Is Canada suburbanized?

Question

I know major cities like Toronto and Montreal have major suburbs but I noticed that even slightly smaller cities like Edmonton have pretty small metros, compared to US cities at least. To give you an idea of the difference, Edmonton's metro is about the same as my city's metro despite having a city population 500k people higher.

Answer 1

That really depends on transportation networks through the city and land values around the city.



Speaking of Edmonton, it actually has quite a bit of sprawl. Calgary has an enormous amount of sprawl. That's because land values around the city aren't extremely high yet, so developers can produce suburbs for relatively cheap (although they are getting really expensive). Plus alot of cities transportation networks is very car oriented, which is usually essential in suburban sprawl. So in cities like Edmonton and Calgary this can lead to smaller downtown cores and whatnot.



But compare that to the greater Vancouver area, or Montreal or Toronto, those cities have a more built up environment and huge downtowns becuase of population and limited ability to produce the sprawled out suburbs of Calgary or Edmonton. Vancouver, for example, it would be very hard to sprawl out too much because it's blocked in by rivers, mountains and other difficult geographies for construction.



This is comparable to US cities, but I've found that US cities usually have more sprawl. This is because of the Interstate Highway system and immense amounts of infrastructure for vehicles. Canada doesn't have nearly as much transport infrastructure, especially on a national networking scale. We only have one highway that goes from coast to coast... not nearly as many freeway type transportation systems. Notice in Canada too, usually the downtown cores are distanced from major freeway traffic (there are exceptions).. in the US most cities downtown cores have freeways running through or other major transport linkages.



So to directly answer yoru question, I would say, yes, CAnada is suburbanized, but not as much as the US is. Transportation routes are the main reason for this, but land values and city geography also play very important roles in this explanation. After studying this subject for some time it appears as though the US Interstate system is one of the biggest reasons for this disparity, as well as land use zoning in the US that isn't as stringent as Canadian zoning. This is becuase property rights in Canada ultimatley rest with the crown, whereas in the US it ultimatley rests with the individual. In both countries there is power at the government level to regulate or change land uses, but it's more difficult to do so in the US than Canada.



In the US, as well as Canada, there are many different city forms. Some cities, like Atlanta for example, are very sprawled out... others not nearly as much. My favourite city (in terms of planning, rejuvenation, and land use) is Portland, Oregon. They seem to balance car traffic with transit and pedestrian very well, and suburbanization isn't accelerated there becuase of the easy access to downtown and the desirability of remaining downtown.

Answer 2

In essence the effect you're seeing is because municipalities are structured differently in Canada and the US. In the US the central city is usually pretty small and surrounded by many suburban towns. In Canada the central city is geographically quite large. In the case of Edmonton, the City is geographically enormous, and contains the entire urban area of Edmonton, plus a significant amount of farmland on all sides. Basically, they've annexed enough land to allow for several decades of heavily planned future growth. The remaining "metro" area consists of surrounding rural counties and a few outlying, separate towns.



Toronto is unusual in having suburban growth run that far beyond city limits. This is because their provincial government doesn't generally allow annexation, and in fact the city limits are 250 year old county boundaries. Whether you're in the city or a suburban town means little though. They're lines on a map. Even the city of Toronto, the largest in the country is about 80% suburban style development, with the downtown core taking up a relatively small fraction of the city's total area. This model is generally considered a failure as Toronto is prone to regionalized squabbling and fragmented planning, making ongoing growth a problem.



We are a heavily suburbanized nation, though not as much as the US. Most of our recent growth is sprawlish, though significantly more compact than US sprawl. (it's well known the reaction of Americans coming into Canadian cities: they pay HOW much for a 30x90 foot lot?). We have a tradition of very strong central planning which means that cities rarely run away as much as American cities, but it's still definitely sprawl.



We also never abandoned our central cities to become ghettos. This is perhaps the single biggest difference in the structure of our cities. The downtowns and oldest suburbs right around downtown are extremely desireable and the most expensive and wealthiest parts of the city, while the ghettos relocate to the suburbs. (Jane and Finch is one of the most notorious intersections in the country for crime and is deep in the burbs). This is true of all our big cities.

Answer 3

Canadian cities differ from many US ones in that the downtown areas are vibrant, and expensive. From my experience, many US city downtowns are ghettos, or very run down, poor areas. Americans seem to all live in suburbs (unless you are poor). In Canada, the downtown cores are often where very rich people live, with the middle class living in the suburbs. The poor tend to congregate in various areas, often close to the industrial or commercial areas, which may, or may not, be close to downtown.



This is not universal; Vancouver's rich are away from downtonw for the most part, although the condo area just west of the core contains a lot of wealthy people. But, in Canada, people pay a premium (i.e., higher prices) to be close in to work, which is usually in the downtown cores.



Another difference is that Canada is far more urbanized than the US. Despite our vast spaces, a large majority of Canadians live in cities - at a far higher proportion than in the US.

Answer 4

Canada, suburb usually refers to a separate municipality, borough, or unincorporated area outside a town or city. U.S. colloquial usage sometimes shortens the term to 'burb, and "the Burbs" first appeared as a term for the suburbs of Chicago.. At mid-century Canadian suburbs became more and more standardized and exclusionary because the Canadian state decided to follow a organized model of growth.

Answer 5

Canada is a much younger country and the cities are also younger. That means they haven't had as long as US cities, to develop the suburban sprawl. Toronto and Montreal, for example, are in the 'older' part of Canada.

Answer 6

use your own judgement, you know the facts.