GEOG 346 Emerging Crucial Issues in Urban Growth Management Figure 10.26

Emerging Crucial Issues in Urban Growth Management Originally, we were scheduled to get into this in Week 12, but I didn't want us to run out of time. Municipalities and regions are facing many new challenges not traditionally on the radar screen. These include:  peak oil  climate change  an aging and increasingly diverse population, &  a changing economy in which culture and creativity are playing an increasingly important role.

Peak Oil Problem- gas will likely become very expensive as supply becomes scarcer relative to demand. Consequences- traditional patterns of land development (i.e. sprawl) may become untenable (like “a cement-filled SUV stuck at the end of a cul- de-sac” – J.H. Kunstler), there may be increasing threats to food security, and, in areas where urban populations are more dependent on fossil fuels for power, there may be a major energy crisis. Possible Solutions- TOD and smart growth, food localization strategies, and Community Energy Planning. [This is a possible tool someone could look into.]

Community Energy Planning Usually consists of 5 steps:  developing a vision for the community  doing a baseline assessment of energy consumption  developing quantitative targets for the vision  developing implementation actions,  and monitoring implementation. See y%20Energy%20Planning% pdf ; yPlanningTool.pdf y%20Energy%20Planning% pdf yPlanningTool.pdf

Climate Change Problem- impacts on sea levels, weather & biodiversity Consequences- threats to communities from sea-level rise and violent and fluctuating weather (e.g. hurricanes & heat waves), impacts on the economy (e.g. agriculture impacted by drought, and forestry impacted by disease outbreaks, decline in biodiversity)‏ Possible Solutions- more adaptable urban & regional plans, policies and structures/ technologies, decentralized infrastructure, and radical measures to reduce GHGs (Partners in Climate Protection programs represents a baby step [see ‏ For info on Cities for Climate Protection (led in the U.S. by Paul Schell) see

Aging & Increasingly Diverse Population Problem- aging of baby boomers and increasingly multicultural population Consequences- decline in productive population relative to the elderly who will increasingly require a suite of expensive services and more senior-friendly infrastructure (housing, health care, etc. for which there are limited resources); planning and policies that are increasingly out of touch with a culturally diverse population Possible Solutions- mechanisms for enabling seniors to 'age in place,' attention to more compact and diverse housing types; tailoring planning and communication to a culturally diverse population

Changing Economy Problem- rapidly changing economy, with decline of traditional industries and rise of new ones; also outdated paradigms and economic strategies Consequences- communities ill-equipped to deal with rapid change Possible Solutions- community economic development (CEP), which focuses more on keeping money circulating locally; renewed attention to the arts and culture sector (see, for instance, and attention to attracting and keeping members of the ‘creative class’ who thrive in more tolerant and place-distinctive environments.