Resource Consumption, Urban Sprawl, Deforestation, Agriculture, and Mining

Urban Ecology

subfield of ecology that deals with the interaction of plants, animals, and humans with each other and their environment in urban settings

Urban sprawl

unplanned, uncontrolled, spreading of urban development into areas adjoining the edge of the city

Like any ecosystem, a city must . . .

• maintain a flow of energy

• provide necessary material resources

• have ways of removing waste

• have transportation and communication with outlying areas

Average annual cost per household urban

$1416

Average annual cost per household of suburban

$3462

Characteristics of sprawl

• unlimited outward extension

• low-density residential and commercial settlements

• leapfrog development

• fragmentation of powers over land use among many small localities

• dominance of transportation by private vehicles

• no centralized planning or control of land uses

• widespread strip of commercial development

• great fiscal disparities among localities

• segregation of types of land use in different zones

• reliance of trickle-down process to provide housing to low-income households

Ecotourism

tourism directed towards exotic, often threatened, natural ecosystems, especially to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife

Original intent of ecotourism

responsible travel which conserves environments and sustains the well-being of local people

Minimizing impacts of ecotourism

• cultural

• waste

• carbon (more recent)