More information on Urban area (UA)

Censuses:

2006, 2001, 1996, 1991, 1986, 1981, 1976, 1971, 1966, 1961

Remarks:

The geographic units used for the delineation of urban areas for 2006 are urban areas as defined for the 2001 Census, and dissemination blocks as defined for the 2006 Census.

The urban area delineation rules are ranked in order of priority:

1. If an urban area from the 2001 Census has a minimum population of 1,000 persons according to the 2006 Census, it is retained as an urban area.
2. If a dissemination block with a population density of at least 400 persons per square kilometre is adjacent to an urban area, then it is added to that urban area.
3. If a dissemination block or group of contiguous dissemination blocks, each having a population density of at least 400 persons per square kilometre for the current census, has a minimum total population of 1,000, then the dissemination block or group of contiguous dissemination blocks is delineated as a new urban area.
4. The distance by road between urban areas is measured. If the distance is less than two kilometres, then the urban areas are combined to form a single urban area, provided they do not cross census metropolitan area (CMA) or census agglomeration (CA) boundaries.
5. If an urban area is contained within a census subdivision (CSD) or designated place (DPL), the difference in land area between the urban area and the CSD or DPL is calculated. For confidentiality purposes, if the difference between the CSD and the urban area is less than 10 square kilometres, then the boundary for the urban area is adjusted to the CSD boundary. However, if the difference between the DPL and the urban area is less than 10 square kilometres and the remaining population is less than 100, then the urban area will annex the entire DPL.

The resulting urban areas are reviewed and may be modified to ensure spatial contiguity where appropriate, for example, the removal of interior holes.

Some urban areas may contain commercial and industrial districts, railway yards, airports, parks and other uninhabited areas that result in dissemination blocks with population densities of less than 400 persons per square kilometre. In general, the impact on the total population within urban areas is minor, but the impact on specific urban land areas could be significant. This would affect any programs or research based on precise distance or land area measurements related to individual urban areas.

Once an urban area attains a population of 10,000 persons, it is eligible to become the urban core of a census agglomeration (CA). Once an urban area attains a population of 50,000 and is the urban core of a census agglomeration with a minimum total population of 100,000, then it is eligible to become the urban core of a census metropolitan area (CMA). When an urban area with a population of at least 50,000 persons is also the urban core of a census agglomeration, the census agglomeration is eligible for the census tract program.

Urban and rural areas may be used as variables to cross-classify census data for standard geographic areas, such as census subdivisions (CSDs), census metropolitan areas/census agglomerations (CMA/CA), or census metropolitan area and census agglomeration influenced zones (MIZ).

Naming convention for urban areas

The name of the urban area is the name of the principal census subdivision (CSD) when the CSD is (or was) a city, town or village. If two or more principal CSDs are involved, the urban area may be given a compound name. In other cases, the name of the urban area is an appropriate place name.

Geographic code for urban areas

Urban area codes are unique four-digit codes that are assigned sequentially upon the UA creation. These codes remain constant between censuses. If an urban area is retired due to amalgamation or failure to meet the population or density thresholds, then its code is retired.

It is recommended that the two-digit province/territory code precede the UA code in order to identify each UA uniquely within its corresponding province/territory. For example:

Five UAs straddle provincial boundaries: Campbellton (New Brunswick and Quebec), Hawkesbury (Ontario and Quebec), Ottawa - Gatineau (Ontario and Quebec), Flin Flon (Manitoba and Saskatchewan) and Lloydminster (Alberta and Saskatchewan).

One of the 2006 urban areas, Attawaspiskat 91A (UA 35 1275), is an area that has been identified as being an incompletely enumerated Indian reserve. Data for 2006 are not available for the incompletely enumerated reserves and settlements, and are not included in tabulations. Because of the missing data, users are cautioned that for the affected geographic areas, comparisons (e.g., percentage change) between 2001 and 2006 are not exact.

Table 1 in the Introduction shows the number of urban areas by province and territory.

Refer to the related definitions of dissemination block (DB); census metropolitan area (CMA) and census agglomeration (CA); census subdivision (CSD); designated place (DPL); land area; place name (PN); population density; urban core, urban fringe and rural fringe and urban population size group.

Changes prior to the current census:

Following the delineation of 2006 dissemination blocks, the boundaries of 412 2001 urban areas were adjusted to correct for over-bounding which resulted largely from the 2001 block structure. This correction resulted in the reduction of land area of these 2001 urban areas in preparation for the delineation of the 2006 urban areas.

The correction also resulted in the reinstatement of four urban areas for 2006 which had been merged with other urban areas in 2001. These include Fortune (10 0300), Sainte-Croix (24 0878), Châteauguay (24 1177), and Dowling (35 1084).

In 2001, the delineation of urban areas became an automated process that made it possible to use population counts and population density data from the current census.

Prior to 2001, the geographic units used for urban area delineation were census subdivisions, designated places and enumeration areas. Population counts and population density from the previous census were used in all cases, except when enumeration area boundaries had been adjusted for the current census.

For 1976, urban areas contained a population concentration of at least 1,000 persons and a population density of at least 1,000 persons per square mile (386 per square kilometre). Urban areas were combined if they were separated by less than one mile (1.6 kilometres).

For 1971, 1966 and 1961, urban areas included:

• all incorporated cities, towns and villages with a population of 1,000 persons or over
• all unincorporated places with a population of 1,000 persons or over and a population density of at least 1,000 persons per square mile
• the urbanized fringe of these urban areas, known as the urbanized core of a census agglomeration or census metropolitan area, where a minimum population of 1,000 persons and a density of at least 1,000 persons per square mile existed.