Urban Clustering, Development Similarity, and Local Growth: A Case Study of Canada

The effect of urban clustering on the long-term patterns of urban growth is arguably two-fold: in sparsely populated areas, the presence of neighbouring towns increases the chances of facilitating local development due to inter-urban exchanges, while in more densely populated core areas, increasing clustering of the urban field reduces development rates due to inter-town competition for potential investors and migrants. In the present study, the effect of urban clustering on the patterns of urban growth is investigated for both centrally located and peripheral areas of Canada. Neighbouring towns in urban clusters of the country appear to exhibit similar levels of socio-economic development. However, when measured by different development indicators, inter-town development association differs in both nature and degree. In core areas, for instance, only population and housing variables appear to exhibit a strong spatial association, while that of employment-related variables—average income, and unemployment rate—is weaker. As suggested, this tendency reflects fundamental differences between the two groups of variables. While population and housing variables are associated with the clustering of residents in socially homogenous areas, inter-town development similarity in respect to employment-related variables is weaker, due to long-distance commuting.