Urban Land Use CGC 1D – Chapter 21

Rationale: In order for an urban area to function effectively, all the needs of its citizens must be met. In order to do this, municipal governments divide the land up into six types of land uses.

6 Types of Urban Land Use Residential – 40% Transportation – 32% Institutional – 10% Open space – 7% Industrial – 6% Commercial – 5% (percentages based on a typical Canadian city). Clark, Bruce W. et al, Making Connections: Canada’s Geography. Second ed. Don Mills, ON: Pearson Education Canada Inc. 2006. p. 245.

Residential Land Use This is where people live. The type of housing in an area is based on residential density, defined by: Number of housing units in a hectare (unit of land) A hectare is about 100 x 100 metres (or roughly the size of two football fields)

Types of Residential Density Low Density Single-family homes, semi-detached homes, and duplexes Have less than 30 homes per hectare

Medium Density Town houses, low-rise apartments Have between 30 to 100 homes per hectare High Density High-rise apartments Have more than 100 units per hectare

Transportation Land Use Land that is used for moving people and goods from one place to another. Includes: sidewalks, roads, highways, subways, streetcars, railroad tracks, freight yards, airports, marinas and any other land that is used for transportation.

Institutional Land Use Land that is occupied by schools, hospitals, government offices, and places of worship.

Open Space Land Use Land that is now vacant, or left in a natural state (like a woodlot), or land that is for recreational use (parks, playgrounds, community centres)

Industrial Land Use Land that is used for industry Some examples: Factories, warehouses, power plants, or places of resource extraction (like mines).

Commercial Land Use Land that is set aside for commercial activities. This includes any land use that is used for buying, selling, or trading goods and services.

Christaller’s Central Place Theory This theory suggests that any good or service offered by a central place needs a minimum number of customers to stay in business Low-order goods & services (need only a small population to stay in business – milk & bread) Middle-order goods & services (larger population is needed – family doctors, hair salons, shoe stores) High-order goods & services (need a large population – specialized hospital, art gallery, designer clothing store)

Land Use Conflict Some types of land use do not suit other types of land use. This can cause land use conflict. Can you identify three examples of land use conflicts and explain why these land uses do not suit each other? Take a couple of minutes and write this down. Your teacher will ask some students to share answers.

Additional Understandings Read pages 247-264 in Making Connections Answer Questions #1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 15, 17 on pages 264-265.