The Evolution of Population in Canada's Metropolitan System

Abstract

<p> The purpose of this research paper is to empirically examine the evolution of the Canadian urban system throughout the past century. This task is completed with the use of the rank-size rule and the parameters that emanate from its logarithmic distribution. This process entails the creation of a historical data set from the inception of the urban areas of each one of the twenty-four CMAs that are used in this study. The collection of the evolving slope and yintercept parameters during the study's fourteen rank-size distribution periods, shows how policy decisions are manifested in the empirical changes of the rank-size rule's slope. Confederation and expansion of the railroad into the prairie frontier are distictly evident in the evolving parameters. It was also found that Canada's geographical distribution of CMAs apparently limits the rank-size rule constant to a value of -1.1 . This distribution is steeper than the optimal market efficiency slope of -1.0 as presented in Zipf's explanation of the forces of attraction and dispersion of economic activity. The statistical results of this paper can be used to· compare different national systems or take a more regional approach in comparing Canadian CMA sub-systems. </p>