REDGRAVE, Paul Robert - 1989

A Factorial Urban Ecology for the Halifax Census Metropolitan Area

This research paper was an attempt to determine whether the social geography of the Halifax Metropolitan area was typical of the North American city. More specifically, the question asked was whether the social geography of the Halifax region conformed to the theoretical model of urban social space developed by Brian Berry. Using a statistical technique called Factor Analysis, I attempted to prove that the Halifax Census Metropolitan area conformed to the model of urban social geography.

The results of the factorial analysis, using thirty-seven variables for each of the seventy-four census tracts, produced four factors that could explain the social geography of the Halifax C.M.A.. The first two factors, economic and family status, conformed to the model. They also had the hypothesized spatial patterns: economic status was sectorial, while family status was zoned. However, the next two factors, defined as a "participation" factor and a "non-ethnic" factor, did not conform to the model. It was concluded that the social geography of the Halifax C.M.A. was typical of the North American city, but with a strong element of uniqueness.