Chapter #22
What are some of the reasons why some people are pulled to Urban areas?
jobs, food, housing, educational opportunities, better health care, and entertainment
What is noise pollution and why is it an urban problem?
* permanent hearing damage * sound levels can be very stressful *sound can kill at a certain level
Give five examples of how Curitiba, Brazil, has attempted to become a more sustainable and livable eco-city.
*Cars are banned from 49 blocks in the center of the downtown area mass transit is used *Curitiba recycles roughly 70% of its paper and 60% of its metal, glass, and plastic *All school children study ecology *You must get a permit to cut down a tree and re[lace it with 2 more. removed buildings from flood zones
Explain why most urban areas are unsustainable systems and how these factors contribute to their unsustainability: pollution
*Pollutant levels are generally higher because pollution is produced in a smaller area and cannot be dispersed and diluted as readily as pollution produced in rural areas can. *high population densities in urban areas can promote the spread of infectious diseases, especially if drinking water and sewage systems are inadequate or not available
Summarize Mexico City's major urban and environmental problems and what government officials are doing about them.
*They have no sewage facilities, so human waste from these slums is deposited in gutters, vacant lots, and open ditches every day, attracting armies of rats and swarms of flies * bacteria-laden fallout leads to widespread salmonella and hepatitis infections, especially among children. *water shortages - government has moved refineries and factories out of the city, banned cars in its central zone, and required air pollution controls on all cars made after 1991 - It has also phased out the use of leaded gasoline, expanded public transportation, and replaced some old buses, taxis, and trucks with vehicles that produce fewer emissions - expansion of its bus rapid transit system -instituted a program to reduce water use and waste and implemented a water pricing system designed to promote water conservation
What are three ways to preserve open spaces around a city?
*Urban Growth boundry *greenbelt *create municiple parks
What are the five key goals of new urbanism?
*Walkable and bike-friendly neighborhoods *Mixed-use and diversity *Quality urban design *Environmental sustainability *Smart transportation
List five factors that have promoted urban sprawl in the United States
*ample affordable land *automobiles *federal and state funding of highways *inadequate urban planning
Explain why most urban areas are unsustainable systems and how these factors contribute to their unsustainability: light pollution
*artificial light created by cities, affects some plant and animal species
What is sustainable community development and what are six indicators that scientists study to assess a community's level of sustainability?
*growing as much of its own food as possible *generating all or most of its own carbon-neutral energy *generating all or most of its own carbon-neutral energy *recycling pollutants and wastes as resources within industrial ecosystems or as biodegradable wastes, and returning extracted resources such as water and minerals to the ecosystem. *doing all of the above in order to become carbon-negative as quickly as possible
Explain how Portland, Oregon, and other cities are applying the six principles of sustainability (see Figure 1-2, Figure 1-5) to become more sustainable urban areas
*improving energy efficiency and relying much more on solar, wind, and geothermal energy for electricity, heating, and cooling * most solid wastes be reused, recycled, or composted *preserve their parks and wooded areas, set aside more parks, and plant more trees and vegetation *Full-cost pricing *some cities are making it more expensive to drive a car within their borders
Define smart growth and list five tools that are used to implement it
*limits and regulations *Zoning *Tax Breaks *Protection on land *planning
Explain why most urban areas are unsustainable systems and how these factors contribute to their unsustainability: lack of vegetation
*most trees, shrubs, grasses, and other plants are cleared to make way for buildings, roads, parking lots, and housing developments. -Thus, most cities do not benefit from vegetation that would absorb air pollutants, give off oxygen, dampen urban noise, and provide shade, wildlife habitat, and aesthetic pleasure.
List two ways in which urban areas grow.
*natural increase (more births than deaths) *immigration (mostly from rural areas)
Describe the major aspects of poverty in urban areas
*usually lack clean water supplies, sewers, electricity, and roads, and are subject to severe air and water pollution and hazardous wastes from nearby factories *Many of these settlements are in locations especially prone to landslides, flooding, or earthquakes
Explain why most urban areas are unsustainable systems and how these factors contribute to their unsustainability: water supply problems, and flooding
*water demands increase, deeper wells must be drilled. This can deprive rural and wild areas of surface water and deplete groundwater supplies *Urban development has often destroyed or degraded large areas of wetlands that have served as natural sponges to help absorb excess storm water
List four ways to reduce dependence on motor vehicles.
1. full-cost pricing on gas 2. raise parking fees, tolls and roads, tunnel, and bridges. 3. Charging high prices for lices plates 4. Banning on-street parking 5. car sharing networks
Describe the three phases of urban growth in the United States
1. people migrated from rural areas to large central cities 2. many people migrated from large central cities to smaller cities and suburbs 3. many people migrated from the North and East to the South and Wes
List three major trends in global urban growth
1.The percentage of the global population living in urban areas has increased sharply, and this trend is projected to continue 2.The percentage of the global population living in urban areas has increased sharply, and this trend is projected to continue 3.Poverty is becoming increasingly urbanized, mostly in less-developed countries
What percentage of the world's people live in urban areas?
52%
What are the major advantages and disadvantages of urbanization
A- lower-density living A- access to larger lots and sizes an homes A-newer public schools A- lower crime rates. D-sprawl forces people to drive everywhere, D-destroying prime cropland, forests, and wetlands.
What are the major advantages and disadvantages of using motor vehicles?
A- much of the world's economy is built on producing motor vehicles and supplying fuel, roads, services, and repairs for them. D - auto accidents kill lots of people each year D- fastest-growing source of climate-changing emissions
Explain why becoming carbon-negative is an important goal for communities.
Becoming carbon-negative—absorbing more carbon than the community generates in order to shrink its carbon footprint
Distinguish between compact and dispersed cities, and give an example of each.
Compact Cities- Hong Kong, China, and Tokyo, Japan, get around by walking, biking, or using mass transit such as rail and bus systems (reduces need for travel) Dispersed Cities - a combination of plentiful land, relatively cheap gasoline, and networks of highways has produced dispersed cities whose residents depend on motor vehicles for most travel. ex U.S, Canda
urbanization
Creation or growth of urban areas, or cities, and their surrounding developed land.
Describe the potential for urban indoor farming
Crops on these farms could be fed nitrogen and other plant nutrients extracted from the animal wastes and perhaps from city sewage treatment plants. Electricity for heat and lighting could be provided by geothermal, solar, or wind energy, energy from composted plant and animal wastes, and fuel cells powered by hydrogen produced from such forms of renewable energy. Thus, an urban vertical farm would mimic nature by applying all three scientific principles of sustainability.
What is zoning and what are its limitations?
Designating parcels of land for particular types of use
urban sprawl
Growth of low-density development on the edges of cities and towns
Explain why most urban areas are unsustainable systems and how these factors contribute to their unsustainability: heat island effect
In cities, the enormous amount of heat generated by cars, factories, furnaces, lights, air conditioners, and heat-absorbing dark roofs and streets creates an urban heat island that is surrounded by cooler suburban and rural areas - this can accelerate the formation of photochemical smog and increase their dependence on air conditioning
List the major advantages and disadvantages of relying more on each of the following alternative transportation modes: bicycles, bus rapid-transit systems, mass-transit rail systems within urban areas, and rapid-rail systems between urban areas.
PG 618-619
urban growth
Rate of growth of an urban population.
noise pollution
any unwanted, disturbing, or harmful sound that damages, impairs, or interferes with hearing, causes stress, hampers concentration and work efficiency, or causes accident
Describe the eco-city model and how it applies the principles of sustainability.
cities are people-oriented, not car-oriented, and their residents are able to walk, bike, or use low-polluting mass transit for most of their travel. - solar hot-water heaters on rooftops, and micro-wind turbines, as well as from geothermal heating and cooling systems - buildings, vehicles, and appliances are all energy efficient - reuse, recycle, and compost 60-80% of their municipal solid waste.
What is cluster development?
in which houses, town houses, condominiums, and two- to six-story apartments are built on parts of the tract
Describe the growing ecovillage movement and give some examples
in which people come together to design and live in more sustainable villages in rural and suburban areas, and in neighborhoods or "eco-hoods" within cities -generating electricity from solar cells, small wind turbines, and small hydropower systems; collecting rainwater; and using passive solar design, energy-efficient houses, green roofs, rooftop solar collectors to provide hot-water, waterless composting toilets, and organic farming plots
What are some reasons people are pushed to from ruhl to Urban areas?
poverty, lack of land, growing food, war, religious, or political beliefs
Explain how Portland, Oregon, has attempted to become a more sustainable city
smart growth strategies and strong land-use policies to control sprawl, reduce dependence on automobiles, and provide green space
What is land-use planning?
to determine the best present and future uses of various parcels of land