Suburbanization, affordable housing, mass transportation, loss of fertile lands -- these are modern problems, yet they are not new. Thomas Adams grappled with these same concerns nearly a century ago, when he wrote Rural Planning and Development, a comprehensive overview of planning issues at the time of the First World War.

Rediscovering Thomas Adams reintroduces a new generation to a text that quickly became a touchstone for planners and planning in Canada. Updated with commentaries by the country’s leading planners who hold up Adams’ text as a mirror to reflect upon contemporary planning issues, this richly illustrated book highlights Adams’ influence on the planning profession and the continued significance of his comprehensive and pragmatic vision for building better rural and urban communities.

First published in 1917, Rural Planning and Development continues to resonate as a broad vision for planning, one that moves beyond the demands of the moment to offer a long-term vision for a better future.