Urban and Rural Landscapes CGC1D Wed. Mar. 26, 2014

Rural Population Patterns There are 3 main types of rural population patterns: Concentrated Occur where natural resources are present i.e., gold mine Dispersed Occur in agricultural areas Farms spread out over an area Linear A line that stretches out over the landscape Occur along rivers, railroads, highways, coastlines

Urban and Rural Interactions There has been significant movement of people in Canada between urban and rural areas over time. People in rural areas live in a hamlet, village, or town. People in urban areas live in a suburb, city, or metropolis. These different types of places to live are known as the urban hierarchy (each one is a larger settlement going up the line than the one before it).

hamlet village town suburb city metropolis Urban Hierarchy hamlet village town suburb city metropolis <100 people - - - - - > 1 million people Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) = City with more than 100 000 people - There are 33 CMAs in Canada. Can you list the top 10?

Canada’s Top 10 CMAs CITY PROVINCE POPULATION Toronto (Mississauga) Ontario 5,583,064 Montreal (Laval) Quebec 3,824,221 Vancouver (Surrey) British Columbia 2,313,328 Ottawa - Gatineau Ontario/Quebec 1,236,324 Calgary Alberta 1,214,839 Edmonton 1,159,869 Quebec (Lévis) 765,706 Winnipeg Manitoba 730,018 Hamilton (Burlington) 721,053 Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo 477,160 London 474,786

Urbanization Urbanization is the movement of people UP the urban hierarchy. This has been the main migration pattern of Canadians since the creation of our country.

Urbanization Why did people leave the countryside to live in the big cities? reduced need for farm labour due to farm modernization (e.g. tractors) improvements in mobility (better transportation systems reduces need for local stores) consolidation of goods & services (most things one needs has relocated to urban areas)

Counter-Urbanization Counter-urbanization is the movement of people DOWN the urban hierarchy (metropolis→ hamlet). While our cities are still getting larger, some people are choosing to move away from cities. In general, there are now three categories of people living in rural areas. Newcomers - retain ties to urban core, younger, well educated, well off, managers/professionals Homecomers - young families returning to provide rural upbringing to children Ruralites – have never lived in an urban core

Counter-Urbanization Why are people leaving the cities to live in smaller towns and villages? health issues, security, “community” “back to nature” movement (desire to live in the country) increase in telecommuting (less need to be at an office) cheaper land and house prices

Where would you like to Live? Why?