Despite the technical nature of this publication that may not be easily understandable for those who are not familiar with geospatial concepts, the authors nevertheless brilliantly fleshed out a major issue amongst urban areas of Canada-urban sprawl-and used their geospatial expertise to connect the geographic and social aspect of said issue. Their geospatial visualizations were more granular than density choropleth maps that most people are familiar with, yet they were made understandable enough to draw upon discernible urban patterns, complemented by technical methodology that effectively fills potential knowledge gaps.

As a largely continental country that is generally car-oriented, and whose metropolitan areas were largely built from the post-WWII growth, Canada’s physical and human geography creates a perfect storm for the proliferation of urban sprawl, with the authors even noting that barriers to sprawl such as major rivers are rare for Canada. Based on their research, which was the first research of its kind that compares the spatial patterns of population densities for major Canadian cities at a granular level, Brampton, Calgary, and Winnipeg exemplify Canadian urban sprawl as largely low-density cities where large portions of their population are living outside the population clusters, whether due to having many population clusters and/or the clusters being spatially distant. Even in cities like Toronto, where ravines slice through the city and a gigantic freshwater shoreline make up its southern boundary, spatial discontinuities of populations at granular levels still exist. With the ongoing rapid growth of Toronto’s suburbs, as well as towns surrounding Calgary, more research must be conducted to not only measure and visualize  the negative effects of ongoing urban sprawl, but also draw insights that will push for policy changes such as more dense, transit-oriented, and mixed-use development that protects greenspaces that these two authors are advocating for. In fact, they noted that densification of communities is a way to combat climate change by reducing the usage of cars, which, in turn, reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Ever since this publication, Canada recorded its hottest temperature in 2021 and experienced its worst wildfire season in 2023 by area burnt, rendering action on climate change mitigation, and, by extension, research like this even more important.

Given that this was published before the onset of COVID-19, it would be great for there to be follow-up research conducted on this matter. One of the COVID-19 pandemic’s major effects on spatial patterns was the dramatic shift towards remote and hybrid work. Even after virtually all pandemic restrictions have disappeared, the attitudes of many workers are still in favour of their employers keeping remote work mechanisms in place, or at the very least, exploring hybrid options. Some workplaces have fully embraced the new normal, while others are adamant about returning to their pre-pandemic work arrangements. Regardless, this new reality should be something that follow-up research should explore, as it touches upon many aspects of urban spatial patterns-commuting, office space occupancy, relocation to the suburbs, etc. As the authors advocated for densification of communities and the proliferation of more mixed-use, transit-oriented development, now would be a good time to utilize this publication as a way to amalgamate their insights with ongoing discussions regarding converting unused office space (due to work-from-home models) into mixed-use housing. The current housing crisis and promises by political leaders to address it with policies meant to encourage mass home construction not seen since the immediate period after World War II, adds another interesting dynamic to urban spatial patterns that follow-up research should explore. It is interesting that the authors brought up Ontario’s Places to Grow Act, given that over the past few years, the current Ontario government sought to circumvent that act and other related legislation by opening up protected environmentally sensitive areas in the Greater Toronto Area (collectively known as the Greenbelt) for development. Alongside recent proposals to build a new highway in Toronto’s suburban communities and recent provincial legislation closing downtown bike lanes in Toronto, it makes publications like this one ever so important, and must be continued to be reproduced to combat urban sprawl and the negative environmental and social impacts that come with it.