A Study of the Changes in Lend Use in the Central Area of the City of Brantford from 1820 to 1925

Abstract

In researching and writing a paper on the develop— -ment of industry in the city of Brantford, 1844 to 1925, it became apparent to me that a study showing the ' interplay of all land uses in the central area of the city was desirable. No cohesive and continuous geogra- -phical record of the land uses in early Brantford presently exists. Material documenting the history and geography of the city prior to 1850 is particularly scarce. My primary objective, therefore, was to at least attempt to create such a record for this city, by tying together all of the varied bits and pieces of data relating to lend use in early Brantford. A second desire was to see if one could identify the date and circumstances under which zones of specialized land use first emerged in the central area of the city. It is quite clear that the early community would have a mix of land uses due in part to the time factor (nine- -teenth century) and to the scale (under 4000 population in a pioneer region) factor. Yet in spite of these controls, recognizable specialized land use areas did emerge at a surprisingly early date. The final objective was to see if the factors that influenced the growth and change in the central area, particularly those that relate to specialization, could be identified and isolated for this one community.