The Facts on Urban Sprawl

(LeahandEv Travelblog)

     
     Urban sprawl is an issue that has been affecting ecosystems on earth since the birth of civilization and has become an even larger problem as cities expand at an alarming rate. It has been defined as "The spreading of urban developments (houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city" (Merriam-Webster). Since our world is becoming increasingly industrialized and commercial, more and more people are moving to towns and cities "Over 80% of us [Canadians] now live in urban areas. As our cities grow bigger, [it] affects our quality of life" (David Suzuki Foundation). 

     As sprawl increases the effects on the environment intensify "Urban sprawl is cutting into precious farm and wild lands, leaving us with less green space and wild lands, like bogs, which are being drained and paved over, putting valuable wildlife habitats and species at risk." (David Suzuki Foundation). Land that was once used for agriculture has since been paved over to make room for the expansion of cities "Urban uses have consumed more than 7,400 square kilometers of dependable farmland [in Canada] in recent decades" (David Suzuki and Faisal Moola). Urban sprawl continues to affect the environment as people all over the world move to metropolitan areas and cities are then forced to expand.

How long has it been an issue?

     
     Urban Sprawl has been going on for a very long time (since the beginning of civilization) however it has only become a major issue in recent decades as world population continues to increase and more and people move into suburbs and cities. As technology increases and research is conducted, we now have the data to understand the affects of sprawl on the natural environment and on human kind.  

Where is Urban sprawl taking place?

( Toronto Star)

   
     Urban sprawl is an issue that affects the entire the world. There are urban areas in almost every country on earth and as the years go by, the number of people that move to populated areas will only increase and that will force the expansion of cities in order to accommodate all the new residents. Some of the areas worst affected by urban sprawl are the cities in underdeveloped countries "In less developed cities, the combination of sprawl and poor infrastructure can devastate people and the environment" ( Mary Jander ). This is due to the fact that these cities are rapidly increasing with little planning "Often unplanned urbanization brings risks of profound social instability, risks to critical infrastructure, potential water crises and the potential for devastating spread of disease.”(Lehmann, Alex P). The effects of urban sprawl are on the rise as cities continue to expand at an increasing rate. Urban sprawl has been going on for a very long time but has only become a recognized problem in recent years.

Why Are People Moving to Urban Areas?

     
    

(City of Toronto)

     One reason that people are leaving rural areas is the low income. Small farms are not getting enough profits from their crops. When there are years of continuous bad weather leading to poor quality crops, farmers lose income. Another reason is that as farmers lose income they are forced to sell their farms to large companies and move to cities and find work to sustain themselves and their families.

"Farmland destruction due to industrial and urban development heightens concerns regarding the shift in ownership of Canada’s remaining farmland away from farm families and towards investment companies" (National Farming Union).

Another reason that people move away from rural areas is that there are not enough access to services. When you live in rural areas things are very far apart and the closest hospital or clinic may be many kilometers away.

      

     People choose to move to cities since there are large quantities of high income jobs as well as opportunities to further their education. Many people who grew up in rural areas come in to cities for post-secondary education and once they have graduated, most people get jobs in an urban setting and will spent most of their lives there. "So, people tend to move from rural to urban areas both because they are "pushed" away from the rural areas and because they are "pulled" to the urban areas" (Pohnpei397 Enotes). People continue to move to cities as there many more benefits in an urban life than there ever was before.

How Does Urban Sprawl Affect Canada's Human Systems?

Urban Sprawl affects different areas in Canada's human systems such as: transportation, health, and quality of life.

Transportation

    Areas that have sprawled are low density areas with a large amount of residential neighborhoods without much access to public transportation.

(Major Projects)

"Areas with urban sprawl require people to rely on their cars because it is too costly to implement effective public transportation. These developments often separate commercial areas from residential developments and require people to travel longer distances to reach amenities"(Huntington, Janis, and Rob Tarulli)

 In the areas that have sprawled most amenities such as the grocery store or even a library is not at a walk-able distance which forces people to use their cars because there is little to no public transportation available.

Health

   Transportation in sprawled out areas affects the health of the residents. The residential areas were essentially made for people with cars. Some neighborhoods don't even have sidewalks as no one uses them. There is no place that is close enough to walk to and that significantly reduces the amount of physical activity.

(OBESE BRITAIN!) 

"This lower level of activity increases the risk of obesity, which can lead to other health problems such as heart disease, high-blood pressure and diabetes"(Grabkowski, Leonardo R).

Obesity is a major problem in North America and the way in which we build our communities can affect the rates of obesity.

Quality Of Life

     
     As people sprawl they spend more time getting to and from work or school. This takes away from time that they could use to do something productive.

"When a city grows into a larger city, [the] average travel distance to go to school and work increases. People spend more time traveling [and] have less time for their family. Thus, quality of life reduces."(Teknomo, Kardi)

(The Conversation)

People often grow frustrated when they have to spend hours in traffic every day and this can affect their mood which may affect their productivity when they are at work or school. Canadians spent a large amount of time commuting "[on average Canadians spend] 32 working days sitting in traffic"(Coyne, Andrew). Time is money and losing time in traffic means that the Canadian economy loses money.

How is Urban Sprawl Affecting Canada's Physical Systems?

Urban sprawl affects many different aspects of Canada's physical Systems: land, water, air, plants, animals, and climate.

Land

(DOMVS)

     Some of Canada's best land for agriculture is in the Golden Horseshoe region.

"most urbanized regions of Canada now lie beneath sprawling housing developments, highways,strip malls and other infrastructure. As urban communities have grown over the years, agricultural lands and natural areas have far too often been drained, dug up and paved over" ( David Suzuki and Faisal Moola).

 The population growth in large urban area such as the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) leads to the expansion of the city over more fertile land that should be used to feed Canada's growing population. Fertile topsoil needed for agriculture must be protected in order to sustain our food supply.

Water

(Chesapeake Bay Action Plan)

    As cities expand, more streets are paved and there are more cars on the road which leads to the decrease in water quality "Urban sprawl can reduce water quality by increasing the amount of surface runoff, which channels oil and other pollutants into streams and rivers"( David Resnik). As the water becomes more polluted it costs more to clean it so that it is drinkable.

Air

(HOW STUFF WORKS AUTO)

     When there are more people living together there is a larger need for transportation so there are more vehicles on the road "Urban sprawl increases car and truck traffic by creating longer and more frequent commutes, which leads to a major increase in air pollution and ground-level smog" (Everything Connects). Air pollution not only affects humans but also effects all other animals in the environment.

Plants

(Landscape For Life)

   As urban sprawl continues more and more cities in Canada are clear cutting forests to use for lumber in order to construct buildings and land for development. When more people move there is an increased chance of other species of plants coming in to an area that they would not otherwise be in.

"Species introductions can occur accidentally, when organisms "hitchhike" into new systems on other animals or objects. For instance, zebra mussels are thought to have been brought into the Great Lakes in the ballast water of tankers that traveled up the St. Lawrence Seaway"(Impacts on Biodiversity)

If new species come in to an ecosystem they could become invasive and if they have no natural enemies in their new environment they may be a harm other species. 

Animals

(THE SUN)

    As cities expand more roads are created and this can have a huge impact on animals.

"The most obvious and immediate impact is road kill. [on roads] they can get run over by vehicles or shot by newcomers. Other animals cross road for a promising green patch on the other side, only to end up dead in a ditch, terminating a future generation"(Canadian Geographic)

Animals do not know about the dangers of the road and as roads continue to be built the number of animal casualties also increase. Urbanization is literally killing animals.

Climate

 Urban areas have a high population and many buildings which means more vehicles and more carbon emissions that lead to an increase in temperature.

 "For a number of reasons, cities are always warmer than rural areas – a condition attributed to the urban heat island effect. The urban areas that sprawl have twice as many days with extreme heat when compared to cities that grow more compactly"(B, Stone, JJ Hess, and H. Frumkin).

Urbanization is a huge factor of climate change and sprawl is only increasing the number of cars on the road and the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere.

  

What Can You Do About Urban Sprawl?

(Bay Park Elementary PTA)

   Most people think that urban sprawl is a problem that is out of their hands and only the municipalities can do anything to fix it. As a consumer there are things that you can do that may impact sprawl. When choosing a new place to live chose somewhere that is a walk-able distance to your work and stores that you frequent " choose a home that is within a 30-minute walk, bike or transit ride from work, school or shopping"(David Suzuki Foundation). Even if you are not moving try being less car-dependent.

     Make sure that you educate yourself on the things going on in your community "You can't get involved if you don't know what's going on"(David Suzuki Foundation). If there is anything that you have concerns about or ideas on contact your city councilor and make sure that your voice is heard.

Works Cited

"Avoid Invasive Species." Landscape For Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2016.

B, Stone, JJ Hess, and H. Frumkin. "Urban Sprawl Contributes to Extreme Heat Events." Environmental Health NEWS. N.p., 12 Nov. 2010. Web. 9 Jan. 2016.

Coyne, Andrew. "Stuck in Traffic." Macleans. N.p., 11 Jan. 2011. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.

"Discourage Urban Sprawl." David Suzuki Foundation. David Suzuki, n.d. Web. 29 Dec. 2015.

Grabkowski, Leonardo R. "Negative Effects of Urban Sprawl." SFGATE. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.

"HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT BAY POLLUTION." Chesapeake Bay Action Plan. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2016.

Huntington, Janis, and Rob Tarulli. "IMPACT OF URBAN SPRAWL ON THE ENVIRONMENT." CurioCity. N.p., 23 Jan. 2012. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.

"Impacts on Biodiversity." Impacts on Biodiversity. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2016.

"LAND & ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES." DOMVS. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2016.

LeahandEv. "Urban Sprawl La Paz Style." Review. Web log post. Travelblog. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2016.

Lehmann, Alex P. "The Risks of Rapid Urbanization in Developing Countries." Knowledge.zurich. Zurich, 15 Jan. 2015. Web. 02 Jan. 2016.

"Living Downtown (2007)." City of Toronto. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2016.

"Losing Our Grip -." National Farming Union. National Farming Union, 2015. Web. 09 Jan. 2016.

"Major Projects." Major Projects. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.

"My Tears for Animal Roadkill." THE SUN. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2016.

OBESE BRITAIN! N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.

Palmer, Chad. "Cities Tend to Be Warmer than Rural Areas." USA TODAY. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2016.

"Places to Sprawl." Thestar.com. Toronto Star, 19 Jan. 2011. Web. 02 Jan. 2016.

Pohnpei397. "What Causes People to Move from a Rural Area to an Urban Area? - Homework Help - ENotes.com." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, 30 Aug. 2011. Web. 09 Jan. 2016.

Resnik, David B. "Urban Sprawl, Smart Growth, and Deliberative Democracy." American Journal of Public Health. American Public Health Association, Oct. 2010. Web. 09 Jan. 2016.

 Rinkesh Kukreja. "What Is Urban Sprawl." Conserve Energy Future. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Jan. 2016.

Slideshow: 6 of the World's Worst Urban Sprawls." UBM's Future Cities. Ed. Mary Jander. N.p., 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 02 Jan. 2016.

"Stuck in Traffic: How to Get Our Cities and Economy Moving." The Conversation. N.p., 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.

Suzuki, David, and Faisal Moola. "Urban Sprawl Is Destroying Ontario’s Farmland." Thestar.com. Toronto Star, 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 29 Dec. 2015.

Teknomo, Kardi. "Re: Does Urban Sprawl Affect Micro-climate and Quality of Life Simultaneously?" Web log comment. ResearchGate. N.p., 23 Mar. 2014. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.

"Theme: Urbanization." Canadian Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2016.

"Urban Sprawl." Everything Connects. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2016.

"Urban Sprawl." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 29 Dec. 2015.

"What Percentage of Air Pollution Is Due to Cars." HOW STUFF WORKS AUTO. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2016.

"Your Voice Is Important." Bay Park Elementary PTA. N.p., 29 Jan. 2015. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.