Visions of a polycentric suburb : the evolution of car-centric design

The following thesis investigates emerging issues surrounding car-centric design know as urban sprawl and questions whether or not it is feasible and appropriate for cities to continue sprawling in a car-centric manner given changing conditions. Social, political, environmental and economical concerns have surfaced putting a damper on the once great "American Dream" raising concerns that car-centric design can prove detrimental to humanity. The roots of modernist design are discussed and the ideas behind modernists' intentions analyzed while juxtaposing modernist vision to the real outcomes of modernism. Modernist ideas are compared and contrasted to new and old theories that challenge the modernist ideals in order to propose a new direction for future urban development. The design project takes into account the importance of connection and network through infrastructure in a globalized world. Transit infrastructure (high speed rail, improved commuter rail, rapid transit and light rail) is proposed on a number of scales in the Southern Ontario region to act as a catalyst for responsible growth interconnecting future intensified polycentric suburban cities.