# Australia, Canada, and the United States: More a like than different.



## Rwarky (Apr 19, 2005)

Australia, Canada, and the U.S.A., all former British controlled territories, have tall, high-density central cores. However, they each posses sprawling low-density neighborhoods, comprising of mostly houses rather than apartments. Has anyone else noticed this about these three nations cities? Also, why did they develop this way? Please post pics to support this thread.


----------



## Plumber73 (Mar 3, 2005)

Lots of space helps. Lots of people want their own house. Car is king.


----------



## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

It is not surprising that Canada and the USA are similar.. they share the same continent and have a shared history. I am always shocked at how Americanized Australian cities are.


----------



## Nouvellecosse (Jun 4, 2005)

I'd say it's a combination of wealth and age. All r so called "new world" countries, with their current civilizations developed by European powers, and all of them have had a major percentage of their development after motor vehicles (both cars and transit) became prevalent.

These three countries also share these characteristics - particularly those in teh Americas - but they didn't have the same level of wealth to allow them to make the same usage of vehicles, particularly for the purposes of expanding their cities. Because of this, their populations couldn't afford commute from outer areas of cities.


----------



## tablemtn (May 2, 2006)

Plentiful land combined with high economic development led to low density, because people wanted to own their own parcels of property. It makes sense in a lot of ways - under old English common law, landholding males were the only ones with voting or financial rights in many situations. "Colonizing the frontier" meant settling the land, and that value of land ownership became important culturally. Real estate is an equity asset.


----------



## addisonwesley (Jun 19, 2005)

Regarding Canada and the United States, in the urban context, I would not be so quick to agree. Cities in the US tend to be more dispersed, and the suburbs and central city are generally well linked by an expansive expressway system. While Canadian cities have their sprawl as well, penetration of highways into and around the central city (especially downtown areas) is very limited, and in some cases non-existent. This in turn, has led to differences in the commuting patterns of Canadian and American city-dwellers. In the United States in 2002-3, 89% of workers in US cities travelled by carpooling or private automobile, compared to 76% for those in Canadian cities. As well, transit usage is generally higher in Canada than in the US (14.8 and 6 percent, respectively). 

In addition, there has been the case of 'white-flight' to the suburbs in US cities, whereas in Canada this is not the case (in 2000, 20 US central cities had majority black populations). Only in two Canadian cities (Toronto and Vancouver) does the proportion of visible minorities exceed one third (43 and 49 percent, respectively).

In other contexts (historical, economic, even in attitudes), there are also a great number of differences between the US and Canada.


----------



## oz.fil (Jun 2, 2006)

Australia, Canada and the USA are roughly the same size though I wouldnt say they were alike... For one thing, the US and Canada have more population and also that Australia doesnt have a high crime rate like the USA, I mean you can actually walk in a park alone at night... although they have some similarities


----------



## Captain Obvious (Sep 13, 2002)

The United States has extremely unique landuse patterns. Our Federal and State governments keep building freeways nonstop, and our local governments use coercive ill-conceived zoning laws to force private developers into building nothing but low-density sprawl. 

I don't think Canada or Australia have landuse patterns that similar to America at all. They might not have a bunch of commieblocks on the outskirts like Europe, but neither are they very similar to America's sprawl. Single family suburbs in Canada and Australia tend to be MUCH more dense than America. They also have a much higher proportion of people living in highrises.


----------



## intervention (Aug 26, 2002)

There are obvious similiarities ... however, I would still say that Canada is much similar to Australia (despite our frigid climate) than to the USA. The USA has development and land-use patterns, development issues and socio-economic contexts (thankfully) unparrelled in both Australia and Canada.


----------



## svs (Dec 5, 2005)

I've traveled through all 50 states and through the major Canadian Provinces, and spent a couple of weeks in Australia. With the exception of Quebec, Canada feels very much like the US if you ignore the money, the pictures of the Queen, buying gasoline by the liter, and the "Arret" on the stop signs.

Toronto feels much like Chicago; Calgary like Denver, Vancouver like San Francisco or Seattle. The accents are really not that different from standard American English; Southern and New England accents sound farther from midwestern American than most Canadians. Buildings are fairly similar in appearance as well.

Australia reminds me a lot of California. Melbourne feels a lot like San Francisco, Sydney like LA. The accents of course are quite different, and they do drive on the wrong side of the street, and have the strangest wildlife on the planet but Aussies are outgoing much like Americans. Overall Canada and Australia remind me much more of the US than they do of Britain.


----------



## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Australia's case is pretty interesting but I also think the country has some strong US and Canadian influence. And also Australia is a commonwealth just like Canada.

And it's influence is not just in cities but in highways as well. Ok Australians drive on the left side of the road but their freeway signs and marking uses the same colour and font of US and Canadian highways.

But I think it's the space. Australia has alot of land but most of it's major cities are built among coastal areas because of the mild climate.

But it's not just US, Canada or Australia. South African cities are similar to some extent.


----------



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

It's more a space issue than a colonizer issue. The Americans parted with the Crown in bad terms while Canada still keeps the Queen as the Head of State happily. If there is more space, people waste it. It's expected. Even in places that are not influenced by the Europeans historically are seeing such a trend these days.


----------



## algonquin (Sep 24, 2004)

The answer is easy... all three countries developed more or less at the same time. The largest factor in these 'new world' cities growth is the automobile.

Look at the oldest NA cities.... Montreal, Quebec City, Boston, NYC (below wall street).... how do people often describe their oldest neighbourhoods? European. I can't speak for Australian cities because I've never visited one.

Look at any NA city in chronological terms, and see the transformation from urban to suburban. It's easy. Having lots of space to grow certainly helps, but it only accommodates the change... I don't think it caused it.


----------



## Nouvellecosse (Jun 4, 2005)

Definitely it's a matter of motor vehicles more than of space. During much of the last millenium, Europe had plenty of space. Medivial towns, villages, and cities were surrounded by huge expanses of untamed forest, but that didn't create spawl. Their communities were all densely built because they didn't have adequate transportation to allow otherwise.


----------



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Howard's Garden City Movement started in the late 19th century, long before cars became a common household item in North America. With plenty of greenspace and open areas, the movement addressed the need for the working class to have a balanced lifestyle. The desire to bring the countryside into the city has since evolved into today's suburbs. The car facilitated the spread of this doctrine, rather than causing it.


----------



## Tubeman (Sep 12, 2002)

Can we makes sure we compare cities per initial question rather than the countries please?


----------



## Cunning Linguist (Apr 27, 2006)

Meh. You talking about Howard reminds me of old uni modules.


----------



## aussiescraperman (Apr 5, 2005)

our three countries are definately the most common in the world, in all areas.
all have the same dream of land with house on it i guess, which developed into dense cbd's and sprawling suburbs.

anyone know the statistics for who lives in highrises comapred to houses in australia? i reckon it'd be around 95% who live in house. there only like 5-10 highrises apartments in melbourne( not including luxury apartments such as eureka tower and so on....).

last year i was at the melbourne show and was watchign this animal show thing. i think it was a bearded dragon they were talkign about..and how it was the nubmer one pet in the US, becuase msot people lived in apartments compared to houses. i was like wth...lol. i've been america enough, to know that wasn't true.

but yeah, the US is pretty much like australia, canada prolly even mroe so, but never been so can't say.


----------



## dunwyn (Mar 15, 2006)

There is more than 10 highrise buildings in Melbourne. There is at least 10 in Southbank (near Eureka Tower). 

The similarities of USA, Canada, Australia is that we firstly speak English (with the exception of Quebec). 
We all are capitalist and democratic.
Our developement occured roughly at the same time. 
Our immigration intake, each has a large % compared to other countries.
Urban sprawl especially after WW2. 
Reliance of the car and the development of roads.
Francisation of businesses is the most common. Those that are multi-national and those that are local or national.

The differences our culture (beyond hollywood), such as sports are vast. Australia besides Aussie Rules kept the ties with British sports. USA and Canada developed their own sports. 
Even though we speak english there are slight differences.
Type of governments, Canada and Australia - Constitutional Monarchy with a parliament; USA - Republic with a president.


----------



## Golden Age (Dec 26, 2006)

The most obvious answer would be that English is the common language and unlike the UK/Ireland/South Africa are all very big countries. With the language being the same, it is much easier to have common cultural aspects. Look at Germany/Austria/Switzerland or France/Quebec/Belgium.


----------



## ssiguy2 (Feb 19, 2005)

Canada has two official languages, it's cities are far more dence with skycraper apt condos outside of the core........hundreds of them. 
Cold climate, hockey, our first Europeans were the French not English, very few of our cities are coastal, most liberal of all three, our regions are more distinct....ie Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prearies, BC, and the North. They are all very different economically, socially, religiously, attitudes, lifestlyes, and politically. 

Also Canada has one thing that no other country has.......being next door to the world's only superpower. The US is the only superpower, and Australia is the only country that is also a continent and in the southern hemisphere. 

I think the countries are very different.


----------



## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

I've never had the chance to visit Australia, but looking at it on Google Maps, Sydney and Melbourne has a lot of similarity with cities in California. I would say that parts of California have more in common with Australia than with Canada, to me at least. 

The fact that Australia has a more densely populated east coast shows a similarity to where I reside, the East coast of the US. I have heard in a Geography book that compared the US to Australia, calling Sydney the "New York", Melbourne the "Boston" and obviously Canberra the "Washington" of Australia. 

I think the similarities with Canada are a bit more obvious, just being north of here. But there are some big differences between here and Canada. But when you look at the larger picture of the world, Canada is the most similar country in the world to the US, with Australia at a close second.

If I could ever get the airfare (getting to Australia isn't cheap from here), I'd like to visit it one day.


----------



## Randwicked (Jan 29, 2004)

A gross simplification I like: Australia = USA West Coast, Canada = USA North-East.


----------



## SYDNEYAHOLIC (Nov 3, 2006)

I think that Australia used to be much more like Britain but over the last few decades the profusion of American style shopping malls in suburbia has made Australia much more like America, and thus also Canada.


----------



## SYDNEYAHOLIC (Nov 3, 2006)

As well as other factors as well though of course....


----------



## monkeyronin (May 18, 2006)

SYDNEYAHOLIC said:


> I think that Australia used to be much more like Britain but over the last few decades the profusion of American style shopping malls in suburbia has made Australia much more like America, and thus also Canada.


It was the same way for Canada as well (except for Quebec and parts of the East Coast which were more influenced by the French). For example, take a look at Toronto in the early to mid 1800s..









Looks almost like a miniature London. But as time went on the influence of the British began to fade, and the influence of America grew. By the 20s, the city shares much more in common with American cities..


----------



## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

I think Australia is still more influenced by Britain, especially with television shows and music, than Canada. This in turn causes stress and some conflict within Australia over whether to become a republic or not. Because the connection between Canada and the UK is more remote, most people don't really give it too much thought (with the exception of Quebec, that is).

I certainly remember when I was young that there was a stronger connection between Canada and Britain and the Commonwealth, and I still tend to think of Canada/UK/Australia/NZ as being "cousins".


----------



## PerthCity (Dec 15, 2005)

Yes, Australia is the odd one out of the three as it still retains strong ties with British culture. 

One thing Ive always wondered is why cricket is not played in Canada. It is popular in every nation with a British influence, and when it was first played in the 1800s, the tie between Britain and Canada would still have been tight.


----------



## Cristovão471 (May 9, 2006)

I love the english programs we get down here, most are on our version of ABC, I think it is like americas PBS. Sweet shows like Little Britain or Top Gear


----------



## ToRoNto g-town (Nov 26, 2005)

BeachRes44 said:


> Yes, Australia is the odd one out of the three as it still retains strong ties with British culture.
> 
> One thing Ive always wondered is why cricket is not played in Canada. It is popular in every nation with a British influence, and when it was first played in the 1800s, the tie between Britain and Canada would still have been tight.


dont know but thanks god it never caught on here..def not a sport i could ever see being played in canada.


----------



## samsonyuen (Sep 23, 2003)

I agree, they are quite alike in the grand scheme of things


----------



## addisonwesley (Jun 19, 2005)

BeachRes44 said:


> One thing Ive always wondered is why cricket is not played in Canada. It is popular in every nation with a British influence, and when it was first played in the 1800s, the tie between Britain and Canada would still have been tight.


My guess would be that cricket was beat out by hockey, baseball, and basketball. Cricket is quite popular with immigrants from India and Pakistan here though. I remember there being a match between those two countries when I was in high-school, and our class ended up listening to the radio broadcast instead.


----------



## Zaki (Apr 16, 2005)

ToRoNto said:


> dont know but thanks god it never caught on here..def not a sport i could ever see being played in canada.


actually Canada does play cricket and infact its even playing in the cricket world cup this year and wa sin the last cricket world cup as well. Though its true that its not very popular here. Us north americans don't really like watching a game that takes all day let alone 5 days.


----------



## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

There are Cricket clubs here as well, mostly from the South Asian and Caribbean communities here.

In fact, there is one in the park near my house...

I never really got cricket personally, not my kind of sport.


----------



## SM247 (Dec 5, 2006)

It is probably for the best that Canada tends not to play cricket, maybe because they seem to get bowled out for 30 in international matches.


----------



## Tubeman (Sep 12, 2002)

This thread isn't really staying on topic, but that was pretty predictable


----------

