Cities to Come: Clarence Stein’s Postwar Regionalism

Abstract

Clarence Stein refined the Radburn Idea as a hierarchical regional model characterized by interlocking groups, neighborhoods, districts, and towns, each with unique functions based on local context. Three significant efforts exemplify his postwar career: an unfinished manuscript that defined the Regional City; his ongoing advocacy of the Regional City as a programmatic and policy response, particularly at the federal level, to development challenges and opportunities; and his only major postwar commission, Kitimat, a new town that offered him a final opportunity to implement his vision. Analyzing archival material, this study addresses Stein’s formulation, advocacy, and implementation of the Regional City and highlights his lesser-known contributions to postwar regionalism.