Chapter 9 The Urban World

Population and Urbanization Jobs define urban vs. rural, not populations

Urbanization Trends  Urbanization is increasing rapidly  Especially in developing countries

Urbanization Trends  Urban Agglomeration  megacities

Substandard Housing  No city services  Water, sewage, garbage collection, police and fire protection  1/3 of urban population in developing countries are squatters

Environmental Problems in Urban Areas  Growing urban areas affect land use patterns  Fragment wildlife  Encroach wetlands, forests, desert, etc.  Impermeable surfaces and urban runoff discharged into waterways  Motor oil, lawn fertilizers, heavy metals  Noise pollution  Light pollution

Environmental Problems in Urban Areas  Brownfields  Urban areas of abandoned industrial or residential sites that may be contaminated from past use

Temperature variations on a summer afternoon Urban Heat Island

Air Pollution- Dust Domes

Transportation and Urban Development  Transportation availability affects city’s spatial structure

Suburban Sprawl  Suburban Sprawl  Problems  Loss of wetlands  Air & water pollution  Loss of biological habitat Suburbia: Where they tear out trees and then name streets after them

Suburban Sprawl  Smart Growth: urban planning and transportation strategy that mixes land uses  Commercial  Manufacturing  Entertainment  Housing

Making Cities More Sustainable  Characteristics of a sustainable city  Clear, cohesive urban growth policies  Efficient use of energy and other resources  Reduction of pollution and waste  Large areas of green space  Designed to be people-centers, not car- centered  Food grown IN the city (rooftop gardens)  Compact development

Green Building Design   Orientation of the house   Green energy (solar)   Reclaimed materials   Recycled water or water saving   Low or no VOC’s   Compost bins   Green roof   Lunar/solar tubes

Chapter 23 Solid and Hazardous Wastes

Types of Solid Waste  Municipal solid waste (MSW)  Non-municipal solid waste  from industry, agriculture, and mining Municipal Solid Waste <

Disposal of Solid Waste  3 methods  Sanitary Landfills  Incineration  Recycling  composting

Sanitary Landfill  Problems  Methane gas  Tires  Plastic  Contamination of surface & ground water  Not a long-term remedy  Few new facilities being opened  Closing a full landfill is very expensive

IncinerationPros  Volume of solid waste reduced by 90%  Produces heat that can make steam to generate electricity  Produce less carbon emissions than fossil fuel power plants Cons  Byproduct  ash

Waste Prevention  Three Goals: (The 3 R’s)  (1) REDUCE the amount of waste  (2) Reuse products  (3) Recycle materials c&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=346C911E0F9961 4E8DC8346C911E0F99614E8DC8

Reduce  Compost

Reducing Waste  Purchase products with less packaging

Reusing Products  Refilling glass bottles

Recycling Materials  Every ton of recycled paper saves:  17 trees  7000 gallons of water  4100 kwatt-hrs of energy  3 cubic yards of landfill space  Recycle  Glass bottles, newspapers, steel cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, office paper

Love Canal Toxic Waste Site Hazardous Waste  Any discarded chemical that threatens human health or the environment  Reactive, corrosive, explosive or toxic chemicals

Case-In-Point Hanford Nuclear Reservation

Management of Hazardous Waste Superfund National Priorities List  States w/ the greatest # of sites  New Jersey (114)  California (94)  Pennsylvania (94)  New York (85)  Michigan (65) We have Superfund sights in Maywood, Torrance….

Management of Hazardous Waste  (1) Source reduction  (2) Conversion to less hazardous materials  Bioremediation -  Phytoremediation  (3) Long-term storage