Urbanization

How do we use land?

Land Use Industrial Uses Clear cut land to place industrial plants Hazardous Waste produced Thermal Pollution – water too hot Chemical waste entering water systems

Land Use Housing and development New subdivisions are cropping up due to the population growth in areas. Land is cleared for commercial use (retail businesses and medical facilities)

What is Urbanization? Large town with a growing suburbs Depend on resources outside the city Why are big cities growing? Increase in birth rates Immigration – poor are moving to larger cities and away from rural areas Cities have grown from 2% to 45% since 1950 By 2050 66% of all people in the world will live in urban areas.

75% of the US population lives in urban areas occupying 3% of the country’s land area

What are Heat Islands?

Heat Islands: The enormous amount of heat generated creates an urban heat island

Heat Island research What trends do you see?

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS AND PROBLEMS WITH URBAN DEVELOPMENT? Infectious diseases Inadequate water system Poor sewer systems Exposure to pollution BENEFITS Better education system Medical services Social service programs

What is Population growth? Current Population Rate US: over 300 million World: over 7 billion

What is Carrying capacity?

Ecological Stability Carrying Capacity – maximum number of individuals the environment can support

Exceeding the Carrying Capacity Reindeer introduced to a small island off of Alaska in the early 1900s exceeded the carrying capacity, with an "overshoot" followed by a "population crash" in which the population was totally decimated by the mid–1900s. © Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP