CGC1P - Livable Communities
How Can We Continue to Grow and Develop Sustainably?
Minds-On!
Why is it important to learn about and understand how people settle and live in Mississauga? Ontario? Canada? Around the world?
What does sustainability mean?
How do we use our land?
Where It All Began...
What Factors Affect Livability?
Society (People)
- How are people's lives affected?
- How are cultures affected?
- Do some people benefit at the expense of others?
Environment (Planet)
- How are plants and animals affected?
- How are air, water, and soil affected?
- What is the long-term impact on the environment?
Economy (Profit)
- How are local, national, and international economies affected?
- Are meaningful job opportunities provided?
- Is there a long-term economic gain for people and communities?
Let's Review!
Recall which factors contribute to where people choose to settle. Provide examples.
Types of Settlements
Clustered Settlement
- Clustered population patterns form when many people settle together in a relatively small area.
- This may happen where there is a favourable climate, rich natural resources, and major transportation routes.
- These situation advantages draw people and industry. There are 27 census metropolitan areas in Canada, from Victoria, British Columbia, to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Metropolitan Toronto is the largest, with 5 406 300 people (2006).
Linear Settlement
- Occurs where natural and human-made routes cause settlement to be arranged in a line.
- Rivers such as the St. Lawrence in Canada and the Nile in Egypt have communities along their banks.
- These settlements probably developed when the rivers were the main transportation routes.
- When railways were built across the Canadian West, stations were built at intervals along the lines. Communities developed at most of these places because the trains stopped there for passengers and grain shipments.
Scattered Settlement
- Settlement that is scattered about in the more isolated parts of Canada has occurred for two main reasons; resources and the need for services.
Resource-Based Settlement
- Only a few resource-based settlements are scattered throughout the eco-zones of northern Canada. In southern Canada, there are a number of eco-zones in which the presence of resources has been the cause of isolated rural settlement
Service-Based Settlement
- Service-based settlements in isolated areas are scattered along major roads that are usually lightly populated. (Usually own gas stations, souvenir shops, motels, and small restaurants that cater to travelers on busy highways.)
Types of Settlements Discussion Questions:
- Suggest 2 reasons why the Hudson Bay Lowlands have a scattered population.
- Suggest 2 reasons why Southeastern Ontario has a clustered population.
- Suggest 2 reasons why parts of the Atlantic Maritime have a linear population.
- Which type of settlement pattern does your community have: scattered, clustered, or linear? Using a map, suggest three reasons why this type of pattern is found in your area. Find a region in another country that has a similar pattern. Why are the patterns similar?
Basic and Non-Basic Industries
Ex. Manufacturing something in your hometown, then selling it somewhere else
Non-Basic: Not all business activities bring money into the community. Selling goods or services to people within the local community. Recycling existing money in the local economy.
Ex. Getting your hair cut at a local barber
Urban Places:
Manufacturing Cities
Mass production = Lots of jobs
Examples:
Sarnia, Ontario - petrochemical
Hamilton, Ontario - steel
Transportation Hubs
Examples:
Winnipeg - railway
Vancouver & Halifax - port cities for water, train, and trucks
Thunder Bay - port city for shipping trade
Tourist Cities
Examples:
Banff, Alberta - Rocky Mountains
Collingwood, Ontario - Blue Mountain
Government Centres
Examples:
Fredericton, New Brunswick - capital city; otherwise, not much else
Resource-Based Community
Examples:
Flin Flon, Manitoba - copeer-zinc deposits
Sudbury, Ontario - nickel deposits
Francois, Newfoundland - fishing
Diversified Urban Centre
Examples:
Toronto, Ontario
Montreal, Quebec
The Geenbelt - Why Is It Important to Protect It?
Ontario's Greenbelt
- The GTA is Canada's largest urban centre.
- In the next 30 years, the GTA's population is expected to increase from 8 to 11 million people.
- These people, and the surrounding communities, need clean water, air, and a secure food supply.
- The areas around Toronto also need to be protected - environmentally sensitive areas, rural villages and towns and precious farmland!
- The Greenbelt is an area of protected green space, farmland, and vibrant communities
- It extends 325km, surrounding the Golden Horseshoe (Southern Ontario) and covers 1.8 million acres
- It protects 535,000 acres of lakes, wetlands, river valleys and forests
Why is it Important?
- The Greenbelt protects environmentally sensitive land and farmland from urban development (sprawl)
- Farming is the dominant land use here. Farmers own over 50% of this land
- There are approximately 7000 farms in the Greenbelt!
- Open spaces are maintained for tourism and recreation - hiking, camping, skiing, wine-tasting, fruit picking, and much more!
- The Greenbelt preserves some of the most valuable land in Canada, providing fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, beef, pork, and poultry...
- It also protects lakes, wetlands, forests, natural habitats for species, and space for recreation too
Why do we Need to Protect Farmland?
Urban Sprawl
Activity:
Get into a group. Each member will "wear a hat" - represent a different perspective. Using your role, how would you feel about urban sprawl?
Farmer
Developer
Environmentalist
Urban Planner
Local Citizen (in older part of the city)
Urban Sprawl - Is it Destroying our Farmland?
- What is the issue?
- What is the cause of the issue.
- Describe the social, economic, environmental, and political implications of the issue.
- What are some solutions to this issue?
What is Environmental Sustainability?
- Provide 5 examples of non-sustainable uses of the Earth's resources
- Provide 5 examples of how we might use the Earth's resources today without compromising future generation's ability to meet their needs
"The Story of Stuff" - Are We Using More than Our Share? Think Back to Our Discussions on the "Ecological Footprint"
Agree or Disagree?
"The responsibility for environmental damage ultimately belongs to every individual, and not to companies or governments."
And Finally...Your Course Culminating Assignment! :)
Canada's communities are experiencing significant growth. However, growth brings with it challenges and issues we need to address; Mississauga is no different. However, there is a chance for evolution to overcome these challenges. Bonnie Crombie has approached your team of young, urban planners to create a new, revised Mississauga – Mississauga 2.0. She would like you to present a plan for change that would overcome the challenges facing this.
Guiding Question: “How Can Mississauga (and Ontario) Grow Sustainably?”