Urban and Rural Land Use Study Guide

Rural vs. Urban Places and Livability

• Geographic Context: Means of transport are typically well-connected in densely populated urban areas, whereas rural countrysides require adapted mobility solutions.

• Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT):     * Definition: Shared transport services with flexible routes and frequency based on demand.     * Mobility Statistics (Travel without DRT):         * $34\%$ get a lift.         * $20\%$ walk.         * $12\%$ cycle.         * $10\%$ taxi ride.         * $10\%$ do not make the journey at all.         * $7\%$ utilize standard public transport.         * $5\%$ self-drive.

Models of Urban Land Use

• Concentric Zone Model (Model A): Organizes the city into rings extending from the center.     1. Central Business District (CBD).     2. Zone of transition.     3. Zone of independent workers' homes.     4. Zone of better residences.     5. Commuters' zone.

• Sector Model (Model B): Organizes land use in wedges or sectors radiating from the center.     1. Central Business District.     2. Wholesale and light manufacturing.     3. Low-rent residential.     4. Intermediate-rent residential.     5. High-rent residential.

• Multiple Nuclei Model (Model C): Suggests that cities have multiple centers (nuclei) rather than one single core.     1. Central Business District.     2. Wholesale and light manufacturing.     3. Low-class residential.     4. Middle-class residential.     5. High-class residential.     6. Heavy manufacturing.     7. Outlying business district.     8. Residential suburb.     9. Industrial suburb.     * Additional Components: Education and recreation, Transportation, and the Core.

Fundamentals of Land Use

• Definitions and Patterns:     * Land Use: The human use of land, involving the management and modification of the natural environment into built environments such as settlements.     * Rural Settlement: Settlement outside of cities and towns characterized by low population density and dispersed distribution.     * Urban Settlement: Settlement in cities and towns characterized by high population density and concentrated distribution.

Rural Settlement Patterns in Canada

• Factors Influencing Patterns:     * The resources found in the specific area.     * Transportation methods available at the time of original settlement.     * The role of government intervention and planning.

• Specific Examples:     * Long Lots of Southern Quebec:         * Settled before the development of railways.         * Primary transportation was by water.         * Land was divided into long, thin strips (long lots) along the St. Lawrence River to ensure all settlers had access to water for transport.     * Concession System of Southern Ontario:         * Based on major agricultural resources.         * Utilized roads and later railway transportation.         * Roads were established on a grid system.     * Section System of the Southern Prairies:         * Surveyed before settlement took place.         * Hierarchical Division:             * Land divided into blocks of $9.6\,km \times 9.6\,km$.             * Each block was divided into $36$ sections.             * Each section was further divided into $4$ lots called quarter sections.         * Initially, owners held one quarter section, but success eventually required acquiring more land.

Urban Settlement and Economic Base

• Origin of Cities: Following the Agricultural Revolution, food surpluses allowed for specialized jobs (e.g., milling grain). Specialists congregated in specific areas, forming cities where goods and services were traded for agricultural products.

• Determining Distance Between Cities:     1. Population Density: Low density leads to towns being further apart.     2. Transportation: If the main mode of transport is walking, towns must be closer together.

• Urban Services:     * Threshold Population: The minimum number of people required to support an urban service.     * Low Order Good/Service: Small threshold population (e.g., Post Office).     * Higher Order Good/Service: Large threshold population (e.g., University).

• Economic Foundation:     * Basic Industries: Industries that bring money into the city from outside.     * Non-Basic Industries: Industries that do not bring money into the city (recycle existing money).     * Multiplier Effect: States that for every one employee in a basic industry, $3$ additional jobs are created in other industries to support that person (a $1:3$ ratio, resulting in $4$ total jobs).

Urban Classification and Growth

• Types of Cities by Function:     * Industrial Cities: Sarnia.     * Transportation Hubs: Thunder Bay.     * Tourist Cities: Banff.     * Service Centres: Fredericton.     * Resource-based Communities: Flin Flon.

• Definitions of Urban Areas by Country:     * Canada: Population greater than $1000$.     * Italy: Population greater than $10000$.     * Japan: Population greater than $50000$.

• Urbanization vs. Urban Growth:     * Urbanization: The percentage of a country's total population living in urban areas.     * Urban Growth: The actual numerical increase in people living in a city compared to a previous time.     * Canadian Context: In $1867$, $82\%$ lived in rural areas. Today, almost $80\%$ of Canadians live in urban areas due to farming technology and job availability in manufacturing/services.

• Mega Cities:     * Definition: Cities with over $10$ million inhabitants.     * Growth: $28$ mega cities in $2014$ increased to $34$ in $2020$.     * Examples: Bangkok (Thailand), Jakarta (Indonesia), Paris (France), Los Angeles (USA), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Lagos (Nigeria), Manila (Philippines), Beijing (China).

Urban Land Use Categories

• Major Land Use Groups (Percentage of Canadian City Land):     1. Residential ($40\%$): Housing developments, apartments.     2. Transportation ($32\%$): Infrastructure including roads, railroads, and terminal facilities.     3. Institutional/Public ($10\%$): Schools, hospitals, government buildings, places of worship.     4. Open Space/Recreational ($7\%$): Parks, golf courses, lakes, conservation areas.     5. Industrial ($6\%$): Factories, warehousing, shipping plants.     6. Commercial ($5\%$): Grocery stores, malls, shops.

Detailed Land Use Analysis

• Residential Land Use:     * Density Factors:         * Cost of Land: Low land value (outskirts) results in single-family homes/low density. High land value (downtown) results in apartments/high density.         * Age of Neighborhood: Pre-WWII areas (1930s) are higher density (narrower, compact for walking). Post-WWII areas (1950s) are lower density (designed for cars with wide streets and garages).     * Density Classifications:         * Low Density: Detached houses, large lots, found in outskirts/rural areas.         * Medium Density: Semi-detached houses, small apartments ($4$ floors), found in suburban areas.         * High Density: Apartment buildings $5$ stories or more, found in expensive city cores.

• Transportation Land Use:     * Three Components:         1. Vehicles: Cars, buses, trains, bikes, subways.         2. Travel Paths: Expressways, arterials, collectors, local roads, rail lines.         3. Terminal Facilities: Parking lots, garages, airports, stations.

• Industrial Land Use:     * Shift from downtown (rail/ship access) to suburban business parks (truck/highway access) due to lower property taxes and logistics.     * Old factories are often converted to residential or commercial uses.

Land Use Dynamics and Bid Rent Theory

• Land Use Conflict: Occurs when adjacent land uses interfere with each other (noise, smell, traffic, pollution). Managed via Zoning Bylaws.

• Factors Affecting Patterns:     1. Land Value: Highest in the CBD.     2. Zoning: Controls type of development.     3. Technology: Reflects the era of development (e.g., parking requirements).     4. Climate: Influences design (e.g., underground malls/subways in winter cities).

• Bid Rent Theory:     * Definition: The value of land is influenced by its relationship to the market.     * Highest and Best Use: Land is allocated to the user willing to pay the most based on their specific needs.     * Priority of Access (Bidding Hierarchy):         1. Retail/Commercial: Needs maximum accessibility/core location; outbids others.         2. Industrial: Needs access to partners, materials, and labor.         3. High-Density Residential: Needs core access for necessities.         4. Medium-Density Residential: Acts as a transition zone.         5. Low-Density Residential: Located on outskirts; values large lots over access.

Urban Sprawl

• Definitions:     * Urban Sprawl: A blurring of lines between urban and rural areas; characterized by radial, uneven spreading.     * Suburbs: Residential areas outside the metro core connected by main roads.     * Exurbs: Residential areas outside the metro core NOT connected by main roads.

• Characteristics of Suburbia: Low population density, clusters of housing (subdivisions), office parks, big-box stores with large parking, and lack of walkability.

• Impacts:     * Environmental: Higher gas emissions from driving; loss of farmland.     * Urban Blight: A cycle where neighborhood decline leads to business exit, declining tax revenue, and service cuts, accelerating migration to suburbs and accentuating inequality.

Questions & Discussion

• Growth and Organization: Students are required to watch a video on growth and organization and list four new learnings.

• Future Residence: Where do you want to live at age 25 (Urban, Suburban, or Rural)? Provide a 3-sentence opinion on the discussion board.

• Land Use Controversy: Post thoughts on various land-use conflicts (e.g., gas stations next to housing, garbage dumps near schools).