E. Liveable Communities · Liveable Communities: Land Use and Sustainability in Canada

Money, People, Culture and Power: Forces That Shape Communities

E1.3 A2.2About 70 minutes

Learning goals

I can explain how economic forces, such as land values, jobs and industries, affect land use and community growth.
I can explain how social forces, such as population change, income and housing needs, affect communities.
I can explain how cultural forces shape neighbourhoods and the use of land, including for First Nations, Métis, Inuit and Francophone communities.
I can explain how political forces, including different levels of government, Indigenous governments, treaties and laws, affect land use and planning.
I can take part respectfully in a discussion about a sensitive community issue.

Words to know

land value
How much a piece of land is worth, based mostly on its location, what can be built on it and demand for it.

bid-rent
A model showing that different land users will pay different amounts for land depending on how far it is from the city centre.

single-industry town
A community whose economy depends mainly on one employer or industry, such as a mine, mill or plant.

brownfield
A former industrial or commercial site, sometimes contaminated, that could be cleaned up and reused.

gentrification
A process in which wealthier people move into a lower-income neighbourhood, raising property values and rents, which can push out long-time residents.

NIMBY
Short for "Not In My Back Yard": opposition by residents to a nearby development they might accept elsewhere.

self-government
The right of an Indigenous nation to make its own laws and decisions about matters such as land, culture, education and governance.

treaty
A formal agreement between the Crown (governments in Canada) and First Nations or other Indigenous peoples that sets out rights, responsibilities and relationships, including about land.

Hook: same land, different stories

Picture a 4 ha site beside the rail line in an Ontario town. In 1920 it was a busy factory. In 1995 the factory closed and the site sat empty behind a fence. Today, cranes are building apartments, shops and a park there.

The land did not change. What changed were the forces acting on it: the economy, the people, the culture of the town and the decisions of governments. In this lesson you will learn to see those forces at work.

Economic, social, cultural and political forces all push on a community at the same time. They also affect each other: a new law (political) can change land values (economic).

Economic forces

Land values and bid-rent: land near the centre, major roads or transit is valuable because many people can reach it. Businesses that need lots of customers will pay the most for it.
Jobs and industries: where new jobs appear, people and housing follow. When a big employer closes, a town may shrink. Single-industry towns built around one mine or mill are especially affected by booms and busts. For example, Elliot Lake in northern Ontario grew as a uranium-mining town; after its mines closed in the 1990s, it reinvented itself in part as a retirement community.
Deindustrialization and redevelopment: many old factory sites (brownfields) are being cleaned up and turned into homes, offices and parks. Toronto's Distillery District, a former distillery, is now a pedestrian area with shops, studios and restaurants.
Development costs: the price of land, construction and interest rates affects what developers can afford to build and where.

Each line shows how much one kind of land user would pay at each distance. Businesses gain most from a central location, so they outbid others downtown; homes win the middle ring; farms win where land is cheapest. The strip under the axis shows who wins each zone: commercial (hatched), residential (yellow), farming (green).

Social forces

Population growth and change: fast-growing places need more homes, schools, roads and transit. Places losing people may close schools and stores.
Age: an aging population needs accessible housing, health services and transit; young families need schools, parks and child care.
Income and housing costs: when housing becomes expensive, people may move farther away (longer commutes), crowd into small spaces or have trouble finding a home.
Gentrification: when an older neighbourhood becomes popular, rents and prices can rise, bringing new investment but sometimes pushing out long-time residents and businesses.

Cultural forces

Immigrant communities shape neighbourhoods with places of worship, food stores, restaurants, cultural centres and festivals. Many Canadian cities have well-known cultural districts.
Language: Ontario's Francophone communities have their own French-language schools and community centres, which affect where families choose to live.
Heritage: heritage buildings and districts can be protected, which limits what can be built.
First Nations, Métis and Inuit cultures and relationships with the land: sacred sites, burial grounds, harvesting areas and traditional territories carry deep meaning. Respecting them affects where development can and should happen, and many Indigenous communities are planning their lands according to their own cultural values.

Political forces

Many governments make decisions that shape land use:

Municipal governments (councils) write official plans and zoning bylaws and approve developments.
Provincial governments pass laws such as Ontario's Planning Act and create plans that protect areas like the Greenbelt. In Ontario, the province can also change municipal rules, for example to speed up home building.
The federal government is responsible for matters such as reserves under the Indian Act, airports, ports, railways and national parks.
Indigenous governments make land-use decisions for their lands. Some, like the Nisg̱a'a Nation in British Columbia, have modern treaties that include self-government and law-making powers over their lands. Governments in Canada also have a legal duty to consult Indigenous peoples when decisions may affect their rights.
Citizens and groups influence decisions through public meetings, petitions, elections and media. NIMBY opposition can stop or change projects, for good or bad reasons.

Worked example

Let's identify the forces in a real-style case

In a made-up town, a closed paper mill sits on 10 ha by the river. A developer proposes 800 homes, shops and a riverside park. The town council supports it. Some residents worry about traffic. A nearby First Nation asks to be consulted because the riverbank was a traditional fishing and gathering place. The province recently passed a law encouraging more housing. Identify at least one force of each type.

Economic: the mill closing (loss of jobs); the developer's investment; land by the river becoming valuable for housing.
Social: the town needs more housing; residents' concerns about traffic and quality of life.
Cultural: the First Nation's connection to the riverbank as a fishing and gathering place.
Political: council support; the provincial housing law; the duty to consult the First Nation.
Notice how the forces interact: the provincial law (political) makes housing more profitable to build (economic).

Economic: mill closure, development investment, rising land value. Social: housing need, traffic worries. Cultural: the First Nation's relationship to the riverbank. Political: council decision, provincial law, duty to consult.

Discussing sensitive topics (A2.2)

Topics like housing costs, homelessness, gentrification and Indigenous land rights affect real people, maybe people in your class. In discussions:

Speak about issues and ideas, not about people's worth.
Use respectful, accurate terms ("people experiencing homelessness", "First Nations, Métis and Inuit").
Listen to understand before you answer, and ask questions.
Back up your points with evidence, and admit when a question is complex.
Remember that lived experience is also a kind of evidence.

Just for fun

Why did the developer bring a ladder to the downtown real-estate meeting?

Because land prices there only go up, so every new building does too.

Hands-on activity

Forces scavenger hunt

You need: a local newspaper or news website, or your municipality's council agenda (most are online), and a notebook.

Find two local stories or council items about land use, housing, a new building, a store closing or a park.
For each, make a 4-box chart: Economic, Social, Cultural, Political. Write at least one force in each box (write "none found" if there truly is none).
Circle the force you think matters most and explain why in two sentences.
Share your chart with a family member and ask how they see the issue. Write down one point they made that you had not thought of.

What to look for: accurate categories, specific details from the stories, and a respectful summary of another person's view.

Your turn

Classify each force as economic, social, cultural or political: (a) a city council rezones land, (b) a factory closes, (c) a growing number of seniors in a town, (d) a new mosque or temple is built in a neighbourhood.

Using the bid-rent model, explain why farms are found at the edge of cities rather than downtown.

What is a single-industry town, and why is it vulnerable?

Give one benefit and one problem caused by gentrification.

Name one land-use responsibility of each level of government: municipal, provincial, federal.

What is the duty to consult?

More practice: warm-up

What does NIMBY stand for?

What is a brownfield?

Name one cultural feature that can shape a neighbourhood.

Which level of government is responsible for national parks?

Which Ontario law sets the rules for land-use planning?

More practice: on your own

Explain how Elliot Lake shows economic forces shaping a community.

Why can NIMBY opposition be both helpful and harmful?

How can a cultural force and an economic force work together in a neighbourhood?

Why does the location of transit stations affect land value?

Give an example of a political decision that could change land values quickly.

Challenge

A provincial government passes a law that overrides some local planning rules to speed up housing. Using a geographic perspective, describe how three different groups might view this.

Explain why reusing a brownfield can be good for the environment and the economy, and name one challenge.

Why is it important that First Nations have a say in developments on their traditional territories, even off reserve?

Check your understanding

Quiz

A mine closing in a single-industry town is an example of which kind of force?

According to the bid-rent model, which land user usually outbids others in the city centre?

Gentrification can lead to:

Which level of government writes zoning bylaws in Ontario?

The duty to consult means governments must:

Which is the BEST example of a cultural force on land use?

For parents and teachers

This lesson asks students to look at the same place through four lenses: economic, social, cultural and political. Local news and council agendas are great sources, and talking about a real local issue at dinner helps a lot. Some topics (housing costs, homelessness, Indigenous land rights) may feel personal; model the respectful-discussion tips in the lesson. Common difficulty: students often label everything "economic". Ask "is this about money, about people's needs, about identity, or about who decides?" to sort the forces.