Toronto Reference Library Blog

 
Did you know that 'most humans on the planet now live in cities and over the next few decades, another quarter to a third of the world will join them? This urban migration marks the most decisive social and cultural shift since the Enlightenment'.

“We will end the century as a wholly urban species,” notes Doug Saunders, "the consequences of which will affect everything from governance systems and financial markets to climate conditions and fuel resources."

Arrival cities, sometimes known as “slums, favelas, bustees, bidonvilles, ashwaiyyat, shantytowns, kampongs, urban villages, gecekondulars, and barrios of the developing world," are our immigrant neighborhoods, ethnic districts, banlieues difficiles, Chinatowns, Little Indias, Hispanic quarters and Thorncliffe Parks. They are created by people who want to find work, build a life, save and invest, and move on, making room for the next wave of immigrants.

Come January, the City Centre for Ecology will launch the online City Builder Book Club for 2015 featuring Doug Saunders' Arrival City : the Final Migration and Our Next World.

The idea is that an international audience will read the book and participate in weekly online discussions. Contributors might be well-known sociologists, planners, policy-makers or politicians or someone just interested in commenting. Take a look at the site; take out or download Arrival City, and join the discussion.

Look for our weekly listing of relevant books, magazines and multimedia materials to complement each chapter. Most things can be found in the Humanities & Social Sciences Department, 2nd floor, Toronto Reference Library. Many titles can be found or sent to your local branch.

 
Did you know that 'most humans on the planet now live in cities and over the next few decades, another quarter to a third of the world will join them? This urban migration marks the most decisive social and cultural shift since the Enlightenment'.

“We will end the century as a wholly urban species,” notes Doug Saunders, "the consequences of which will affect everything from governance systems and financial markets to climate conditions and fuel resources."

Arrival cities, sometimes known as “slums, favelas, bustees, bidonvilles, ashwaiyyat, shantytowns, kampongs, urban villages, gecekondulars, and barrios of the developing world," are our immigrant neighborhoods, ethnic districts, banlieues difficiles, Chinatowns, Little Indias, Hispanic quarters and Thorncliffe Parks. They are created by people who want to find work, build a life, save and invest, and move on, making room for the next wave of immigrants.

Come January, the City Centre for Ecology will launch the online City Builder Book Club for 2015 featuring Doug Saunders' Arrival City : the Final Migration and Our Next World.

The idea is that an international audience will read the book and participate in weekly online discussions. Contributors might be well-known sociologists, planners, policy-makers or politicians or someone just interested in commenting. Take a look at the site; take out or download Arrival City, and join the discussion.

Look for our weekly listing of relevant books, magazines and multimedia materials to complement each chapter. Most things can be found in the Humanities & Social Sciences Department, 2nd floor, Toronto Reference Library. Many titles can be found or sent to your local branch.