City stuff, urbanization, urban sprawl

1. Sustainable Cities
Ch. 22

2. Sustainable Cities
Key terms
1.
2.
4 major trends
2. 3. 4.1.
cons
Urban sprawl
pros
Definition
Contributing
factors pros cons
Urbanization
Developing nations
solutionsissues

3. Ecocities - Curitiba Brazil
• Planners in 1969 decided to focus on
mass transit rather than cars
• Apartments and stores near bus stops
– Busses reach >90% of people easily
• No cars in city center
– Good for businesses and health
• Parks along river to reduce flooding
• Environmental education K-12
• Still have squatter settlements
– If they bring a full garbage bag get food and
other supplies

4. Key Terms
• UrbanizationUrbanization – the creation and growth of
urban areas and cities
• Urban growthUrban growth – the rate of increase in
urban populations
– 80% of Americans and over half of all people
in the world live in cities
Mexico City -
the second
most populous
city in the world

5. Cities Grow by…
• More births than deaths (natural increase)
• Immigration
– Rural people move in for jobs, food, housing

6. 4 Major Trends
1. A greater
percentage of
people are
living in urban
areas

7. 4 Major Trends
2. Urban areas are expanding
rapidly in number and size
– Every week 1 million more
people are added to urban
areas
– 18 megacities – cities with 10
million or more people
• 15 in developing nations
– Hypercities – cities with 20
million or more people
• So far only Toyko is in this group
27 million people
• Mumbai, Lagos (Nigeria), Dakar,
Sao Paulo soon

8. 4 Major Trends
3. Urban growth is slower in developed
countries than developing

9. 4 Major Trends
4. poverty is becoming increasingly
urbanized, mostly in developing countries
– According to U.N. – at least 1 billion people
live in slums and shanty towns

10. Partner Share
• What are the 4 trends? (no peeking)
• What might be some benefits to having
most humans live in cities?

11. Urban SprawlUrban Sprawl
• Definition:Definition: The growth of low-densityThe growth of low-density
development on the outskirts of cities anddevelopment on the outskirts of cities and
towns (suburbs)towns (suburbs)
• Big problem in US
– Eliminates ag and
wild lands
– Far apart shopping
centers, housing
developments, offices
loosely connected by freeways

12. Contributing Factors
1. Plenty of land to do so
2. Federal government loan
guarantees for WWII vets
for new homes (1950s)
3. Low-cost gasoline and fed.
and state funding for
highways
4. Tax laws that encourage
home ownership
5. Zoning laws that separate
residential and
commercial real estate
6. Most urban areas have
multiple political
jurisdictions that don’t
work together in planning

13. Problems with Urban Sprawl
• No or poor mass transit
– Encourages people to drive everywhere
• Destroys ag and wetlands
• Central city “dies” as businesses move to
suburban areas

14. Urban Sprawl in and around the U.S. City of
Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1973 to 2000

15. Pros of Suburban Areas
• People like it
• Lower crime
• Newer schools
• Larger homes, yards

16. Back and Forth
Partner Share
• Partner 1 tells Partner 2 their answer
• Switch
• What kind of area do you live in?
– City/Urban
– Suburban
– Rural
• Do you think the advantages of a suburban life
outweigh its disadvantages?
• How expensive would gas prices have to be to
affect this lifestyle?

17. Hey APES
have the answers to the tasks below
1. Urbanization
2. Urban
growth
3. Urban
Sprawl
A. Growth of low
density housing
around cities
B. Creation of urban
areas
C. The rate at which
urban areas growWhat are the 4
trends in
urbanization?
matching
What are 2
pros and 2
cons of urban
sprawl?
?

18. Objective
• Identify and describe the pros and cons of
urbanization and discuss some possible
solutions for the cons

19. Sustainable Cities
Key terms
1.
2.
4 major trends
2. 3. 4.1.
cons
Urban sprawl
pros
Definition
Contributing
factors pros cons
Urbanization
Developing nations
solutionsissues

20. Urbanization

21. Advantages of Urbanization
• Economics:
– Good education centers
– Industry/commerce
– Jobs
• Health:
– Longer life expectancies
– Lower infant mortality and fertility rates
– Better access to medical care
• Environmental:
– Easier to recycle
– Less land for people so more land for wildlife
– Less energy use (if mass transit)

22. Disadvantages of Urbanization
• Pressure of more and more
people increases
environmental pressure
• Lots of garbage!
• Disconnect from nature – lack
of compassion for it
• 1. Huge ecological footprints
– Occupy 2% of the earth’s land
but use 75% of its resources
and produce 75% of the CO2
emissions
– Not sustainable

23. Problems
• 2. Large areas of land outside the city
must be disturbed to provide the food,
minerals, fuel, and wood for people in the
city
Open pit mine in Russia
Solutions?

25. Problems
• 3. Lack of vegetation
• Plants give oxygen, moist air, shade,
habitat for wildlife, absorb air pollution,
and look nice
Solutions?

27. Problems
• 4. Water
– More people = more water
needs
• Deeper wells, more canals
• Removes water from rural areas
– Cities by rivers flood
• Covered in asphalt
• Wetlands used to act like
sponges to absorb this water
– Cities in coastal areas lose
coastline
• Erosion
• Global warming and rising sea
levels
– Cities in arid areas getting
even drier - TX
Solutions?

29. Problems
• 5. Pollution Concentrated
– High levels of air & water pollution, solid &
hazardous waste
– Nitrogen cycle disrupted due to car exhaust
(N in air --> acid rain; urban and sewage
runoff --> eutrophication of water ways)
Solutions?

31. Problems
• 6. Infectious disease spreads more
rapidly, especially in poor areas with poor
water quality
Solutions?

32. Problems
• 7. Noise pollution
Solutions?

33. Problems
• 8. Light pollution - affects sea turtles,
migratory birds
Solutions?

35. Problems
• 9. Cities have their own microclimate
– Hotter, wetter, foggier
– Heat from factories, a.c., streets
– Heat --> more a.c. use --> more greenhouse
gasses --> more heat
Solutions?

36. What is an economic pro and an
economic con of cities?

37. What is an environmental pro and
an environmental con of cities?

38. What is a human health pro and
a human health con of cities?

39. Partner Share
• Which two of the disadvantages of living in
urban areas do you think are the most
serious? Why?

40. Urban Poor in Developing
Nations
• ISSUES
• ~ 1 billion people live in
slums
– several families live in one
room structures
• Live in squatter
settlements or
shantytowns, or on the
streets
– Illegal
– Not serviced by the city
– Government often
bulldozes the settlements
down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe_Esf8XJ

41. Possible Solutions?
• Improve medical care,
schooling, family planning in
rural areas
• In Peru and Brazil, recognize
existing settlements and give
titles to the land
– Once people know they can stay
they start improving the land
themselves
• Build schools, etc

42. Silent Debate
Partner Share
• Partner 1 – yes – shorter hair
• Partner 2 - no
• Should squatters around cities of
developing nations be given title to the
land they live on? Explain.