Urban Sprawl

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Notes

1) At the beginning, i start off with an animoto.

2) Then I talk on the camera:

Hello everyone my name is Tariq and today I will be doing a presentation about urban sprawl.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if a city kept on growing and growing almost forever?

Have you thought of the possible pollution this city would cause?

Have you ever thought of the possible impacts this city would face?

Today i will be presenting a variety of different sources from the internet which explain the meaning of urban sprawl. I will also try to describe the urban sprawl that is happennig in Georgia state, Atlanta to be specific. Lastly, I will be giving some solutions to this problem that would help us maintain the earth's capability of hosting us.

So what is urban sprawl and how does it affect our environment?

According to the English Dictionary, urban sprawl is the unchecked spreading of a city or its suburbs. It often involves the construction of residential and commercial buildings in rural areas or otherwise undeveloped land at the outskirts of a city.

Below is a video that illustrates the meaning of urban sprawl in a cartoonish way. The reason I put this video is because it basically covers up all the different impacts urban sprawl could cause. Another reason I included this video in my presentation is because it is very simple and straight forward therefore it could be given to any audience which is between 7-70 years old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWirJsL6-JU

Below is a report where Kristina Jones which has a PHD in criminal justice expresses HER understanding of urban sprawl, she says:

"What is urban sprawl? Urban sprawl is defined as "the increased use of urbanized land by fewer people than in the past. In the past, cities were compact and efficient but recently the density of land utilized per person has seen a major decline in the United States. From 1982-1997, the United States population had grown by about 17 percent, while the urbanized land had increased by about 47 percent during the same period in time. This drastic change in urbanized areas has been met by both environmental impacts, as well as financial and time burdens on the people."http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/110398/the_problems_with_urban_sprawl.html?cat=9

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As we know the United States has 50 states. Urban sprawl is basically spread all over this region. However, it is Atlanta (the capital city of Georgia state) where urban sprawl is most clearly seen.

http://www.sprawlcity.org/hbis/index.html

As we can see from this website Atlanta happens to be the most city with urbanized land. According to this website Atlanta has beaten New York city which is the most populous city in the united states and Albuquerque, NM which is the largest city in the US.

Below is a video which gives us an idea of how bad urban sprawl is in Atlanta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbzJ-o3Fe90f

until 0:54

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The environmental impacts of urban sprawl in Atlanta are among the most significant and widespread in the nation. It has been reported that Georgia was ranked as the country's sixth fastest-growing state in the 2000s; its population increased more than 26.4 percent during this period. There are no large bodies of water, mountains, or major federal land holdings to limit the city's outward growth. Atlanta also has the fastest growth rate of any southeastern city. Some experts believe that the region's population could double by 2050.

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-763

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Social:

1) Driving

When people live in cities, they do not usually need to drive in order to get what they need. However, when urban sprawl was introduced people started using cars more often; since people live farther apart in the suburbs, driving is necessary in order to get anywhere other than your neighbor's house. Increased driving means increased air pollution from cars, as well as noise pollution and crowded streets. Another major impact that influence cities that are experiencing urban sprawl is obesity. The American Journal of Health and the American Journal of Health Promotion, have both stated that there is a significant connection between sprawl, obesity. Many urbanists argue that this is due to less walking in sprawl-type developments. Living in a car centered culture forces inhabitants to drive everywhere, thus walking far less than their urban (and generally healthier) counterparts.

2) Health issues

a) The poor air quality makes thousand's of people living in Atlanta catch illnesses like Asthma, Bonchitis and other breathing problems. This increases the amount of people going to hospitals for respiratory problems.

b) Another reason people could get sick is because a city which is experiencing urban sprawl is compacted with buildings all over this city. This increases the amount of carbon dioxide gas. This builds up with the fact that urban sprawl cuts down many trees and farmlandsfor buildings, This leaves no exchange in gases between trees and the surroundings. Therefore increasing the amount of caarbon dioxide gas and other poisonous gases which are very harmful.

3) Destroys realtionships with family members and friends

The opportunity to jump in the car and go anywhere anytime made life more convenient, but it also made existence more solitary. Life became centered on work (or school) and spare time was filled with more solitary pursuits like television. This influences the relationship between family members and friends.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5401807_urban-sprawl-its-effects.html

http://www.ehow.com/about_5393934_effects-urban-sprawl.html

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Environmental:

1) Due to the larger area consumed by sprawling suburbs compared to urban neighborhoods, more farmland and wildlife habitats are displaced per resident. As forest cover is cleared and covered with impervious surfaces (concrete and asphalt) in the suburbs, rainfall is less effectively absorbed into the ground water. This threatens both the quality and quantity of water supplies. Sprawl increases water pollution as rain water picks up gasoline, motor oil, heavy metals, and other pollutants in runoff from parking lots and roads. Sprawl fragments the land which increases the risk of invasive species spreading into the remaining forest.

2) Wildlife habitats disappear as we make more room for human establishments. As a result, certain animal species face extinction or at the very least endangerment. We lose air quality when we cut down trees for parking lots, and we lose potential food sources when we drive animals off of the land.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_sprawl

http://www.ehow.com/about_5401807_urban-sprawl-its-effects.html

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Economic:

1) Higher Taxes
Since communities are more spread out today than they were in the past, we require more services. We have more roads, restaurants, gas stations and other public establishments than we had in the past. We also need more emergency services and government agencies. All of this added development does not come free; the tax payers have to pay for it with an increase in their income and property taxes to build new roads, schools and other necessary establishments.

2) Increased personal transportation costs
Residents of low-density areas spend a higher proportion of their income on transportation than residents of high density areas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_sprawl

http://www.ehow.com/about_5401807_urban-sprawl-its-effects.html

Below is a picture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Petrol_use_urban_density.svg

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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Notes

Urban Sprawl

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