LIVING ON ICE - PROBLEMS OF URBAN-DEVELOPMENT IN CANADA NORTH

Canada is a cold country. It is only along the maritime lowland fringe s of the Pacific coast that snow and sub-freezing temperatures are rar e. By contrast, those areas along the southern borders, where most of the Canadian population resides, are seasonally cold. In these regions , seasonal agriculture is possible, plant and animal productivity is h igh, and the constraints of cold can be temporarily forgotten during t he summer months. Elsewhere, over the vast majority of the Canadian la ndmass, and certainly north of 60 degrees N, the problems created by c oldness persist throughout the year. Although there are few urban sett lements in excess of 5000 people, these constraints dominate urban and socio-economic activities. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the nature of such constraints, paying particular attention to the ch aracter of perennially frozen substrates (permafrost), terrain disturb ances caused by various types of construction activity, and problems a ssociated with ground and surface waters.