woodroffe, via the pages of River, Road and Rail — Woodroffe Memories, launched with fanfare at the Carlingwood Mall by the Woodroffe North Community Association. It is co-authored by Katherine Day, Philip Goldring, Bob Grainger, Wayne Jackson and Peter Jenkins. Personal ...

By Francois Lapointe Invenire Books, 2011, softcover, 266 pages  “…’place’ is the dominant feature of civilization.”                  -John Ralston Saul “Across Canada, people are awakening to urbanism…..Let us commit to rebuild the ‘city by design’.”  -Larry Beasley This new book by urban planner Francois Lapointe is many things: it is a kind of journal of his professional experiences in urbanism; it is a kind of text book on getting cities and their governing structures right; it is a type of call-to-arms; it is most importantly a cogent, comprehensive volume outlining the fundamentals of a Canadian ‘urban agenda’ and why it must be a collaborative national imperative. Lapointe, currently Vice-President, Capital Planning, for the National Capital Commission, has a broad urbanism background in public and private sectors. His style is not “preach for on high”; it is personal yet professional.