![]() Exclusive reliance on resource exports such as lumber and fur was reduced, giving way to a new emphasis on artisanal production for local or regional markets. There were few significant connections with other towns in the colonial Canada: their primary relationship was with Paris or London.Ī second phase began in the early 1800s, marked by increasing control by locally based commercial interests over development. Economically, they were collection points for colonial resources and distribution centres for manufactured goods from the mother country. Québec City, Montréal, Halifax and St John's tended to be administrative or military centres. The earliest European urbandevelopment was characterized by imperial (French and British) control over location, function and growth. These phases overlap: each one has not entirely taken the place of previously established patterns. The urbanization process has passed through five major phases and, in the 2000s, entered a sixth stage. Historyīecause of the initial role played by the royal courts of France and England, Canada became an urban nation relatively early in its history. They also contain most of the faster-growing municipalities. Six major urban agglomerations concentrated around Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Ottawa- Gatineau, Calgary and Edmonton receive the bulk of immigrants and investment. Vital choices need to be made about investment in health care facilities, infrastructure and amenities to serve an aging population. Population decline promises to become more of an urbanization issue in the future. These were located disproportionately in Eastern Canada and among centres of 5,000 or fewer inhabitants. The 2011 Census revealed that about 34 per cent of municipalities with 1,000 inhabitants or more (321 out of 951) have declining or static populations. ![]() This trend has accelerated recently as immigration has become the determining factor in comparative population growth. On the other side of the coin, some long-established centres have been losing population for substantial periods. More recently, they have been joined by Alberta. Ontario, Québec and British Columbia have long maintained proportions of urban population at or higher than the national average. ![]() Regional VariationsĪn important characteristic of Canadian urbanization is distinct regional variations reflecting the different economic bases of provinces and territories. It is more urbanized than the United States, Norway, France and Germany, but less so than countries such as Japan, Belgium, Australia, Israel, the United Kingdom and Argentina. Statistics Canada defines an urban area as community with 1,000 residents or more.Īccording to the 2014 United Nations report on global urbanization, Canada ranks 40th in the world. In 2011, 81 per cent of Canadians lived in an urban centre, compared to 45 per cent in 1911. ![]() ![]() The three largest cities are Toronto, Vancouver and Montréal. Over 80 per cent of Canadians live in urban centres. It arises from interacting economic, social, technological, demographic, political and environmental changes. Urbanization is a complex process in which a country's population centres tend to become larger, more specialized and more interdependent over time. Yonge Street subway construction, circa 1950s (courtesy City of Toronto Archives/Fonds 1128, Series 381, File 15, Item 6207-2). ![]()
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