Commercial Land Use: Dispersed Stores

This map shows how commercial activity is distributed within urban areas and the impact of commercial services on the urban landscape, by mapping what proportion of stores (hence jobs) in an urban area that are found in dispersed stores. The dispersed stores are those activities that are left out when all the commercial polygons in the city have been mapped. They include the traditional activities such as service stations and convenience stores, as well as clusters of stores that are too small to qualify as commercial polygons. In most cities, some 30% of stores are assigned to this category, with higher proportions in small cities and slow-growth cities. Since dispersed stores seldom serve consumers living outside the city, they tend to be relatively more important in cities with low indices of centrality. Like arterial strips, they may also be an indicator of weaker planning legislation that permits commercial activity outside designated commercial zones. The distribution of dispersed stores shows cities with low proportions in the Prairie and Maritime provinces, and cities with higher values in Ontario and Quebec.