Land Use and Urbanization

Essential Questions in this Lesson What are different land usages? What are some local land usages? Describe the impact of human activities on the land. What are some local and federal laws governing land usage?

Most people used to live like this

Increasingly people live like this.

Major Urban Regions in U.S.

For the first time in history, there are now more urban residents than rural residents – shown here in this amazing image taken from space of city lights at night.

Land Use and Land Cover Land cover: Vegetation and structures that cover land. Land use: Human activities that occur on land Humans change land cover, especially in urban areas. These changes have environmental and economic effects

What are some land uses and cover in Concord?

What does this pie chart tell us? What is largest land use in U.S.?

What do these bar graphs show us?

Urban vs. Rural Urban: Land mostly covered with buildings and roads (includes suburbs) Rural: Any other type of land use or land cover (includes forests, cropland, etc.)

According to this map, is NC mostly urban or rural today?

Urbanization Occurs when people move from rural areas to cities Cities are not new, but the enormous size of today’s cities is. More than 20 cities have at least 10 million residents.

Why are people moving to cities and leaving rural life behind? SHOULD WE CARE?

Environmental Costs of Urbanization Pollution: Increased waste, industrial byproducts, noise pollution, light pollution What is noise pollution? Light pollution?

Noise Pollution

Light Pollution What the night should look like.

Environmental Costs of Urbanization Heat islands: Cities, several degrees warmer than surrounding areas, affect local weather and trap pollutants WHY?

What can cities do to reduce this impact?

Environmental Costs of Urbanization Imported resources: Fossil fuels are burned to import food, water, fuel, and raw materials.

Environmental Benefits of Urbanization What do you think are some environmental benefits of cities?

Environmental Benefits of Urbanization Efficiency: Less fuel and resources needed to distribute goods and services to residents Universities and research centers: Urban areas tend to foster education and innovation. Land Preservation: Dense urban centers leave room for agriculture, wilderness, biodiversity, and privacy.

Sprawl Goals Describe what contributes to sprawl and its patterns. Explain the impacts of sprawl.

Los Angeles, CA, is one the most sprawling U.S. cities.

In 1950, 65% of the U.S. population lived in urban (including suburban) areas, while 35% lived rurally. In 2010, 89% was urban and only 11% rural.

What is sprawl? The spread of low-density urban or suburban development outward from a dense urban core Often, growth of suburban areas outpaces population growth because suburbs allow more space per person than cities

Primary Contributors to Sprawl Population Growth Increase per capita land use Cheap gasoline Decay of inner cities Cheaper to build new than rebuild (less expensive land)

Primary Contributors to Sprawl 6) Improved road system 7) Affordable cars 8) Government subsidies of mortgages, infrastructure projects

Contributors to Sprawl

Patterns of Sprawl Uncentered commercial strip development Low-density single-use residential development Scattered, or leapfrog, development Sparse street network

Per Capita Land Consumption

Why care about sprawl?

Impacts of Sprawl Transportation: Little to no public transportation Must use car to get anything Air pollution

Impacts of Sprawl Public health: May promote inactivity, and by extension obesity and high blood pressure

Impacts of Sprawl Land Use: Less land left as open space, forests, and farms Habitat destruction and fragmentation Farmland destroyed Road kill Soil erosion

Impacts of Sprawl Economics: Wealth tending to concentrate in suburbs, leaving urban areas poor Decline of town centers

Impacts of Sprawl Water Pollution Wetland Destruction Increased runoff Increased flooding risk

Essential Questions in this Lesson What are different land usages? What are some local land usages? Describe the impact of human activities on the land. What are some local and federal laws governing land usage?