Reclaiming the Don: An Environmental History of Toronto's Don River Valley, Second Edition

Reclaiming the Don by Jennifer L. Bonnell explores the relationship between the Don River and Toronto's growth, revealing how it has been a source of raw materials, a sink for wastes, and a place of refuge for marginalized communities. The second edition includes a new foreword commenting on the book's relevance in the past decade.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 332 pages
Publication date: 08 October 2024
Publisher: University of Toronto Press

The Don River, a small river in a big city, is often overlooked when it comes to explaining Toronto's growth. However, Jennifer L. Bonnell's book, "Reclaiming the Don," unearths the missing story of the relationship between the river, valley, and city from the establishment of the town of York in the 1790s to the construction of the Don Valley Parkway in the 1960s. Bonnell demonstrates how mosquito-ridden lowlands, frequent floods, and over-burdened municipal waterways shaped the city's development, illuminating the impact of the valley as a physical and conceptual place on Toronto's growth.

Bonnell explains how the Don has served as a source of raw materials, a sink for wastes, and a place of refuge for people pushed to the edges of society for more than two centuries. She explores the interrelationship between urban residents and their natural environments, showing how successive generations of Toronto residents have imagined the Don as an opportunity, a refuge, and an eyesore.

The second edition of "Reclaiming the Don" contains a new foreword commenting on the life of the book and the river in the ten years since it was first published. Combining extensive research with in-depth analysis, the book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of Toronto.

Weight: 472g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781487560409
Edition number: 2 ed