Environmental Science Chapter 13

Wealth

: The ______ accumulated by urban residents allows them to serve as markets for organic produce, recycling, and environmental education

Small Growth

: concept of using urban growth boundaries and other land use policies to control sprawl.

City Planning or Urban Planning

: designing cities to maximize their efficiency, functionality, and beauty. Planners advise policymakers on development options, transportation needs, public parks, etc. Washington, D.C., is the nation's earliest example of _______.

Light rail

: smaller rail systems powered by electricity

Impacts

A city's _____ depend on how we use resources, produce goods, transport materials, and deal with waste.

Development approach that lead 2 sprawl:

Allot each person more space than in cities. Higher population growth. A resident of Chicago's suburbs takes up 11 times more space than a city resident.

36%; 3 times

Between 1980s and 1990s the average length of work trips rose by _____ and total emissions rose ____ faster than population growth.

Immigration and trade

By the mid-1900s, ______ and _____ had increased urbanization. Increased crowding, poverty, and crime. Affluent people moved to suburbs

Mass transit solves:

Cheaper, more energy efficient, and cleaner than moving the same number of people in cars. Traffic congestion is eased.

Export waste

Cities ___________through pollution and trade. They transfer the costs of activities to other regions. Acid precipitation and garbage impact distant areas

93%; 135%; 66%

Cities in the southern and western United States have grown. Warmer weather, more space Phoenix grew ____ between 1990 and 2012, Las Vegas by ____. Dallas and Houston by _____.

One- way linear

Cities must replace the ______________ metabolism of importing resources and exporting wastes. This destabilizes environmental systems and is not sustainable

19th

City parks arose in the United States at the end of the ____ century. People wanted to make dirty, crowded cities more livable. Lawns, groves, and curved pathways originated with European ideals. New York's Central Park was among the first city parks in the United States.

Green Building Benefits

Constructing or renovating buildings using efficient technologies is probably the best way to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings consume 40% of energy and 70% of electricity.

Plan of Chicago

Daniel Burnham's 1909 ________ included parks and playgrounds, improved neighborhoods, streamlined traffic, and cleared industry and railroads from the shore of lake Michigan to provide access to the lake.

1970 and 1990

Even in metropolitan areas where populations declined between _____ and_____ , the amount of land area increased

We need natural land for

Food, shelter, ores, water. Ecosystem services (air and water purification, nutrient cycling, waste treatment)

Proponents of smart growth promote:

Healthy neighborhoods and communities, Jobs and economic development, Transportation options, Environmental quality, Building "up, not out", Focusing development in existing areas, Favoring multistory shop-houses and high-rises.

Slowed

In developed nations, urbanization has ________ because 3 of 4 people already live in cities, towns or suburbs.

80%

In the United States, _____ of people live in urban areas

Limit sprawl disadvantages

Increased housing prices within their boundaries. As population expands, the UGB must expand with it. The Portland-area UGB has been expanded 36 times

80%; 76%; 55%

Inner cities declined. Chicago's population dropped to ___ of its peak, Philadelphia to ____, Detroit to ____, Portland's growth stalled but was restarted due to new policies to revitalize the city center.

Step for toward livability

Making cities more livable (pleasant, safe, clean, healthy) helps make them more sustainable. Planning and zoning are long-term, powerful sources for sustaining urban communities. They project farther into the future than most political leaders. Smart growth and new urbanism reduce energy use. Mass transit reduces gasoline use, carbon emissions. Because urban centers affect the environment in many positive ways, they are a key element toward global sustainability

Ecological restoration

Many cities are trying ___________ to restore the area's naturalness. Volunteers help remove exotic plants, restore prairies

Linchpins

Many well-located cities are ______ in trading networks. Funneling resources from agricultural regions, processing them, manufacturing products, and shipping those to other markets.

Ten Principles of smart growth:

Mix land uses, takes advantage of compact building design, create a range of housing opportunities and choices, and create walkable neighborhoods, foster distinctive / attractive communities with a strong sense of place, preserve open space/ farmland/ natural beauty/ and critical environmental areas, strengthen existing communities/ direct development toward them, provide a variety of transportation choices, make development decisions predictable/fair/and cost effective, and Encourage community/stakeholder collaboration in development decisions.

Fossil Fuel

Moving resources to cities requires _________ use.

Urbanization to components

People need a safe, clean, urban environment. High quality of life. Urban systems must be sustainable. Must minimize the ecological footprint

Economic growth

Population growth often exceeds ___________, resulting in overcrowding, pollution, and poverty.

60 million; 250

Portland's buses carry _______ riders/year. Each bus keeps _____ cars off the road every day.

Gov. encourage mass transit by:

Raise fuel taxes, Tax inefficient modes of transport, Reward carpoolers, Encourage bicycle use and bus ridership, Charge trucks for road damage.

Portland

Sprawling development can ruin communities, _________ area created a regional planning entity. Established an Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) separating urban from rural areas. UGBs are key to quality of life, but critics say they're elitist. Urban reserves will allow development. Rural reserves will preserve farms and forests

Green Buildings

Structures that use technologies and approaches to minimize the ecological footprints of construction and operation. Built from sustainable materials, Minimize energy and water use. Control pollution. Recycle wastes.

Great portland plan

The Edward Bennett's 1912 ____________ recommended rebuilding the harbor, new construction, wide roads, establishing civic center's downtown and greatly expanding cities parks.

72%; 9%

The United Nations projects that urban populations will increase ____ by 2050 Rural populations will decline by ____.

2 reasons Urban populations are growing:

The human population overall is growing. People are moving from farms to cities.

Heavy Rail

The most-used U.S. train systems are_____ systems in large cities. Carry 25% of each city's daily commuters. New York's subways, the T in Boston

Megacities:

There are 23 ___________ of over 10 million people

Sustainable

Things that make cities safe, clean, healthy, and pleasant also make them more _______. A _______ city functions effectively and prosperously over the long term. Generations will have a good quality of life. Impacts on natural systems and resources are minimized

Poor; racial; ethnic

Those who bear the brunt of pollution by living downstream or downwind of polluting facilities are disproportionately _____ or _____ and _____ minorities

Resource- poor

Today, cities thrive in __________ areas due to cheap fossil fuels and powerful technologies. Water is brought in from distant areas.

5 most populated cities in order.

Tokyo Japan, delhi India, Mexico City Mexico, New York City, shanghai china

Air pollution; stress; lost time:

Traffic jams cause ________, ______, and _____. Cost the U.S. economy $74 billion/year

Population size & spatially

Urban and suburban areas grow in _______ and _______.

ecosystem-centered model

Use resources efficiently, Recycle, Develop environmentally friendly technologies, Account fully for external costs, Offer tax incentives for sustainable practices, Use locally produced resources, Use organic waste and wastewater to restore soil fertility, Encourage urban agriculture.

Houses and roads

______ and _____ replace 2700 ha (6700 acres)/day!

Suburbs

______ had more space, better Economic opportunities and cheaper real estate, Less crime and better schools.

Sprawl

______ may be defined as the physical spread of development faster than population growth I.E. From 1950 to 2000, the population of Phoenix grew 12 times larger, but its land area grew 27 times larger

Ecological footprints

_______ are far greater than their land area. Cities take up 2% of the land surface, but consume over 75% of the world's resources. London's _________ is 125 times larger than the actual city

Developing nations

_______ are urbanizing rapidly because people are searching for jobs; fleeing wars, ecological damage

Climate, topography, and waterways

________, ________, and ________determine whether a small settlement becomes a large city. Corridors I.E. Trains and highways for trade drive economic growth.

Urbanization

_________ began when agricultural surpluses allowed people to leave their farms. Created specialized manufacturing professions, class structure, political hierarchies, and urban centers

High city density

___________ facilitates social services that improve the quality of life. Medical services, education, water and sewer systems, waste disposal, transportation.

Portland's Forest Park

____________ is the largest U.S. city park at 11 km (7 miles) long

The industrial revolution

_____________ spawned technology. Created jobs and opportunities in cities. Increased production efficiencies. Positive feedback loop/

Per land consumption

________increases due to better highways, cheap gas, telecommunication, etc. People desire space and privacy

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

a certification program run by the U.S. Green Building Council. New or renovated buildings apply for certification. They can be granted silver, gold, or platinum status.

Urban growth boundary (UGB)

a line on a map intended to separate areas desired to be urban from areas desired to remain rural. Oregon's UGB was one of the first large-scale attempts to limit sprawl this way. Try to concentrate development, prevent sprawl, and preserve farmland and habitat.

Key in improving quality of urban life:

alternative transportation options. I.e. Bicycles.

New urbanism

approach in which neighborhoods are designed on a walkable scale. Homes, businesses, and schools are close together. Functional neighborhoods in which most of a family's needs can be met without using a car. ________ Developments have green spaces, mixed architecture, creative street layouts.

Cities

are exposed to heavy metals, chemicals, smog, acid precipitation, etc.

Benefits of sprawl

attracts business, industry, and residents enhance community economy, political power, and cultural influence.

Pollution

caused by sprawl. Carbon dioxide, air pollutants, ozone, smog, acid precipitation. Motor oil and road salt from roads and parking lots. Runoff of polluted areas is about 16 time greater.

Transportation

caused by sprawl. People are forced to drive cars. Pressure to own cars and drive greater distances. Lack of mass transit options. More traffic accidents. Increased dependence on nonrenewable petroleum

Urban heat island effect

cities are hotter than surrounding areas. Buildings, vehicles, factories, and people generate heat. Dark buildings and pavement absorb heat

resource sinks

cities must import resources, relying on large expanses of land elsewhere to supply resources. (Urbanization effects)

Regional planning

deals with same issues as city planning, but with broader geographic scales that must coordinate with multiple municipal governments

Efficiency

dense concentrations of people in cities allow efficient delivery of goods and services. Delivery of electricity is more efficient. (Urbanization effects)

Transit-oriented development

development in which compact communities in the new urbanist style are arrayed around stops on a major rail transit line. Train or foot transportation.

Urban ecology

field that holds that cities can be viewed explicitly as ecosystems. Fundamentals of ecology and systems apply to cities.

Consumption

heavy use of outside resources increases the ecological footprints of cities. Urban dwellers have far larger ecological footprints than rural dwellers. Urban residents tend to be wealthier, and wealth correlates with consumption. (Urbanization effects)

PLANYC

is a program through which New York City is trying to become the first environmentally sustainable 21st-century city

Limit sprawl

keep growth in existing urbanized areas. Revitalize downtowns, increased employment Protect farms, forests, and industries. Reduce infrastructure costs by roughly 20%. Increase the density of new housing inside the UGB. Restrict development outside the UGB

land use

less forests, fields, farmland, or ranchland. Loss of resources, recreation, beauty, wildlife habitat, air and water purification, services. Children lose access to experiences with nature.

Light pollution

light that obscures the night sky, impairing the visibility of stars

Greenbelts

long, wide corridors of parklands. May surround an entire urban area

Two major factors with sprawl

population growth and per capita land consumption. The amount of sprawl equals = population size times (X) the amount of land the average person occupies. Cities vary in which is more important I.e. More people in Los Angeles vs. increased land consumption in Detroit

Zoning

practice that classifies areas for different types of development and land use. A powerful means to guide what gets built where. Involves government restriction on the use of private lands. Opponents say that its restrictions violate individual freedoms. Proponents say government can set limits for the good of the community.

Mass transit systems

public systems that move large numbers of passengers at once. Buses, trains, subways

5 times

since the 1950's the worlds urban population has grown _______.

Suburbs

smaller communities that ring cities. Half of America's population lives here.

Economics

sprawl drains tax dollars from communities. For roads, water and sewer systems, electricity, police and fire services, schools, etc. in new areas. Taxpayers, not developers, subsidize improvements

Health

sprawl promotes physical inactivity because driving cars replaces walking. Increases obesity and high blood pressure.

Greenways

strips of land connecting parks or neighborhoods. Protect water quality, boost property values, provide corridors for wildlife

Urbanization

the movement of people from rural to urban (cities and suburbs) areas. Society's greatest change since it became sedentary.

Sprawl

the spread of low-density urban or suburban development outward from an urban center. Some see it as ugly, environmentally harmful, and inefficient. Others see it as the outgrowth of desires and decisions in a world of increasing humans

Negative impacts of sprawl:

transportation, Pollution, health, land use, and economics.

Noise pollution

undesired ambient sound. Degrades surroundings, stressful, hurts hearing