The evolution of public transport networks in Windsor, (Ontario), London, (Ontario), 1872--1968

The size and shape of public transportation networks in Windsor, (Ontario), and London, (Ontario), between 1872 and 1968 may be related to changes in technology and to city growth. The networks remained stable for many years despite population growth, until technological advances permitted a change in the mode of public transportation. This, in turn, affected the size and shape of the cities' public transportation networks.;Investigation established that public transportation networks in Windsor and London maintained a similarity of development in spite of differences in history, topography, urban morphology and socio-economic characteristics. Network change was closely associated with advances in technology, although political influences such as annexations, were also important in recent network expansions. At the same time, it was discovered that the application of the Konig Number to a particular network showed a close relationship between change in location of the most central node in the network and the movement of the Central Business District.;Examination of this problem required analysis of network evolution in both cities to determine the degree to which network development was affected by new modes of transportation. This process was simplified by the use of a series of maps developed for several corresponding time periods in each city. Objectivity of analysis was achieved by employing simple indices taken from graph theory as measures of topological change.