
Settled areas are a type of intensively used ecosystem that represent the places where people live and work. While they make up a small percentage of the total land area in Canada, the expansion of settled areas onto adjacent landscapes greatly affects the surrounding environment.
Contiguously settled areas (CSAs) are a new geography that represent the physical footprint of settled areas on the landscape and can be used to measure the expansion of these areas over time, contributing to a better understanding of urban sprawl. In 2020, contiguously settled areas covered roughly 18,000 km2 of Canada.
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