January 21, 2000
Urban Sprawl Changes Landscape
Expanding Cities
Are new neighborhoods, highways, and shopping centers appearing on land that was once a park or a farm? Is there new construction in areas once considered "on the outskirts"? If so, then perhaps your area has succumbed to urban sprawl. What are some of the problems associated with urban sprawl?
Urban sprawl refers to the development of residential and commercial centers on undeveloped land located outside the boundaries of a city. Many large and medium-sized American cities are feeling the effects--and suffering the consequences--of urban sprawl.
American cities have been transformed into expansive metropolitan areas covering several counties and incorporating suburbs and small--sometimes rural--outlying communities. Growth and development are associated with a healthy economy or an improved standard of living. However, tension exists between land developers and planners who must meet the demands of urban expansion, and environmentalists who want to protect natural resources.
Resulting Problems
Consider some of the major problems associated with this type of growth:
Air pollution in urban areas remains a problem. Over 60 urban areas are not within the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) guidelines for carbon dioxide or ground-level ozone. What's more disturbing is that pollution now affects smaller communities outside major metropolitan areas.
As a by-product of increased air pollution, people suffering from
chronic respiratory illness has increased to about 20,000-40,000 cases
annually with the annual number of premature deaths from "cardiopulmonary
causes linked to particulate air pollution" at around 64,000.
For some asthma sufferers, air pollution can trigger an asthma attack. To understand more about the respiratory system, look at the Biology Gateways: The Human Respiratory System activity
Health and the Respiratory System: Asthma.
You can
read the press release of the Vice President's briefing or see
highlights of the actual report on the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service site.
Urban sprawl destroys over 100,000 acres of wetlands annually. Because wetlands act as natural sponge-like filters, flood-prone areas are more at risk for fatalities and property damage from flooding. Over the last eight years, there has been $89 billion in property damage from floods.
The
Endangered Species Act signed into law in 1973 provides for the protection of certain fish, wildlife and plants that "have been rendered extinct as a consequence of...development..."
Can urban sprawl be managed?
The news isn't all bad. Sprawl can be managed. Cooperation among state and local governments, planning commissions, developers, environmentalists, and concerned citizens can bring about changes in land use and development.
The Sierra Club
The environmental organization, Sierra Club, named sprawl as one of their "hot issues." Their report,
"Solving Sprawl"
defines four ways for managing urban sprawl and includes a state-by-state rating in each category.
The City of Orange, California
According to Joan Wolff, Principal Planner for the City of Orange, California, "there is a lot of talk about 'smart growth.' " (The City of Orange is located about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles and has a population of approximately 127,000.) Wolff outlines the smart growth concept as:
The
City's municipal code
provides for the establishment of the "Planned Unit Development (PUD)" as an "alternative to standard residential development wherein the existing by clustering of units and combining of open space, recreation areas and roadways. . ."
Other Initiatives
Related Resources
Increased traffic congestion/air pollution: Americans spend 55 eight-hour workdays behind the wheel of their car. As urban areas spread out, more time is spent in cars, and traffic congestion occurs over a larger area. Adding new lanes to highways doesn't solve the problem.
Reduced farmland/wetland acreage: A staggering 70% of prime farmland is in the path of rapid development. In December 1999 Vice President Gore released figures indicating the loss of farmland to development.In the '90s alone, more than 3 million acres of open space (includes farmland and forests) were developed.This problem is not just concentrated near large urban centers, but also in mid-sized cities.
Threatened wildlife: As neighborhoods and highways engulf open space, the natural habitat of wildlife is destroyed. Some of America's most important ecosystems such as the Chesapeake Bay and the Everglades are now threatened by urban sprawl. Urban development is the biggest threat to endangered plants also.
higher density residential development, higher rise office buildings, transit centers located close to residential and employment areas... . The higher density is complemented by larger, consolidated open space areas as opposed to...bits of open space on individual single family residential properties.
