Urban and Rural Settlements

What Am I? Rural or Urban?

What Am I? Rural or Urban?

Definition: Rural

Settlement of areas outside cities and towns where population density is low. Economic activities are farming, mining, forestry…

List some rural regions/places in Canada

Prairies, Arctic, Canadian Shield

Flamborough Niagara on the Lake Northern BC, Woodstock Burlington – north of

Hwy 5

Definition: Urban

Settlement of areas inside towns and cities greater than 1000. Population density is high. Economic activities are manufacturing, banking, government services, retail…

What are the 4 largest cities in Canada?

4 Ottawa-Gatineau – 1 million3 Vancouver - 1.8 million2 Montreal - 3.3 million1 Toronto - 4.4 million

What Am I? Rural or Urban?

URBAN RURAL

SUBURBAN

FRINGE

What Am I? Rural or Urban?

Sub Urban Areas that are mostly urban but have some rural characteristics (ex. Burlington).

Fringe Areas that are mostly rural but have some urban characteristics.

What Am I? Rural or Urban?

Urban = city + high population

Rural = towns + low population

Positives/Negatives of Urban living

Positives– Jobs– Entertainment– Services– Access

Negatives– Crime– Poverty– Crowded– Pollution– Traffic– Expensive

Positives + Negatives of Rural living

Positives– Clean air– Nature– Low rent– Grow own food

Negatives– Isolation– Low wages– Hard work– Lack of services

Urbanization

The process from which an area changes from being rural to urban

Urban and Rural Interactions

There has been significant movement of people in Canada between urban and rural areas over time.

In most cases, 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).

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.

Urban Hierarchy

hamlet village town suburb city metropolis

RURAL URBAN

What areas in Burlington are experiencing this:

Orchard Millcroft Tansley woods Appleby line area North of Dundas

Canada's Urbanization over time

0

20

40

60

80

100

1867 1931 1975 2005

urban

rural

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.

Why do you think people are choosing to move away from cities?

Urban Hierarchy

hamlet village town suburb city metropolis

RURAL URBAN

Counter-Urbanization

Why are people leaving the cities to live in smaller towns and villages?

Counter - Urbanization

NetMigration

Rate

City Size

– 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

Trend- Increasing Urbanization

In 2005 80% of Canadians live in urban areas.

20% live in rural areas. In the future more will come to live in the

cities meaning cities will become larger, taking up more space.

Reasons for growing Urbanization

Jobs, opportunity. Services. School/Universities. Higher Standard of living. Mechanization of

agriculture (Machines are taking the jobs Humans use to do).

Problems/ Issues of Urbanization

Loss of rural areas means loss of…– Farmland– Nature/beauty– Heritage/way of life– Recreation– And more environmental

damage/pollutionmore cars, roads, factories, less trees…

More cars = more pollution

Climate Change due to green house gasses

Urban Sprawl

Low density developments surrounding a city taking up much farmland and open space. Relies heavily on automobiles

YOUR OPINION:

Suppose you are a doctor in Canada who has just graduated. Would you move to a

rural area to practise medicine?

Explain your answer.