The City: A community in Co-operation Chapter 13

Site Characteristics After agriculture developed and sites became permanent, site characteristics became more important. Site characteristics include – water supply: river and coastal sites, hydroelectric power Winnipeg, Halifax, Niagara Falls – fertile soil – mineral reserves (Sudbury, Ontario >nickel mining) – flat land (towns in the Annapolis Valley area) – moderate climate.

Resource Sites Over the centuries as humans began to manipulate the land, they began to acquire resources. Lumber towns, fishing villages, and mining towns were created. Rivers can provide hydroelectric power Even natural beauty sites have developed

Head of Navigation Sites These locations occur in areas where people have to change transportation types to overcome a physical barrier. Port cities have to overcome the ocean or lake as a body of water obstacle. Montreal, Vancouver

Situation characteristics Situation is the location of a city in relation to other cities. Situation gained importance as inter trading began between settlements – New settlements would form close to existing ones so they would be able to trade goods.

Situation Sites Proximity to borders (international, provincial). Border towns have been created to take advantage of traffic that passes through borders (Mexico/USA border towns) There is usually an increase of trade in these areas from the people on either side of the town. Many people also seek accommodations before entering another country.

Situation Sites Distance from Borders – Capital cities were often located in the interior of territories. This is mainly a defensive tactic. Ottawa was selected over Toronto or Kingston because it was located further from the U.S.

Proximity to serviced Communities – Communities were sometimes created in areas that would be close to many other cities and would service those cities. Such as grain-elevator towns on the Prairies

Site and Situation Modification When a community is formed and does not have all the desired requirements, settlers may still stay and try to make modifications They may create irrigation systems or canals if there is a water shortage. Today modification is much easier due to technological innovations

Acadians: Site modification Acadians were one of the only successful farming groups in Nova Scotia. They achieved farming by creating dykes called aboiteaus This allowed them to reclaim ha of farmland.

Situation Modification Situation Modification is usually much harder to accomplish. Remember, situation is your site in relation to other sites. Most situation modifications involve upgrades to transportation which allows for more trade.

For example, the Canso Causeway connected the towns of Cape Breton to major markets throughout Canada. The Rideau Canal in Ottawa connected the city to the U.S across the Great Lakes

Functions of Communities Communities usually fulfill at least one of three functions: – Central-place function – Break of Bulk Point – Specialized function Can they serve two, or more?

Central Place Communities Some communities provide goods and services to people located in an area beyond the community itself. The larger the community, the more goods and services are provided.

Central Place Communities In most countries, the number of central places is on the decline. With the trend of urbanization, many people are vacating smaller communities. This can be for many reasons such as employment

Break of Bulk Communities Break of Bulk communities are those places that act as transshipment centres These usually occur at head of navigation sites Cargo is transferred from one transportation method to another

Specialized Communities A community that has an unusually large percentage of its labour force employed in one type of work or by one organization. For example, Stora in Port Hawkesbury Fishing communities in Newfoundland

Stages of City Growth Few urban cities are the same size The smallest is the hamlets Village, town, city, metropolis, conurbation/megalopolis The world’s largest megalopolis is located on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. (40 million people) – Boston, NY, Washington, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and all the smaller nearby cities