Urban Sprawl

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Nearly 52% of the world’s population resides in urban areas; this number is constantly increasing as rural areas are unable to meet basic human needs. For instance, it is more probable that are urban areas are supplies with better health care services, education, employment and food supply and entertainment. Urbanization is defined as a population shift from rural to urban and suburban areas. The effects of high density urban living are cumulative and become hazardous over time as the demand for resources outweigh supply. Urban areas have grown by two tangible measures; natural increase and immigration. We have already discussed the reason for the natural increase from rural to urban, and the second reason for this large increase is immigration …show more content…
Urban sprawl promotes development and housing along the edges of cities and towns which causes the loss of agricultural fields and wild lands which is clearly epitomized in Brazilian slums. Urban sprawl largely contributes to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions as transportation and cycling are impractical.
Urban sprawling degrades economy, land and biodiversity, water, energy, air and climate.
As people shift to the outer edges of the city, agricultural land is lost which leads to a decrease in crop production, and causes loss of species habitat by terrestrial fragmentation. Increased energy use and carbon dioxide emissions are also results of urban sprawling (1).
In addition to urban sprawling, urbanization directly affects aquatic life. In the United States, major cities lie along the coast and depend on aquatic life for fishery, diets and clean drinking water. As cities continue to grow, water pollution increases and aquatic footprint is expanded. Theoretically, a city composed of ten thousand people will demand more water per person than a city with one thousand people. Water pollution becomes a threat as more people are contributing to gross land pollution (an example being plastic pollution that affects aquatic
…show more content…
Zoning requires government regulations that will organize land and designate areas of the city for a specific purpose. This will help to reduce the overuse of resources but it tends to favor high priced housing and establishments which becomes less affordable for urban dwellers. Secondary this can lead to urban sprawling as housing becomes more costly. Another drawback with zoning is that it has the potential to destroy wetlands, cropland, open space and forest areas which all seem to hold less value in crowded cities

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