Urbanization & Land Use - Lecture

  1. Change in land use

  2. Effects of urbanization

    1. pollution, traffic, urban sprawl, runoff, flooding, habitat loss and disruption, noise and sound pollution

  3. Solutions to urbanization

  • Urban sprawl: big city centers expanding to create more housing centers/shopping centers near the city

    • NOW: The more developed the region is, the more people want to live there

    • BEFORE: People wanted to live in rural areas

    • Urban sprawl people left the cities, but this has been recreated now

Urbanization

  • The movement of people from rural to urban areas

  • Urban vs rural

    • urban: greater population density

    • rural: less population density

      • more people live in urban areas than rural

  • Industrialization has driven urbanization

  • Environmental factors influence the location of cities

    • climate, topography, waterways

Urban Sprawl

  • The spread of low density urban or suburban development outward from an urban center

    • ex: people move from inner cities to suburbs

    • suburbs: less crime, cheaper real estate, better schools, more space

    • causes of sprawl: two major factors

      • population growth

      • per capita land consumption

        • more land used

    • consequences of sprawl

      • more space taken up, traffic, loss of habitats

  • Major problems with sprawl

    • A. Transportation

      • people are forced to drive cars

        • lack of mass transit options

        • more traffic accidents

        • increased dependence on oil

    • B. Urban Runoff

      • Impervious surfaces (asphalt, parking lots) lead to more water runoff

      • water carries motor oil, road salt and other hazardous chemicals down stream

    • C. Pollution

      • carbon dioxide, air pollutants, ozone, smog, acid rain

    • D. Health

      • Sprawl promoted physical inactivity because driving cars replaces walking

      • increases in obesity and high blood pressure

    • E. Land Use

      • less forests, fields, farmland

      • loss of resources, recreation, beauty, wildlife habitat, air and water purification

    • F. Economics

      • sprawl drains tax dollars from communities

      • money needed for roads, water and sewer systems, electricity, police and fire services, schools

      • taxpayers subsidize improvements

Urban Sprawl Solutions

  • Urban and Regional planning

    • A. City planning (urban)

      • designing cities to maximize their efficiency, functionality, and beauty

        • ex: Washington DC

    • B. Regional Planning

      • deals with the same issues as city planning, but with broader geographic scales

    • C. Zoning

      • practice that classifies areas for different types of development and use

    • D. Urban Growth Boundary (UG-B)

      • a line on a map intended to separate areas desired to be urban from areas desired to remain rural

    • E. Walkable Neighborhoods

      • homes, business, and schools are close together

      • most of a family’s needs can be met without a car

      • green spaces, mixed architecture, and creative street layouts

      • transit-oriented development

    • F. Transit Options

      • traffic causes air pollution, stress, and lost time

      • bicycle transportation: designated bike paths and lanes

      • mass transit systems: buses, trains, subways, light rail

    • Government can encourage mass transit

      • raise fuel taxes, tax inefficient modes of transport

      • reward carpoolers

      • encourage bicycle and bus use

      • charge trucks for road damage

Types of Parklands

  • 1. Greenways

    • strips of land connecting parks and neighborhoods

      • protect water quality, boosts property value, provides corridors for wildlife

  • 2. Greenbelts

    • long, wide corridors of parklands

  • 3. Community gardens

  • 4. Public parks

  • 5. Forest preserves

  • 6. Ecological restoration sites

Green Buildings

  • Stretches that use techniques and approaches to minimize ecological footprints of construction and operation

    • built from sustainable materials

    • minimize energy and water use

    • control pollution

    • recycle wastes

  • LEED Certification

    • leadership in energy and environmental design

      • energy, the site, indoors, materials, water use, innovation, the region

Noise Pollution

  • Undesired ambient sound

    • degrades surroundings, stressful, hurts hearing

Light Pollution

  • Light that obscures night sky

    • impairs visibility of stars, disrupts ecosystems

Urban Heat Island Effect

  • Cities are hotter than surrounding areas

    • buildings, vehicles, factories, and people generate heat

    • dark buildings and pavement absorb heat