Industrial Structure and Urban Growth of Canadian Cities 1951-1961

Abstract

<p>This dissertation proposes that employment in cities can be classified into one of three categories - national, regional and local industries. A method of classifying industries into these groups is developed. However, a clear discrimination between classes is difficult to achieve. There is overlap between national and regional and regional and local industries.</p> <p>These groups of industries are then analysed separately. There general relationships are identified: for a majority of cities, employment change in national industries is related to city infrastructure and metropolitan status; regional industry employment change is related to a city's location in relation to larger cities, the population of its trade area and its role in a regional hierarchy; finally local industry employment change is associated with a city's metropolitan influence and its total income. However in all three industry groups particular cities have employment changes not commensurate with these general relationships.</p> <p>Furthermore, analysis of employment change in subgroups of industries shows change in employment in individual industries does not correspond to the general relationship identified for the aggregate of which it is a part.</p> <p>It is clear that the general relationships found for each employment group do not necessarily apply to individual cities nor to individual industries. Analysis of growth in one city or one industry requires a different strategy to the adopted here.</p>