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Here in Toronto, talk of Manhattanization has accompanied the high-rises and construction cranes over the last dozen and more years. Everyone from Councillor Josh Matlow to former Toronto Star architecture critic Christopher Hume has weighed in on the catch-all portmanteau used to describe the city's vertical growth. While that term was the subject of a previous 'Explainer,' SkyriseCities also offers us a broader look at patterns of urban growth and the terms that accompany them. By now, we're familiar with Manhattanization and Brusselization, but how do we talk about sprawl? That's where Californication comes in (sorry David Duchovny fans, not that one). SkyriseCities' latest Explainer offers another look at an urban term:
Like Manhattanization and Brusselization, Californication is normally used as a pejorative term. A portmanteau of California and fornication, the term found favour among government officials and residents of several states in the Western US who used the neologism to decry and help prevent the purported phenomena of uncontrolled and haphazard development in California.
The term gained popularity in the 1970s, with multiple journalists and commentators adopting Californication to denote the "haphazard, mindless development of land that has already gobbled up most of Southern California," as Time Magazine's Sandra Burton put it. Some linked this development trend to an exodus of Californians who sought literal and figurative greener pastures in neighbouring states. The term itself extends beyond its urban planning undercurrent, referring also to the exportation of Californian culture as a commodity.
In the 1940s, author and Oregonian columnist Stewart Holbrook frequently rallied against development and unmitigated population growth and often referenced the James G. Blaine Society, an unofficial organization dedicated to protecting the state of Oregon from overpopulation. Acting as an outlet for like-minded individuals, the society aimed to discourage people from immigrating to Oregon. The organization humorously took its name from James G. Blaine, a United States senator from Maine who never visited Oregon. Come Visit Oregon, but don't stay, Don't Californicate Oregon, and See Oregon and then go home were just some of the society's popular slogans. In 1971, Governor Tom McCall echoed these sentiments, saying "Come visit us again and again. But for heaven's sake, don't come here to live." The message preceded a flurry of bumper stickers that adopted analogous catchphrases, all public displays of an increasingly brazen anti-Californication attitude.
Drawing parallels to current events, similar groups jokingly entertained ideas for a large fence, the exiling of non-native residents, and the institution of a $5,000 immigration fee. The term famously entered the vocabulary of Coloradans after a 1972 referendum saw voters reject a bond issue to fund the hosting of the 1976 Winter Olympics. Opposition to the bond was fierce, adopting a "Don't Californicate Colorado" rallying cry that encapsulated the finger-pointing directed at California. The urban growth problems in Oregon, Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico were frequently blamed on a California-style "mindless development" that permeated each state.
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From 2015 to 2017, UrbanToronto and its sister publication, SkyriseCities, ran an occasional series of articles under the heading Explainer. Each one took a concept from Urban Planning, Architecture, Construction, or other topics that often wind up in our publications, and presented an in depth look at it. It's time to revisit (and update where necessary) those articles for readers who are unfamiliar with them. While you may already know what some of these terms mean, others may be new to you. We are publishing or updating and republishing Explainer on a weekly basis. This article is an update to one originally published in 2017.
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Do you have other planning terms that you would like to see featured on Explainer? Share your comments and questions in the comments section below!
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