Chapter 10: Urbanization

Lesson 1: Land Use and Urbanization

Land Cover and Land UseLand cover influences land use and humans

change both when they build urban areas.Land cover refers to the vegetation and

manufactured structures that cover land Ex: tree, crops, building, pavement, and water

Human activities that occur on land and are directly related to the land are called land use. Ex: farming, mining, residential development, and

recreation

The land cover of an area may change as people settle there and begin to use the land

Land cover scientists observe land cover and monitor how – and how rapidly – land cover changes. Also study economic impacts, effect on water

quality, invasive species, habitat loss, biodiversity loss, and climate change as they affect land cover.

Urban area is a category of land cover and land use that is mostly developed land covered mainly with buildings and roads that has a human population of 2500 or more. Any other type of land use or land cover is

considered rural area

UrbanizationUrbanization occurs when people move out

of rural areas toward areas with more or better jobs.

There have been cities throughout history, but today’s cities are much larger. More than 20 cities worldwide have more than 10 million residents.

Since 1950, the world’s urban population has more than quadrupled. Urban populations are growing because the overall

human population is growing, and because more people are moving from farms to cities than are moving from cities to farms.

This shift of population from the countryside to urban areas is called urbanization. Began hundreds of years ago, around the time of

the Industrial Revolution.

Location is essential to the growth of an urban area A moderate climate, central geography, and

ease of transportation all help a small town grow into a large city

Urban Environmental ImpactsCities have both negative and positive

impacts on the environment. The type of impact depends on how we use

resources, produce goods, transport materials, and deal with waste.

Pollution Urban areas export wastes, passively through

pollution, or they export wastes actively through trade such as paying another area to take their garbage.• Transfer the environmental costs of their

activities to another region

Urban residents are exposed to heavy metals, chemical byproducts of industrial processes, and chemicals from motor-vehicle engines and manufactured products.• Airborne pollutants can cause smog and acid

precipitation

Noise pollution consists of undesired background noise

Light pollution describes the way that city lights brighten the night sky, obscuring stars and planets

Heat Islands Infrastructure is made up of the facilities,

services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community• Ex: transportation, communication systems,

water, power, and schools The building of infrastructure makes surfaces

that were moist and permeable (ground) into dry and impermeable surfaces (pavement) which causes a heat island.

• A heat island is an area in which the temperature is several degrees higher than that of the surrounding area.♦ Affects local weather♦ Collect polluting substances over a city

Imported Resources Cities have to import nearly all the resources

their residents and business owners need from areas outside the city.

Long-distance transportation of resources and goods to and from urban areas requires a great deal of fossil fuel, but if people were evenly scattered it would probably require more fossil fuel to allow people the same access to resources and goods.

Efficiency People in a city live close together, which

reduces the amount of fuel and other resources needed to deliver resources and goods.

The high population density of cities allows for the efficient distribution of many services – healthcare, education, power, and public transportation.

Ecological Footprints The average urban resident has a larger

ecological footprint than the average rural resident.

The education and research centers present in urban areas can lead to ideas that reduce negative environmental impacts.

Land Preservation Because people are packed densely together in

cities, more land outside cities is left undeveloped.

This allows for land to be used for agriculture, wilderness, biodiversity, and privacy.

Lesson 2: Sprawl

How Sprawl OccursAs people move from cities to suburbs,

population growth and increased land consumption per capita contribute to sprawl.

Sprawl = the spread of low-density urban or suburban development outward from an urban center.

Two primary factors contribute to sprawl Population growth Increased per capita land consumption – each

person is living on more landThe prime reason per capita land consumption

has increased is that most people like having some space and privacy and dislike congestion.

Highways and telecommunications allow workers greater flexibility to live farther from jobs.

Patterns of Sprawl Uncentered commercial (strip) development –

businesses are arranged in a long strip along a roadway, with no central community.

Low-density single-use residential development – homes are located on large lots in residential areas far from businesses

Scattered (or leapfrog) development – residential developments are built far from a city center and are not integrated with one another

Sparse street network – roads are far enough apart that areas remain undeveloped, but not far enough apart for these areas to function as natural areas or recreational areas

Sprawl

sparse street network

Sprawl

Scattered development

Sprawl

Strip development

Sprawl

Low-density development

Sprawl

Strip development

Sprawl

Scattered development

Sprawl

sparse street network

Sprawl

Low-density development

Sprawl

Strip development

Sprawl

Low-density development

Impacts of SprawlSprawl affects the transportation, pollution, public

health, land use, and economics of an area.Most studies show that sprawl limits transportation

options, forcing people to buy and drive their own cars. Results in more accidents, and greater use of fossil fuels

Increased carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles contribute to air pollution and global climate change.

Motor oil and road salt also pose risks to ecosystems and human health

Some research suggests that sprawl promotes physical inactivity (driving instead of walking or biking), resulting in obesity and high blood pressure.

More land is used for buildings and roads while less is left as forests, fields, farmland, or ranchland.

When people move out of city center, their real-estate taxes no longer contribute to the infrastructure of the city, but go instead to building new infrastructure outside the city.

Lesson 3: Sustainable Cities

City PlanningCity planners use many tools in the attempt

to make urban areas more livable.City planning is the attempt to design cities so

as to maximize their functionality and beauty. Grew in importance throughout the 1900s as

urban populations grew beyond the available jobs and wealthier residents fled to the suburbs.

A geographic information system (GIS) is a computerized system for storing, manipulating, and viewing geographical data. Can layer multiple maps so city planners can

see a combined map with all the different types of information – roads, parks, bodies of water, etc.

One way that planners put their decisions into practice is through zoning, the practice of classifying areas for different types of development and land use. Controls what can be built where Involves a government restriction on the use of

private land and limits personal property rights

An urban growth boundary (UGB) is a line that city planners draw on a map to separate urban areas from areas the city would prefer remain rural. Goals = concentrating development, preventing

sprawl, and preserving orchards, ranches, forests, and working farms.

Promotes building up, not out

Smart growth is a philosophy of urban growth that focuses on economic and environmental approaches that lead to sustainable growth and the avoidance of sprawl. Aims to maintain open spaces by developing

and revitalizing existing urban areas, waterfronts, and former industrial sites – redevelopment.

“New Urbanism” approach seeks to design neighborhoods with homes, businesses, and schools close together, so that most of a person’s needs can be met without driving. Usually near public transit systems Mimic the urban neighborhoods that existed

before suburbs became popular

Transportation OptionsTransportation options are vital to livable

cities.As long as an urban area has been planned

in a way that can support mass transit and is large enough to support the infrastructure, mass transit is cheaper, more energy-efficient, and cleaner than roadways filled with cars.

To encourage mass transit and discourage urban car use, city governments can raise fuel taxes, tax fuel-inefficient modes of transportation, reward carpoolers with carpool lanes, and encourage bicycle use and bus riding.

The most used train systems are the extensive heavy rail systems in America’s largest cities, such as New York’s subways; Washington, D.C.’s Metro; the T in Boston; and the San Francisco area’s BART, each of which carries more than one fourth of each city’s daily commuters.

Open SpaceParks and open space are key elements of

livable cities.Natural lands, public parks, and open space

provide greenery, scenic beauty, freedom of movement, and places for recreation. Also keep ecological processes functioning by

regulating climate, producing oxygen, filtering air and water pollutants, and providing habitat for wildlife.

In urban America around the late 1800s politicians and citizens alike began to desire ways to make their crowded and dirty cities more livable. U.S. cities began to establish public parks. Ecological restoration is the practice of restoring

native communitiesEven small spaces can make a big difference –

playgrounds for children to be active, community gardens where people can grow vegetables and flowers in urban settings.

Greenways are strips of vegetated open space that connect parks or neighborhoods Help protect water quality Increase property value Serve as corridors between habitats for wildlife Decrease habitat fragmentation

Green Building DesignThe goal of a green building is to save

energy and other resources without sacrificing people’s comfort.

Sustainable architecture has been successful in residences, and commercial and industrial buildings all over the world.

Urban Sustainability SuccessesThere has been promising progress toward

urban sustainability.Curitiba, Brazil

Has a high efficient and well-used bus transit networks, job training for the poor, and free healthcare

New York City PlaNYC 2030 is a 127-item program that aims to

reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, improve mass transit, plant trees, clean up polluted lands and rivers, and improve access to parks and greenways.• Has made significant progress since 2007