Jacques Gréber’s Master Plan for the National Capital: An urban legacy being questioned today
Jacques Gréber, the French landscape architect and urban designer widely recognized for projects executed in North America, became the true architect of the towns of Ottawa and Hull when, in 1950, he produced his Plan for the National Capital. Until then, the industrial towns of Ottawa and Hull, located on opposite sides of the Ottawa River, had known only spontaneous and uncontrolled growth. As an instrument for beautifying the two cities and forging them into a single federal district, Gréber’s project generated considerable enthusiasm. It was not until the beginning of the 21st century, when a substantial amount of the plan had already been implemented and public authorities were looking for ways to adapt it to the future development of the National Capital, that controversy over the legacy left by Jacques Gréber really began to heat up. Our article provides both an overview of the achievements of this urban designer and an analysis of the criticism directed today at his urban legacy.