Urban sprawl is when a city continues to spread out beyond what it can support. It is the product of affordable land, cars, somewhat inexpensive gasoline, and absent minded urban planning. The lack of mass transportation forces people to drive everywhere, which causes them to emit even more greenhouse gasses than is necessary. Sprawl destroys cropland, wetlands, and forest. On the flip side of the discussion, it causes the economic deaths of many cities as well when people and businesses move further out. What is scariest of all is that while urban populations only occupy 2% of the earth's land area, they consume 75% of her resources.
Smart growth is an alternative method for dealing with urban sprawl in an environmentally sustainable way. It uses zoning laws and other tools to discourage sprawl, reduce traffic, protect important lands and waterways, and develop neighborhoods. A city that takes it one step further to become even more environmentally sustainable is known as an ecocity or a green city. They emphasize the three principles of sustainability which are solar energy, chemical cycling, and biodiversity.
What a city should do to correct this problem is to use these five environmentally-sustainable methods. The city would promote urban gardens and farmer's markets. It would make use of locally available renewable energy resources. They would redesign the city for people instead of cars. The city would have to prevent pollution and reduce waste. At least 60% of municipal solid waste would have to be recycled, reused, or composted.
Miller, George Tyler., and Scott E. Spoolman. Environmental Science. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment