Urbanization of Canada and the World

1. Urbanization of Canada and the World Canadian Geography 120 Mr. D

2. What is an Urban area? • Statistics Canada defines an urban area as a place with 1000 or more people and a population density of 400 or more per square kilometre

3. What attracts people to cities? • Jobs • Stores • Schools • Universities • sports facilities • Relatives • Friends • world important events

4. Sports and Urbanization • Many people learn about certain cities because of sports teams (ex. Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Blue Jays) • The Olympic Games have been held every four years except when a world war has intervened. They are always associated with a host city.

5. Wealth and Urbanization • The world’s wealth is concentrated in cities – banks, stock exchanges, insurance companies – Most financial companies are headquartered in great cities (New York, Tokyo, London, Toronto)

6. History of Urban Growth • The first cities appeared in the Tigris-Euphrates river basin (Mesopotamia) – now a part of Iraq – between 4000 and 3000 B.C. • Development in trade, industry, art, science, and culture to influenced other cities growth. Some cities (Babylon, Rome, Constantinople) grew to be mighty empires • European cities disappeared after the fall of the Roman Empire and many people lived in the country sides • The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century brought explosive growth in the urban population of Europe

7. History of Urban Growth (continued) • The Industrial Revolution improved energy sources and developed new manufacturing technologies (waterwheels, windmills, steam engines – electricity provided power for great factories) • Urban areas began to dominate every nation’s economy and culture

8. Urbanization in Canada • Until the 1700s there were no large urban settlements in Canada. • In the 1800s there was some growth around sites where power was available (Montreal, TroisRivieres), fur trade centres (Winnipeg, Edmonton, Thunder Bay), defence sites (Halifax, Vancouver), and places where minerals could be found (Sudbury). • In 1871 only 19% of Canadians were in the cities. By 1930 it was 50%. By 1976 76% of Canadians lived in the city. Since then the percentage has stayed about the same

9. CMAs • CMA – censusmetropolitan area (ultra large urban centre) • A significant trend in Canada is the increasing dominance in national life of a few CMAs • CMA is any place that: • has a large urbanized core • is surrounded by urban or rural areas that are closely integrated (socially or economically) with the core • must have a population of at least 100 000 • Today there are 25 CMAs in Canada

10. Distribution of Canadian Population in CMAs • The western CMAs are growing most quickly (Edmonton and Calgary in particular) • CMAs especially dominate in Ontario • Half of Canada’s population lives in the country’s 20 largest urban areas; near Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver • Urban centres are very important to Canada, but only two rank in the world’s top 100 in terms of population: Toronto (61st) and Montreal (66th)

11. Questions • Why do you think some people would prefer to live in a small town rather than a large metropolitan area? • Do you expect to live in a city after you complete your education? Explain why or why not. • List at least five Canadian towns and cities, noting their most famous professional or amateur sports teams. Compare your list with those of your classmates. • List the Canadian CMAs that you and your classmates have visited or lived in during the past two years. Note two positive and negative aspects of each CMA that has been visited