PLAN CANADA Institut canadien des urbanistes Canadian Institute of Planners JUIN 81 21:2 JUNE Small Town Seaforth Ontario The Citification of Small Towns The B.C. Agricultural Land Commission The Role of the Lands Directorate Settlement Policy-National or Provincial? Federal Land Policy - a Commentary VIEWPOINT Gerald Hodge The Citification of Small Towns: A challenge to 43 ADA Planning Institut canadien des urbanistes ARTICLE Canadian Institute of Planners John T. Pierce JUNE 81 The B. C. Agricultural Land Commission: A review 48 21:2 JUIN and Evaluation Plan Canada is published by the Cana­ dian Institute of Planners. Federal Involvement in in Land Policy: The opinions expressed herein are not Three comments: necessarily those of the Institute, the editors, or affiliations of authors. Doug Hoffman Plan Canada est publie par l'Institut The Role of the Lands Directorate 59 canadien des urbanistes. Les opinions exprimees dans ce document Nigel Richardson ne sont pas necessairement celles de l'In­ Settlement Policy - review of Canadian Urban stitut, de la direction, ou des affiliations des auteurs. Growth Trends, by Ira Robinson 61 ISSN 0032-0544 Harry Lash ©Canadian Institute of Planners, 1981 Editors/Editeurs Review of Federal Task Force Report on Land Henry C. Hightower, Ted Rashleigh and Federal Policy on Land Use 64 Editorial Board/Comite Editorial BOOK REVIEWS/CRITIQUE DES OUVRAGES 67 Vancouver Robert Burgess Peter Boothroyd H. Craig Davis Bowles: Social Impact Assessment in Small Communities Ted Droettboom Carley and Derow: Social Impact Assessment, Hugh Kellas William Rees A Cross-Disciplinary Guide James W. Wilson Tester and Mykes: Social Impact Assessment, Brahm Wiesman Theory, Method and Practice National Barry Clark*, Edmonton Mary Rawson Ron Cope*, Saskatoon Chibuk and Kusel: New Communities in Canadian Gerald Hodge, Queen's University Urban Settlements Claude Langlois, Universite du Montreal Jim Lotz, Halifax Hans Blumenfeld; Greg Mason Jim Masterton*, Victoria Bater: The Soviet City, Ideal and Reality Richard Morency, Sainte-Foy, Quebec Nigel Richardson, Toronto Mike Gunder James W. Simmons, University of Toronto Robert Smith, U. of British Columbia Maguire: Socio-economic Factors Pertaining to Jack C. Stabler, U. of Saskatchewan Single-Industry Towns in Canada - a Bibliography Paul Villeneuve, Universite Laval Murray Zides, Saint, John, N.B. Letter: Stop Spadina *GIP Publications committee/Comite des editions de l'ICV GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS Addresses/Adresses T. Rashleigh, Editor Plan Canada Changement d'adresse, demande d'abon­ Membres de l'ICU gratis GIP members P.O. 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Rashleigh, Editor The Citification of Small Towns: A challenge to planning Gerald Hodge It is neither very noteworthy nor provocative, Our images of the city are usually of the physical city, nowadays, to mention that Canada is an urban country: of the way it looks and is arranged or of the number of peo­ more than two-thirds of all Canadians live in cities (of ple who inhabit it. The physical city, whether we ex­ 25,000 or more); 55 percent of the nation's population live perience it directly or even vicariously through the media, in only 22 metropolitan areas; and these proportions will is what we primarily think of as urban. Thus, urbanization probably grow in future. is usually construed to be the process of adding more city It may, however, be more thought-provoking to ask forms to our landscape. This is a valid view of urbaniza­ tion, but only as a partial one. why these various facts and prognoses on Canada's ur­ banizatgion do not stir much interest? McLuhan's Urbanization of a countryproceeds along two dimen­ aphorism - looking at the future in a rear-view mirror - sions. 1 One is the physical dimension to which we have gives us an important clue. We already know all about ur­ been referring. The other is non-physical in nature and banization because we've all experienced it. The low densi­ refers to the spread of "the urban way of life." Cities can be ty suburb spreading out, sometimes incessantly it seems, very powerful influences on the operation and outlook of a from the high-density high-rise downtown is an image of nation, especially the largest ones, the centres of trade, the modern city that we all have, whether we live in such a government, and culture. The more they grow, it seems, city or not. the more these functions come to be concentrated there; people, capital for investment, and ideas for utilizing both .: ................•:.:..•••n.;;,.,,....;~••·•·•·n••·+~/-·····-·····•¼ ····-- ····:·+:-=-+w-::-i::;:.~ ·:•x:·:·:·:·:·:·: •• ·················• .....;-,.:,,:;;;;;;;;···:··;· capital and human resources are drawn to cities. As large markets in their own right, cities become the model for GERALD HODGE has studied and written about small those who provide services throughout the country in com­ towns in all parts of Canada for over two decades. His merce, government, and culture, and for those who serve recent nationwide study, Towns and Villages in them - the professionals, including planners. Canada, in collaboration with M.A. Qadeer, is soon to Certain characteristic urban tastes, attitudes and be published. Dr. Hodge is Director of the School of Ur­ values also emerge and grow. Significantly, this non- ban and Regional Planning at Queen's University. Plan Canada 21:2 Jun 81 43 physical dimension of cities is transmitted beyond the city league, M.A. Qadeer, at Queen's University, in which we and its immediate environs. The city's tastes, attitudes, examined the current state of Canada's towns and and values, and also its styles of problem solving - imp­ villages. 4 inge on areas that we think of as non-urban. Citification In Canada today, there are more than 8,000 small centres is the apt name Jacques Paris coined, in this journal, for compared to about 100 small and medium cities and fewer 2 the non-physical influence of cities and their styles. than two dozen metropolises. Moreover a not insignificant Large areas, or even a whole nation, could become one-fifth of our population lives in towns and villages. citified. It is this prospect, indeed reality, for Canada Towns and villages are also the direct link to the dispersed which deserves close attention. 3 If Canada is citified, population who live in the countryside. In total the town what does this mean for professionals in the city-building and countryside hold one-third of our population. And despite the conventional citified presumpt,ion, small town realm - the planners, engineers, architects, and and countryside populations are not declining, they are surveyors? Is this a mandate to recreate city forms and growing - although the experience varies among pro­ styles in non-urban territory? Will small town planning vinces. simply imitate planning styles and solutions which have About 4,2 million people or 18 percent of the nation's developed in city situations? There is considerable population lived in small centres in 1976. Ontario has the evidence that it already has in many parts of Canada. largest number of towns and villages, just over 1,500 and The issue, it is essential to grasp, is not one of scale, of there are equally impressive numbers in Nova Scotia, size of community. It is rather one of appreciating that Quebec, and New Brunswick. In five provinces, one-quarter or more of the population live in towns and villages. small towns are different from cities, that as a group they are very diverse, and that their individuality is a fragile There are, clearly, lots of small communities in Canada thing in our urban society. If the citified planner does not and some interesting, and in some regards surprising, perceive the 'vital signs" of small town existence, the loss things have been happening to them. Here are a few of the could be irreparable. Yet myths and half-truths persist highlights from the study which bear upon the issue of about contemporary small towns. citification. The data are about all small towns, but it Thus, it is worth examining, first, the main dimensions should be remembered that there is considerable diversity of today's small towns and the citified milieu within which within these aggregates. they exist. Then, the ramifications of these conditions for Population Growth: In the 1960s, town and village planners can be more clearly stated. population grew by 440,000, or 13 penent; in the first half ********************************** of the 1970s, another 300,000 persons were added to the The extent of citification in Canada is not readily total. The 1971-1976 growth rate of towns and villages perceived for we continue to employ concepts, definitions, maintained its previous pace while the rates for urban and and terms that preserve the urban and rural distinctions in metropolitan places declinedfrnm those of the 1960s. Small our society. In order to provide a clearer picture of its ex­ places of all sizes, and in all regions, e::,.,"'Perienced growth. tent, let me draw on the recent study by me and my col- Over halfof all small places gained some population.