1 Ch13: Urbanization and Creating Livable Cities More people live in urban areas than in rural areas Sprawl increases a city’s ecological footprint & drain tax dollars from cities Urban & regional planning & zoning reduce sprawl Parks and green spaces are imp. I. Urbanization of today’s societies A. = movement of people from rural to urban areas 1. greatest change in society since transition to a sedentary agricultural lifestyle 2. urban areas are growing rapidly: a. human popn is growing b. more people are moving to urban areas. B. Propelled by 1. agricultural based society & food surpluses 2. industrial revolution & technology 3. green revolution 4. wars (refugees) 5. promise of jobs & affluence. C. Global trends 1. in 2007, for first time in history, more people live in urban areas than in rural areas 2. Americans: 80% are urbanites; 50% are surbanites; in 1850 only 15% lived in cities; suburbs = smaller communities that ring cities; bedroom communities. 3. developing nations (e.g., China & India are urbanizing rapidly). 4. has slowed in developed nations (e.g., U.S. & Canada) D. Unprecedented scale 1. part of human culture for 1000s of years, but today’s cities are unmatched in scale 2. 20 cities have > 10 million residents: Tokyo, Japan, has 35 million people; Mexico City & NY City, each hold 19 million 3. most urban dwellers live in smaller cities; see Table 13.1, p. 359. E. American cities grew rapidly 1. due to increased trade 2. crowding & deteriorating economic conditions in mid-20th century 3. residents moved to suburbs 4. cities in the South & West have grown in recent years; people moved there for warmer weather or more space. F. Most fast-growing cities are in developing nations ENV 2100 Environmental Science, Dr. L. Kelly2 1. why? industrialization, wars, conflict, & ecological degradation 2. not matched by economic growth 3. government policies discourage movement to cities. G. Growth related to geography, climate, proximity to waterways 1. next to rivers, seacoast, imp. corridor for commerce 2. require resources from surrounding rural areas H. Today, popn centers are decentralizing 1. global commerce, air travel, TV, cell phones, Internet 2. businesses don’t need to be in urban areas. II. Urban sprawl A. sprawl = spread of low-density urban or suburban development outward from urban center 1. spread exceeds rate of popn growth Phoenix, Arizona’s land area grew 27 times larger, while its popn grew 12 times larger from 1950-2002. 2. by 1950s, U.S. & other countries had more people than jobs 3. unemployment, thus poverty & crime 4. affluent city dwellers moved to cleaner, less-crowded suburbs. B. Advantages 1. more space & privacy, cheaper land 2. less crime 3. better schools C. Disadvantages 1. natural space diminished 2. rising traffic congestion 3. need to drive everywhere. D. Two main components: 1. human popn growth 2. per capita land consumption fueled by: a. interstates b. technologies allow workers to live wherever they want c. people’s desire for space & privacy d. economists, politicians, & city boosters encouraged it. E. Environmental/societal impacts 1. transportation --- must own cars, drive greater distances a. greater dependence on petroleum b. lack of mass transit options c. more traffic accidents3 d. pollution: CO2, N- & S-containing air pollutants; motor oil & road salt from roads & parking lots e. climate change. 2. health a. promotes physical inactivity b. obesity & high blood pressure 3. land use a. less land left as forests, fields, farmland, or ranchland b. loss of ecosystem services, recreation, aesthetic beauty, wildlife habitat c. habitat fragmentation. 4. economics: drains tax dollars from communities –for roads, water & sewer systems, electricity, police & fire services, schools in new developments. Houses & roads devour > 2.5 million acres of U.S. land per year Major U.S. cities will merge into megapolitan regions III. Making cities livable A. City planning 1. make city functional, efficient, attractive 2. the first was Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago 3. grew throughout 1900s as urban popns expanded, inner cities decayed, residents fled to suburbs. B. Regional planning 1. driven by sprawling development 2. deal with broader geographic areas & work with multiple municipalities. C. zoning = classifying areas for diff. types of land use & development 1. restrict areas to a single use or to a combination of residential & commercial use 2. protects home buyers & businesses from unwelcome development 3. restricts use of private land, hence a taking? D. Urban growth boundaries (UGB) 1. limit sprawl; set city’s boundaries 2. revitalize downtowns 3. protect farms, forests, ranches 4. ensure access to open space 5. reduce cost of infrastructure. 6. many cities have followed Oregon’s lead 7. disadvantages a. rising housing prices within UGB4 b. rising density of housing within UGB c. pressure to expand UGB. E. smart growth = urban growth boundaries + other land use policies to control growth 1. building up, not out 2. healthy communities 3. jobs + economic development 4. transportation options 5. environ. quality. F. new urbanism = neighborhoods are designed on a walkable scale 1. homes, businesses, & schools are close together 2. neighborhoods in which most of a family’s needs are met without use of a car More than 600 communities are in planning or construction. G. Mass transportation 1. transit-oriented development = communities arrayed around stops on a major rail transit line a. travel by train or on foot b. denser development must be allowed. 2. options a. public buses b. trains & subways T Boston, MA, & Metro in Washington, D.C. c. light rail = smaller rail systems powered by electricity 3. cheaper, more energy efficient, & less pollution; but costly to replace roads 4. ease traffic congestion. 5. how to encourage? a. raise fuel taxes b. tax