Urbanization

Urbanization in Canada 1867- 82% of Canadians lived in rural areas Today- 80% of the population lives in cities or towns Switch occurred in 1921

Rural vs Urban Urban Rural highways houses Transportation Infrastructure services

Urbanization Urbanization refers to the percentage of a country’s total population living in a urban area Urbanization has occurred as a result of new technology and the changes that took place in the economies of both rural and urban places.

Urbanization Urbanization occurred because of changes in the economy agricultural machinery was developed More jobs were created with the industrial revolution Rural residents moved into the towns Immigrants moved to cities

Urban Sprawl Definition “The outward expansion of urban centres to nearby undeveloped bordering areas”. Examples in Waterloo Region include: Activa, New Hamburg, Elmira, Ira Needles

Urban Renewal 4 types of city renewal

1. Renovation When an individual building is renovated or altered In process called ‘gentrification’, an older rundown house is gutted and completely rebuilt as a nice home. Example – an older home renovated into a bookstore or into smaller units/apartments

2. Redevelopment Where one type of building is torn down and another one is built in its place Common in older parts of a city when a building has become unsafe and the land is valuable (i.e. Mayfair hotel) Example – tearing down a warehouse and building a new high rise apartment building

3. Land Reclamation This involves renewing areas that have become so polluted that they’re not being used for anything. Mount Trashmore – McLennan Park

4. Diversifying This is when renewal is launched on a grand scale. Instead of watching a town get run down, a community will decide to diversify or develop new industries. By reducing its dependence on one industry, the community will likely thrive for a long time. Example – Elliott Lake in northern Ontario was a mining town, but now attracting retirees.

Classwork Define the following (page 260) Impacts of Urban Sprawl Rural Urban Fringe New urbanism Smart Growth Greenbelt Impacts of Urban Sprawl For the environment For people