Land How do we use it?

Urban Rural Land that is covered with buildings and roads. City – Definitions vary 5,000 people per square mile U.N. estimates by 2025, 67% of world population will live in urban areas. Rural Land that contains relatively few people and large areas of open space.

Land Use in the United States Urban – 6% Cropland – 20% Rangeland – 26% Forest – 28% Parks – 13% Other – 7% 46% for food production

Where We Live Before 1850: Mostly rural, subsistence farmers After 1850: Shift to urban centers Urbanization – The movement of people from rural areas to cities Why do people move from the country to a city:? 1980: 75% of U.S. population classified as urban Urban people rely on rural areas for sustenance

Ecosystem Services The resources produced in rural areas that urban populations depend on Oxygen Water Food Production Trees for Construction, Paper Minerals for Manufacturing

Megalopolis The region from Boston to Washington D. C. One extended urban center 4 of the 7 largest metropolitan areas Boston, NYC, Philly, D.C. First described in 1961 Greek for “Very Large City” Population 44,000,000 16% of U.S. population

Megalopolis

World’s Largest Urban Areas 1. Tokyo, Japan - 34,100,00 2. Mexico City, Mexico - 22,650,000 3. Seoul, South Korea - 22,250,000 4. New York, United States - 21,850,000 5. Sao Paulo, Brazil - 20,200,000 6. Mumbai, India - 19,700,000 7. Dehli, India - 19,500,000 8. Los Angeles, United States - 17,950,000 9. Shanghai, China - 17,900,000 10. Jakarta, Indonesia - 17,150,000 11. Osaka, Japan - 16,800,000 12. Kolkata, India - 15,550,000 13. Cairo, Egypt - 15,450,000 14. Manila, Philippines - 14,850,000 15. Karachi, Pakistan - 14,100,000 16. Moscow, Russia - 13,750,000 17. Buenos Aires, Argentina - 13,400,000 18. Dhaka, Bangladesh - 13,100,000 19. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 12,100,000 20. Beijing, China - 11,950,000 World’s Largest Urban Areas

Urban Crisis When a city grows faster than the infrastructure can support. Urban Sprawl – The rapid expansion of a city into the countryside Development of marginal lands

Heat Island Urban areas are hotter than surrounding rural areas Ave. 1.8o-5.4o Up to 22o at night Impacts: Increased energy consumption Increased air pollution Compromised human health and comfort Impaired water quality

Public Land 650,000,000 acres 30% of land in U.S.

National Parks 84,000,000 acres Yellowstone - 1872 Recreation, conservation 275,000,000 visitors 392 parks, monuments, seashores, national recreation areas, battlefields, historic monuments, rivers

National Wildlife Refuges 92,000,000 acres 48,000,000 visitors 300 refuges Conservation 98% of all people in U. S. live within a 1 hour drive of a NWF

Bureau of Land Management 253,000,000 surface acres 700,000,000 subsurface acres 13% of land in U.S. 40% of federal land Commercial use Mining Grazing Recreation

National Forests 193,000,000 acres Texas Commercial use, recreation Forests and grasslands

Bureau of Indian Affairs 55,000,000 acres Department of Defense 30,000,000 acres

The Palm Islands