Humphrey Carver

Carver, Humphrey Stephen Mumford

Humphrey Stephen Mumford Carver, architect, community planner, urban philosopher, author (b at Birmingham, Eng 29 Nov 1902; d at Ottawa 19 Oct 1995). Educated in England, he became known as a strong advocate of a public-housing policy soon after his arrival in Canada in 1930. He practised landscape architecture with Carl Borgstrum (1931-37), taught at University of Toronto's School of Architecture (1938-41) and Social Work (1946-48), and pioneered the Regent Park North public-housing project. He was active in the LEAGUE FOR SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTION, outlining in the 1930s the social policy basis for a national housing program.

He organized the landmark 1939 Housing Conference and was at the centre of virtually all institutional developments in community planning and housing in Canada after 1940. He chaired the Research Committee of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (1948-55) and its Advisory Group (1955-67).

In his book Cities in the Suburbs (1962), Carver advocated that the planning of suburbs be integrated with the wider social community. Under Carver's leadership of the CMHC Advisory Group, Canada's research and programs in housing policy, housing design and community planning attained an international reputation for innovation and progressive development standards.