the beginnings of agriculture most historians agree that humankind existed for thousands of years...
TRANSCRIPT
The beginnings of agriculture
• Most historians agree that humankind existed for thousands of years before they began farming. Previously, they survived as hunters and gatherers.
• Why is this?• Why would they have made the switch?
The beginnings of agriculture
Advantage over foraging• Controllable food supply
o Other than floods or droughts - food supply was stable• - Especially with grain, you can create a food surplus.
o Allows for the creation of cities -> People can stay in one place instead of chasing food
o Allows for the specialization of labour. Not everyone needs to be involved in finding food, like they did with foraging.• Agriculture can support people not directly involved in
the creation of food• EX: Trades people could then devote their time to
creating tools that made all aspects of life (including agriculture) easier
The beginnings of agriculture
Disadvantages compared to foraging• In order to keep feeding people as the population
grows, you have to radically alter the environment.o Clear land, plant fields, etc.
• Farming is difficult labouro In many places, this difficult labour was part of
an exploitative relationships between economic and racial groups (ex. slavery, colonialism, etc.)
• What major innovations have allowed for our massive population growth? What events discoveries have allowed us to feed over 8 billion people?
Food production• Over the centuries, two main developments have
contributed to our growing food supply.• 1.) The expansion of agriculture around the
world.o For example, between 1840 and 1915, an
expansion of farming on the North American grasslands (stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to central Alberta) greatly increased the world’s food production capacity.
o We have no reached a point where there are no new areas of the planet in which to plant.
Food production• 2.) The second major development is the
increased efficiency in land/resource use.o Over the years, a series of technological
breakthroughs have dramatically increased food productivity. a. Industrialization of farming – The use of
new technology to move away from manual labour.
b. ) Selective breeding of crops and animals – A process of developing specific plant or animal species to produce high yields. For example, if two cows are identified as high milk producers they may be bred to produce cows with this capacity.
c. ) Development of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) – Organisms whose genetic structure has been changed to give them characteristics that are seen as desirable. For example, there is a certain type of corn seed in the USA which has been modified in order to resist RoundUp pesticide.
d.) The Green Revolution was a United Nations-funded movement that sought to bring Western-style agriculture to developing countries. Through selective breeding, they introduced high-yield varieties (HYV) of crops (rice, corn, wheat) to replace local crops that had lower yields. This movement co-incided with major population increases in the developing world and created a much needed increase in food production.e.) Increased corporate ownership of farms – The movement towards large, company-run operations from small, family-run farms.
Where our food comes from
• Where does your food come from? Choose an average meal and determine how many countries/people are involved in creating it.o Why is this number so high? Why can’t we do it
all here?
The nature of agriculture
• Agriculture depends on the interactions of a number of natural systemso Climate – There are two main variables in climate
• Solar energy (heat) – This explains why bananas can be grown in the Caribbean but not in Portage.
• Moisture – This is usually measure in precipitation levels. However, it is more accurate to measure the relationship between precipitation levels and evapotranspiration levels (the amount of moisture that leaves through evaporation from the soil and transpiration from plants). Since evapotranspiration increases with higher temperatures, cooler locations require smaller amounts of precipitation to grow.
The nature of agriculture
• Organic material – Of the four parts of soil (minerals, organic matter, water, and air), the amount of organic material is the most critical factor in determining its fertility.
• Topography (the shape and arrangement of land)- In general, flat land is best for farming. If land is too hilly , there is the risk of losing topsoil through erosion.
• Biology – Some organisms are highly beneficial to farming. Earthworms, for example, improve the movement of air through the soil. Other organisms are highly destructive (bugs, weeds, etc.). The presence of these living things can greatly influence food production.
The stages of food production
• In your group, choose five foods that you ate yesterday.
• Outline the stages of food production that led that food from nature to your plate.
• Highlight the different people who played a role in the food production.
The stages of food production
Stages of food production
• Growing – This stage includes everything from planting seeds to harvesting crops. It is the initial stage that often takes place on farms.
• Processing – This is the stage where food is changed into the form that you find in grocery stores. For example, a variety of ingredients (flour, milk, etc.) are combined to make one product (a loaf of bread)
• Transportation – Here, food is brought from the plants to stores and other retailers.
• Marketing – Food is advertised and sold.
Human influence on food production
• Brainstorm examples of how each of the following human factors could influence food production:
• Cultural• Economic• Political• Environmental• Marketing
Menu planning• Imagine you are starting a new fast food chain
that will debut with an international launch. You are supposed to come up with food items that match the cultural/economic/political realities of the area.o Create three featured items for three different places in the world.
• One for Winnipeg• Two for other unique international locations
o Identify the nature of the featured item (what’s in it)o Explain why it matches the places you have chosen
Balderdash• Subsistence Farming• Cash crop Farming• Extensive Farming• Intensive Farming
Types of Agriculture• There are two ways to categorize farming1.) Subsistence vs. cash-cropping• Subsistence Farming – Farmers grow crops and
raise livestock to meet the immediate needs of their families.o Subsistence farmers produce many different products often on small
farms.o Any surplus from production may be sold or traded to meet the
farmer’s other needs.o This is the dominant form of agriculture in developing countries. 65% of
Africa’s sub-Saharan population rely on subsistence farming.
Types of Agriculture• Cash crop farming describes farming where the
food is produced to be sold in local and global markets.
• These farmers specialize in producing only a few products, even if they have large farms.
• They may not use any of the products that they grow or produce.o For example, a farmer who owns a large dairy farm may still purchase
his/her milk from a grocery store.
Intensive farming vs. extensive farming• Intensive farming refers to the practice of
farming a small amount of land in a concentrated fashion with the use of large amounts of labour and capital.
• A great deal of capital (money) and labour (work) are required to apply chemicals and purchase, maintain, and use of machinery.
• These practices produce a high yield per area unit of land.
• Examples in Canada: Fruit and vegetable growing, vineyards, livestock feedlots, and hog factories.
• Extensive farming uses large amounts of land with limited amounts of labour and capital.
• Crop yields depend primarily of natural soil fertility, terrain, climate, and the availability of water.
• Since this type of farming produces a lower yield per unit of area, it requires more land to be profitable.
• Examples in Canada: Grain, oil-seed farming, ranching, and most forms of mixed farming.
The business of farming
• One in five people in Canada is involved in some stage of food production/selling (growing, processing, transportation, selling).
• In the 1950s, Canadians spent about 25% of their income on food.
• Today, Canadians spend about 11% of their income on food.
Land: The basic resource
• What is the difference between a renewable resource and a non-renewable resource?
• Renewable – Resources that replace themselves unless badly mismanaged. Ex: Trees, water, etc.
• Non-renewable – Resources that can only be used once and are in limited supply. EX: Metals, diamonds, etc.
• Which category does land fall under?
Land: The basic resource
• In some ways, land can fit both definitions:o Land is renewable in the sense that it can produce crops
year after year if properly managed.o Land is non-renewable in the sense that it is in limited
supply – There is no way to create new land.
• In Canada, land is divided into different classes. That outline the land capability of the country.
• Land capability refers to the usefulness of land for an intended purpose. For agriculture, this calculation examines soil quality, drainage, slope, and climate.
Threats to the land• What are the forces/elements that threaten a
farmer’s yield?
Threats to the land• There are many natural/human elements that threaten
to harm farming soil:• Erosion – the wearing away of the Earth’s surface followed by
the movement to other locations of THE materials that have worn away.
• Contamination – the loss of crops due to the growth/presence of harmful elements (weeds, insects, etc.)
In order to combat these threats, farmers take numerous steps to protect their soil/crops:
• Soil conservation methods are approaches that seek to maintain the fertility of soil year after year.o EX: No-till cropping leaves the stubble from the previous year’s crop on the
field in order to protect the soil from wind erosion. Stubble also traps snow in the fields and helps build up soil moisture.
• The use of pesticides and herbicides. These chemicals address the issues of contamination, but also present environmental concerns
How should we respond to food
created in labs?
We should avoid it. It seems unnatural.
We should be cautious and only consume proven brands.
Some danger exists in everything we eat, so we should treat them
like any other food.
We should embrace them, biotechnology is the future of
food production.
What is your opinion on GMO
labeling?
They are a real threat to our well-being and must be labeled
immediately.
They might be a threat, but consumers should know. Labels
should be introduced soon.
It hasn’t been proven that they are harmful and labels would
only scare people. More evidence needs to come out before they
are labeled.
GMOs are currently consumed all around North America without issues (or labels). Labeling is
unnecessary.
Land: The basic resource
• During the 1960s and 1970s the government surveyed most of the land in Canada – 2.5m km2. Their goal was to determine the land capability for agriculture. This produced the Canada Land Inventory
• Class 1: Land has deep soils and is excellent for farming. It has no climatic or land limitations. 0.5% of land.
• Class 5: Land has serious limitations for agriculture, such as a very short growing season, hilly landscape, thin soil, or poor drainage. Class 5 land may be used for grazing or producing hay. 3.7% of Canada’s land.
• Class 7: Land has no capability for farming or was not classified. 86.8% of Canada’s land.
Global warming• What is global warming?
• What evidence exists for it?
Sustainable Development
• What does the word “sustainable” mean?
• Will the world ever run out of food? Why/why not?
• Is there enough food for everyone in the world?
Food Security• The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food
security as existing “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”.
• Food security is defined as including both physical and economic access to food that meets people's dietary needs as well as their food preferences.
Food SecurityPart One
What would it take for you to go hungry?
Part Two
Rank the roles provided in terms of the stability of their access to healthy food on a regular basis.
Create a list of factors that would prevent these people from eating well
Looking at the list of obstacles to healthy eating, create a list of the ways in which we could address/resolve the problem of food insecurity
Food Security• Food security is built on three pillars:
• Food availability: sufficient quantities of food available on a consistent basis.
• Food access: having sufficient resources to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet.
• Food use: appropriate use based on knowledge of basic nutrition and care, as well as adequate water and sanitation.
Food Security• Food Insecurity identifies conditions where people
are unable to meet the conditions above. • This includes a wide variety of forms of
malnutrition.o People living in poverty in developing countries are often
undernourished and don’t have access to enough food to properly sustain life.
o People living in poverty in first-world countries often only have access to unhealthy foods that lack the necessary nutrients.
• There are many threats to food security in the worldo Population growtho Global warmingo Intellectual property rights (GMOs)
Industry• For your assigned industry type:
o Create a definition of your type of industry (in your own words)o Create a new name for your group that will help your classmates
remember what your industry doeso Create a list of ten examples of your line of worko List three reasons why you are the most important group of workers in
Canada
Primary Industries• Primary industries take raw materials from the
natural environment.• They are called “primary” because they recover
natural resources before anything else can occur.• The main industries related to primary industries
are agriculture, mining, forestry and fishing.• Only a few countries in the world can rival Canada
as a source of natural production. These industries account for a large portion of our wealth.
• Primary industries are located where the resources is found, which varies from resource to resource.
Secondary Industries• Secondary industries involve processing the
primary industry product into finished goods.• The most important secondary industry is
manufacturing, which is responsible for making the enormous range of products needed by consumers and by companies.
Secondary Industries• Manufacturers make everything from computers
and diamond rings to cans of fruit and bulldozers.• Manufacturing often involves more than one
stage of processing.o For example iron ore, coal, limestone, and other metals are used to
make steel. This steel then may be used by a different manufacturer to create a finished product.
• Manufacturing industries tend to me located near densely populated areas because they want to be near their customers.
Tertiary• Tertiary industries provide a wide range of
services that support primary and secondary industries and society in general.
• This includes retail, transportation, finance, education, health, government, etc.
• Almost 3X as many Canadians work in tertiary industries than in primary and secondary industries combined.
Quaternary• Quaternary industries produce ideas, not products
o This could include• Researchers• Computer programmers• Writers• Financial planning
• This segment of the economy has grown significantly in the past few years.
• Most of these industries are closely linked to other industries.o For example, a professor may work as a researcher developing new
ideas as part of her job (quatnerary), but she may also teach classes for other students which provides a service (tertiary).
Where (in Canada) should we build our
plant?
• French Fries• Aluminum• Oil drills• Mini vans• iPhones
Location of Manufacturing
• Manufacturing describes the process of many secondary industries which take raw materials (or manufactured materials) and transform them into finished products.
• When deciding where to place a new plant, business owners consider a wide variety of factors.
Location of Raw Materials
• Since many manufacturing plants deal directly with raw materials, it is efficient for them to be located near the production of these materials.
• Some products (such as fruits and vegetables) should be processed as soon as possible after being picked, so food processing companies tend to be located in areas where crops are grown.
• Some factories, such as sawmills, use great quantities of bulky raw materials and produce finished products that are much smaller. Being located near the raw materials greatly reduces their transportation costs.
• Example – McCain Foods Florenceville, New Brunswick; and other east-coast centres. These factories are all located near potato crops.
Location of Markets• Often a company will choose to locate near a
large number of its customers (market).• This limits the delivery costs and allows them to
deliver the product with limited delay. This gives them a significant advantage over companies located further away.
• Example – Cardium Tool Services – This company specializes in tools for oil drilling and production. They are located in Edmonton which is very near many of the oil fields.
Availability of Fresh Water and Power
• One of the most basic needs for most kinds of manufacturing is an abundant supply of fresh water and power. Many manufacturing companies, like steel makers and oil refiners use vast amounts of fresh water for cooling and cleaning purposes.
• As a result, many of these companies locate near major lakes and rivers.
• Example – Alcan Aluminum. Producing 1 tonne of aluminum requires the use of 13,500 kWh of electricity (the same amount of power could run a stereo system running for 24 hours/day for 50 years). This company is located near the Sangenay and Peribonka rivers in Quebec where they operate their own hydro-electric generating stations.
Labour Supply• A company must consider the availability and cost of its
labour supply when deciding where to locate. In the past, many companies needed a low-cost, large labour force.
• For many years, this included basic lines of work such as clothing production. However, since trade laws have outsourced much of this work to other countries, this type of basic labour is no longer in demand.
• Today, many Canadian companies are in need of advanced skills and will locate in parts of the country that have universities, colleges and other programs that produce these types of employees.
• Example – Technology companies such as RIM, Nortel, etc.
Transportation• Every company needs fast and efficient
transportation. However, for some companies it is the most important factor of all.
• Example – Two large steel mills in Hamilton are located in that city to take advantage of the raw materials that are brought in by ship. This includes coal from American ports along Lake Erie and iron ore from ports on the lower St. Lawrence River.
Political Factors• One way for a government to attract and keep
industry is to provide good business climate. Governments can influence manufacturing in direct and indirect ways.o Direct – A government may offer reduced taxes for a particular
industry to entice new developments and keep existing ones.o Indirect – A government can improve/create a new highway that
benefits all citizens, but also increases the efficiency of manufacturers.
o EX – Toyota Motors Canada - In the mid-1980s the Ontario and local government provided them with incentives to open new plants in Cambridge, ON. The new plant created new jobs for local residents and stimulated the economy.
How should the government
support manufacturing?
They should provide as much support as possible (tax breaks,
incentives, etc.). It represents an essential part of our economy.
They should provide minor tax breaks to major resources. We need to keep our core products local, but can afford to import
other resources.
They should not provide any tax breaks. Manufacturing is not
more important than any other type of industry and it should not be given preferential treatment.
They should not provide any tax breaks. We are better letting the market dictate our industry and
relying on cheaper imports.
Globalization• Globalization describes the ways in which the
world is becoming increasingly interconnected. This process is one in which nations, cities, and citizens are continually advancing in the way that they share resources, ideas and culture.o Business (organization, trade, etc.)o Travelo Cultureo Communication
Globalization treasure hunt
• Between this classroom and your lockers, try to find objects from as many different countries as possible. Work in partners and record as list of the item and its country of manufacture.
Globalization treasure hunt
• How many countries were represented in your items?
• What continents were the best represented?• Which item/country did you find the most
surprising?• Are these developed or developing countries?
Explain why this might be.• Do you think that this global marketplace is a
positive or negative? Explain.
A world without globalization
Imagine a world where you could only get products/food/information from within your countryThink about:- What you would eat (variety, types of food)- What you could buy (options, costs, attitudes towards consumption)- The types of entertainment you would have- Information, ideas, research (health, education, etc.)- How would these changes affect our culture?- Would it make society better or worse?
What is the greatest benefit of
globalization?
The spread of cultures and consumer choice. Our lives are
enriched with food, music, art and products from all around the
world.
Cheaper prices. The items that we purchase cost less to produce
overseas and we benefit from that drop in price
Investment in developing countries – The movement of labour to the developing world supports these economies and provides jobs to people who
woudn’t otherwise have stable work
The sharing of information and ideas – The increase in technology allows people to share information and ideas
across the globe with relative ease
The benefits of globalization
• Increased free tradeo Lower prices for consumerso Greater choice of goodso Greater competition
• Free movement of labouro It allows countries to fill their employment needs by recruiting workers
from other countries. This creates a balanced workforce , as workers leave saturated environments to work in struggling environments.
• Greater competitiono Since companies have to deal with international competition, there is
pressure to create low-cost, high-quality products
• Increased investment in developing countrieso Countries who have up-and-coming economies are able to receive financial
assitance from large companies around the world, which aids their growth.
What is the greatest drawback of
globalization?
Environmental cost – International travel/shipping
creates huge amounts of greenhouse gases. This is not
sustainable.
Less cultural diversity – Dominant cultures (North
America/European) tend to take over local elements. The whole
world catches Bieber Fever.
Damage to developing countries – The market-driven
economy tends to limit expenses and ignore sustainability. This
can lead to exploitation of people and land in developing countries.
The culture of consumption – Cheap, easily acquired goods can
negatively change the way people view their possessions.
The critiques of globalization
• Free trade can damage developing countrieso Poor countries can struggle to survive in an economy that is controlled
by developed countries. Since these small countries need the business to survive, they may sell products at prices that are too low or create work conditions that are unsustainable.
• Environmental costso Globalization has increased the costs of non-renewable resources. The
rise in global transportation and large-scale manufacturing has raised greenhouse gas emissions and contributed to global warming.
• Labour Draino Since workers can move freely from country to country, some nations
find it difficult to hold on to skilled workers
• Less cultural diversityo As culture spreads across the world, global trends tend to limit the
amount of diversity in the world
How is globalization impacting
our world?There are minor drawbacks, but,
by and large*, it is a huge positive to our world. We are
smarter, wealthier and healthier for it.
The positives and the negatives balance out. It is just as good as any other model, but not perfect.
It is negative, but necessary. It is hurting our planet, but
life would be too difficult without it.
It is wholly negative. We are greedier, less environmental, and more exploitive because
of it.
* Quinn, add that one to the
chart.
Our global closets• Check the label of your shirt. Which country did it
come from?
Who has the power to fix global
trade inequalities? (sweatshops, etc.)
Consumers.
If we demand higher standards for producers, companies will
listen.
Companies.
If companies create ethical products, consumers will honour this choice with their purchases.
Governments
If the importing and exporting countries created stronger
labour laws, this would not be an issue.
NGOs/Charities
Governments and companies are too corrupt and
consumers are too far away. Change needs to come from people working for justice in
the developing world.
How much power do we have as
consumers to enact global change?
None.
In the end, governments and corporations make all of the
important decisions.
A little.
If enough people band together, change will
eventually happen, but it will take decades.
A lot.
Companies do what their customers want. If we demand
change we will get it.
How should Christians respond to
the reality of sweatshops?Protest in a silent way.
Boycott companies that use sweatshops. Reduce our
consumption and buy second hand clothing.
Accept it as an unfortunate part of our broken world.
There is nothing meaningful that we can do. Change needs
to come from the larger culture.
Protest in a vocal way.
Contact companies, write letters and demand change. Promote this kind of change within our
communities and churches.
Address the issue spiritually.
Pray for leaders and companies, as we recognize that change will come from a source greater than
us.
Fair Trade• Fair trade is a social movement that attempts to
provide wage and workplace standards for producers in the developing world. The movement currently focuses on farmers and artisans.
• There are many fair trade organizations which provide certification to products based on a set of pre-determined standards:o Paymento Ecological impacto Safety
Why is Fair Trade needed?
• EX: Morning Coffee Co. wants to buy 1,000,000 pounds of coffee beans. They have three farmers offering their crop:o Farmer A - $1/poundo Farmer B - $2/poundo Farmer C – $3/pound
• Since companies want to make the largest profit, they will often buy from the cheapest provider (assuming they offer a product of similar quality).
Why is Fair Trade needed?
• This means that farmers B and C need to change their practices in order to sell their product. o To survive, they may begin to sell their product at a cost that is too low
for them to maintain a satisfactory standard of living.o To cut costs, they may begin practices that are more dangerous to
farmers or more damaging to the environment.o Since there is extreme competition to produce the cheapest product,
many people in developing countries are forced into means of production that are unsustainable.
• Fair trade is a response to this dangerous trend and an attempt to create sustainability.
Fair Trade• Pros
o Attempts to provide a set price based on market value. This means that farmers are guaranteed a certain return on their crop.
o It promotes sustainability. The Fair Trade movement follows certain guidelines that ensure conditions that promote the health of the employees and the environment.
o Often companies who undertake fair trade initiatives use some of their profits to invest into larger development initiatives in these countries. These investments can promote the education and health of the broader community.
• Conso It doesn’t actually provide economic reform in developing countries. Farmers
only receive a small wage increase and the rest of the profits leave the country.
o In order to be certified as “fair trade” farmers sometimes need to pay a certification fee and maintain certain standards. This can exclude the poorest farmers who cannot afford to do so.
o It produces a product that is more expensive for consumers.
Free Trade• One step the government might take to promote local
industry is to apply a tax (tariff) on imports. This makes it more expensive to purchase foreign-made products.
• If the government applies a $20 tariff to each pair of blue jeans, it now costs more to buy foreign-made products than it does it buy local products.
• This is the same principle that is at work with duty payment at the US/Canada border. If you purchase over a certain limit of goods in the US, you pay a duty charge when re-entering Canada.
• The process of apply tariffs and taxes to imports in order to promote local industry is known as protectionism.
Free TradeWhat is the downside of tariffs?• While it is clear that Canadian tariffs benefit
Canadian companies, the reality is that tariffs in other countries may hurt Canadian business.
• EX: If the U.S.A. placed high tariffs on Canadian lumber, the Canadian forestry industry may suffer.
• Free trade describes the removal of these tariffs from international trade. Supporters see this as a less restrictive policy which benefits all people and lets the market dictate trade.
Urban vs. Rural• Let’s assume there is a scale that rates one’s
opinion of where is the best place to live. o 1 = Total support of rural life. This is someone who could only imagine
ever living in the country.o 5 = Someone who sees the benefits of both and has no real preference.
This person could live in either setting.o 10 = Total support of urban life. This is someone who could only wishes
to live in a big city.
Urban vs. RuralYou will debate urban vs. rural life based on the following topics:o Crimeo Educationo Healtho Pollutiono Economics (jobs, cost of living, etc.)
Where do people live?• List the top ten cities (by population) in Canada• List the top ten cities (by population) in Manitoba
• If you could choose to live anywhere in Canada, where would you move?
• Come up with five factors that influence where settlements are created.
Top ten – Canada• 1. Toronto• 2. Montreal• 3. Vancouver• 4. Calgary• 5. Edmonton• 6. Ottawa• 7. Quebec City• 8. Winnipeg• 9. Hamilton• 10. Kitchener
Top ten – Manitoba• 1. Winnipeg• 2. Brandon• 3. Steinbach• 4. Portage la Prairie• 5. Thompson• 6. Winkler• 7. Selkirk• 8. Dauphin• 9. Morden• 10. The Pas
Population Density• Population density- A mathematical calculation
of the number of people who live in each square kilometer of land.
Population Density• Singapore: 7,301 people/km2
Population Density• Canada: 4 people/km2
Urbanization• Two hundred years ago, less than 5% of the
world’s population (980 million people) lived in urban communities.
• As the industrial revolution spread across the world in the 1800s, people left their farms for higher paying jobs in cities.
• This type of movement from rural to urban life is called urbanization.
Global Urbanization
Region 1950 1975 2000 2030 (est.)
North America
64 74 77 84
Latin America
41 61 75 83
Europe 52 67 75 83
Oceania 62 72 70 72
Africa 15 25 38 55
Asia 17 25 37 53
Urbanization in Canada
• In 1867, 82% of Canadians lived in rural areas. Today, 80.4% of Canadians live in urban centres.
• This process of urbanization includes a great increase in population density and concentration, along with the expansion of urban functions like manufacturing and services.
• Factors that led to urbanizationo Changes on farms – Agricultural machinery advanced to a point where
machines took the jobs of people. Famers no longer needed as many employees.
o Changes in cities – The manufacturing and service industries grew, creating new jobs. Immigrants began to relocate in major cities.
The role of cities• Each of the following is a different group of city,
create a label for each group:
Types of cities• Industrial cities – With the industrial revolution,
some towns and cities grew to provide housing, services, and transportation for people in these lines of work. o EX: Detroit, Michigan grew around auto manufacturing.
Types of cities• Transportation cities – Some urban places are
established and grow because they provide important transportation functions.o EX: Winnipeg’s early growth was supported by the fact that it was a
major railway hub for both eastern and western Canada.
Types of cities• Tourist cities – Many towns or cities are
supported by the large number of visitors they receive each year. Some of these have grown significantly since WWII when air travel and family automobiles have become popular.o EX: Orlando, Florida, Las Vegas, Nevada
Types of Cities• Service cities – These are cities that grow
around one particular service that they offer.o EX: Ottawa’s growth is largely due to the government’s offices and
services in the capital.
Types of cities• Resource-based cities – These cities are based
around the presence of a mineral, forest, or other natural resource.o EX: Thompson, Manitoba is based on the extraction of nickel and
copper.
Types of cities• When a city or town has many functions, and no
one dominant function, it is often called a diversified city.
Services in cities• How many…• McDonald’s are there in Winnipeg?• How many universities are there in Manitoba?• How many NHL teams are there in Canada?
• What factors influence the numbers above? List as many as you can.
Services in cities• On average, services – such as marketplaces,
government, churches, or mills – are only provided when there were enough people to support the activity economically.
• The minimum number of people required for an urban service to exist is known as the threshold population.
• Different urban functions have different threshold populations.o A low-order good/service requires a small threshold population.o A high-order good/service requires a large threshold population.
Which town will grow?• Town A – A tourist town that draws visitors from
around the world for its nice beaches and beautiful landscapes. This town has all of the basic services.
• Town B – A town that has more services (restaurants, schools, hospitals, movie theatre, etc.) to offer its citizens, but does not have to same outside source of revenue.
Services in cities• In order for cities to grow and develop, there
must be economic reason to develop. There must be something bringing money into the community
• Basic industries provide products/services outside of the community, which brings money into the community. This promotes the growth/survival of a community and establishes an economic base.o EX: A technology company that sells products to purchasers
around the world, such as RIM in Southern Ontario.