Chapter 13 Topics:  Scale of urbanization  Urban/suburban sprawl  Planning and land use strategies  Transportation options  The role of urban parks  Impacts and advantages of urban centers  Urban ecology, green building, sustainable cities

Our urbanizing world  Urbanization = the movement of people from rural to urban (cities and suburbs) areas  Society’s greatest change since it became sedentary  People need a safe, clean, urban environment  Urban systems must be sustainable  Urban populations are growing rapidly  The growing human population  More people are moving to urban areas

The origins of urbanization  Urbanization began when agricultural surpluses allowed people to leave their farms  Created specialized manufacturing professions, class structures, political hierarchies, and urban centers  The industrial revolution spawned technology  Creating jobs and opportunities in cities  Increasing production efficiencies  The urban population: 30% in 1950; 49% today  Urban populations will double by 2050  Rural populations will decline by 16%

Trends in urbanization  In developed nations, urbanization has slowed  People already live in cities and suburbs  Developing nations are urbanizing rapidly  Agricultural/industrial transition  Social and environmental stresses

City locations  Climate, topography, and waterways determine whether a small settlement becomes a large city  Many well-located cities are linchpins in trading networks  Funneling in resources from agricultural regions  Shipping products to other areas

Location factors change with time  Today, cities thrive in resource-poor areas  Cheap fossil fuels and powerful technologies (Dallas)  Water is brought in from distant areas (e.g., Las Vegas)  Cities in the southern and western U.S. have grown  Retirees moved from northern and eastern states  Warmer weather, more space  Phoenix grew 91% between 1990 and 2008

Urban-suburban dynamic  Urban areas grew during 19 th and early 20 th centuries due to immigration and industrialization  During mid 20 th century, more-affluent people began moving outward to less crowded areas  These “suburbs” offered a cleaner, safer, more desirable lifestyle  Core urban areas (inner cities) declined

A key enabling factor…  The diminishing importance of geographic proximity  At first, improved transportation (expanded road networks; lots of planes, trains, and automobiles; and inexpensive gasoline) allowed  Workers to commute from suburb to city for their jobs  Manufactures to ship resources to factories and to ship goods from factories to consumers  Today, improved communication networks (cell phone, the Internet) continue to make “being there” less important

The result – sprawl  Sprawl = the spread of low-density urban or suburban development outward from an urban center  Some see it as ugly, environmentally harmful, and inefficient  Others see it as the outgrowth of desires and decisions in a world of increasing humans  Urban and suburban areas grow in spatial extent  Houses/roads consume 2.5 million acres of land each year  Even in metro areas where population decreases, the amount of land covered increases

Las Vegas, NV

Continued sprawl  Two major factors contribute to continued sprawl:  Population growth and per capita land consumption  The amount of sprawl = population size times the amount of land the average person occupies  Cities vary in which is more important  More people in Los Angeles  Increased land consumption in Detroit  Per land consumption increases due to:  Better highways, cheap gas, telecommunication, etc.  Consumption-oriented lifestyles needing more space

Sprawl’s development patterns

Impacts of sprawl  Transportation  Cars become a necessity  Lack of mass transit options  More traffic accidents  Increased dependence on nonrenewable petroleum  Pollution  carbon dioxide, ground-level ozone, acid precipitation  Motor oil and road salt from roads and parking lots

Impacts of sprawl  Health  Promotes physical inactivity as driving replaces walking  Increases obesity and high blood pressure  Land use  Loss of tangible resources from forests, farmland, ranchland  Loss of intangible resources – recreation, beauty, habitat Economics  Drains tax dollars for roads, water and sewer systems, electricity, police and fire services, schools, etc.  Taxpayers, not developers, subsidize improvements

City planning  City (urban) planning = designing cities to maximize their efficiency, functionality, and beauty  Planners advise policymakers on development options, transportation needs, public parks, etc.  Washington, D.C. was a planned city  Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago  The 1912 Greater Portland Plan

Regional planning  Regional planning  Same issues as city planning  Broader geographic scales  Coordination among multiple levels of government  Some areas have institutionalized the planning process by forming inter-governmental agencies  Planning helps farmers, developers, and governments will know what future land uses will be

Planning tools – zoning  Zoning = classifies areas for different types of development and land use, guides what gets built  Opponents say that its restrictions violate individual freedoms  Proponents say government can set limits for the good of the community

Planning tools – growth boundaries  Geographic boundaries – lines on a map – that separate urban land uses from rural land uses  Advantages:  Revitalize downtowns  Protect farms, forests, and industries  May reduce infrastructure costs  Disadvantages:  Increase the density of new housing inside the UGB  Increase housing prices inside the UGB  Restrict development outside the UGB

Planning tools – smart growth  Smart growth = urban growth boundaries and other land use policies to control sprawl  Building “up, not out”  Focusing development in existing areas  Favoring multistory shop-houses and high-rises  Supports  Healthy neighborhoods and communities  Jobs and economic development  Sustainable transportation options  Environmental quality

Planning tools – the new urbanism  New urbanism = walkable neighborhoods  Often connected to other urban areas by public transit systems  Homes, businesses, and schools are close together  Developments have green spaces, mixed architecture, creative street layouts

Mass transportation  A key tool for improving the quality of urban life  Buses, subways  Light rail, commuter trains  Cheaper  More energy efficient  Cleaner  Traffic congestion is eased

The U.S. lags behind  Most nations have extensive train and bus systems  Sprawl creates low population densities, making mass transit less efficient  Inexpensive fuel favors the use of cars  Even where population densities are higher, it is expensive to replace existing roads  More use could be made of economic policy tools  Raise fuel taxes, tax inefficient modes of transport  Reward carpoolers, encourage bicycle & bus ridership

Parks and open spaces  Urban dwellers become disconnected from nature  Natural lands, public parks, & open space provide greenery, scenic beauty, freedom, and recreation – escape from the noise and stress of urban life  City parks arose in the U.S. at the end of the19th century  Lawns, groves, and curved pathways originated with European ideals

Other types of open spaces  Even small spaces such as playgrounds or community gardens can be important  Greenways strips of land connecting parks or neighborhoods  Greenbelts long, wide corridors of parklands surrounding an entire urban area

Urban sustainability  Things that make cities safe, clean, healthy and pleasant also make them more sustainable  A sustainable city functions effectively and prosperously over the long term  Generations will have a good quality of life  Impacts on natural systems and resources are minimized  A city’s impacts depend on how we use resources, produce goods, transport materials, and deal with waste

Urbanization and the environment  Efficiency = high population densities allow efficient delivery  Of economic goods and services  Of public utility services  Of social services that improve the quality of life  Conservation = high population densities mean  More land outside of urban areas is left undeveloped  Leaving more room for agriculture, wilderness, biodiversity, or privacy

Urbanization and the environment  Resource sinks = urban areas must import most of their resources  Rely on outlying land for natural resources, food, and ecosystem services  Have 2% of the land surface, but use 75% of the resources  Footprint = heavy use of resources increases ecological footprints  Urban residents tend to be wealthier and consume more per capita  Urban areas export their wastes, and its impacts and costs

Urban pollution  Some pollution is unique to urban areas  Noise pollution = undesired ambient sound degrades quality of life and health  Light pollution = lights obscure the night sky  Urban heat island effect = cities are hotter than surrounding areas  Buildings, vehicles, factories, and people generate heat  Dark buildings and pavement absorb heat

Urban centers foster innovation  Cities promote a flourishing cultural life  They spark innovation and creativity, promoting education and scientific research  They are engines of technological and artistic inventiveness that can solve societal problems  They serve as markets for organic produce, recycling, and education

Urban centers can be sustainable  Urban ecology = cities viewed as ecosystems  Replace a one-way linear metabolism of importing resources and exporting wastes with an ecosystem- centered model  Recycle and use resources efficiently  Account fully for external costs  Use locally produced resources  Use organic waste to restore soil fertility  Encourage urban agriculture

Buildings can be sustainable  Buildings use 40% of energy, 70% of electricity  Green buildings = structures that have reduced ecological footprints  Built from sustainable materials  Use technology to minimize energy and water use  Healthier to work or live in  Recycle wastes

LEED program  Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) = a certification program run by the U.S. Green Building Council  New or renovated buildings can be granted silver, gold, or platinum status depending on  Sustainability of building site  Efficiency of water use  Type and efficiency of energy use  Source and sustainability of materials and resources  Indoor environmental air quality

Livability and sustainability  Making cities more livable (pleasant, safe, clean, healthy) helps make them more sustainable  Planning and zoning are long-term, powerful sources for sustaining urban communities  Smart growth and new urbanism reduce energy use  Mass transit reduces gasoline use, carbon emissions  Developed nations should invest in resource-efficient technologies to reduce their impacts  Developing nations should invest in infrastructure to improve health and living conditions