Page 374 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

Reviewing Objectives

You should now be able to: Evaluate transportation options, urban parks, and
green buildings
Describe the scale of urbanization • Mass transit systems can enhance the efficiency and sus-
tainability of urban areas. (pp. 363–365)
• The world’s population has become predominantly urban.
(p. 355) • The United States lags behind other nations in mass transit,
but new efforts are being made. (pp. 364–365)
• The shift from rural to urban living is driven largely by • Urban parklands provide recreation, soothe the stress of urban
industrialization and is proceeding fastest in the develop- life, and keep people in touch with natural areas. (p. 365)
ing world. (p. 355)
• A variety of types of parks and open space exist, including
• Nearly all future population growth will be in cities of the playgrounds, community gardens, greenways, and green-
developing world. (p. 355)
belts. (pp. 365–366)
• Environmental factors influence the location and growth of • Green buildings minimize their ecological footprints by
cities. (p. 356) using sustainable materials, limiting the use of energy and
• The geography of urban areas is changing as cities decen- water, minimizing health impacts on their occupants, con-
tralize and suburbs grow and expand. (pp. 356–357) trolling pollution, and recycling waste. (pp. 366–367)
• Green building approaches are spreading fast, helped along
by the LEED certification program. (pp. 366–368)
Assess urban and suburban sprawl
• Sprawl covers large areas of land with low-density devel- Analyze environmental impacts and advantages of
opment. Both population growth and increased per capita urban centers
land use contribute to sprawl. (pp. 357–358) • Cities are resource sinks with high per capita resource con-
• Sprawl results from the home-buying choices of individu- sumption, and they create substantial waste and pollution.
als who prefer suburbs to cities, and it has been facilitated (pp. 368–369)
by government policy and technological developments. • Cities also maximize efficiency, help preserve natural
(p. 358) lands, and foster innovation that can lead to solutions for
environmental problems. (pp. 368–370)
• Sprawl may lead to negative impacts involving transporta-
tion, pollution, health, land use, natural habitat, and eco- Assess urban ecology and the pursuit of sustainable
nomics. (pp. 358–360) cities
• Linear modes of consumption and production are unsus-
Outline city and regional planning and land use tainable, and more circular modes will be needed to create
strategies truly sustainable cities. (pp. 371–372)
• City and regional planning and zoning are key tools for • Although a full “eco-city” has yet to be built, many cit-
improving the quality of urban life. (pp. 360–362) ies worldwide are taking steps to decrease their ecological
footprints. (p. 372)
• Urban growth boundaries, “smart growth,” and “new CHAPTER 13 • THE URB AN ENVIR ONMENT : CREATING SUSTAIN ABLE CITIES
urbanism” attempt to re-create compact and vibrant urban • Most steps taken for urban livability also enhance sustain-
spaces. (pp. 362–363) ability. (p. 372)

Testing Your Comprehension

1. What factors lie behind the shift of population from 4. What are city planning and regional planning? Contrast
rural areas to urban areas? What types of cities and planning with zoning. Give examples of some of the sug-
countries are experiencing the fastest urban growth gestions made by early planners such as Daniel Burnham
today, and why? and Edward Bennett.
2. Explain at least three principles of smart growth. 5. Why do urbanized societies need stretches of uninhabited
3. Give two definitions of sprawl. Describe five negative and undeveloped land?
impacts that have been suggested to result from sprawl.
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