Impacts of Urbanization and Methods to Reduce Urban Runoff

Urbanization

The process of making an area more urban, which means increasing the density of people per unit area of land

Urban Area

An area that contains more than 386 people per square kilometer

Suburbs

Areas that surround metropolitan centers

Exurbs

Similar to suburbs, but are not connected to any central city

Saltwater Intrusion

An infiltration of salt water in an area where groundwater pressure has been reduced as a result of a cone of depression from extreme pumping of wells

Impervious Surface

Pavement of other surfaces that do not allow water penetration

Urban Sprawl

Urbanized areas that spread into rural areas

Urban blight

A lack of support and deterioration of urban communities

Sense of place

The feeling that an area has a distinct and meaningful character

Urban runoff

Runnoff, water that does not evapotranspire of infiltrate the soils that occurs in an urban area