Urban Infrastructure, Population Growth, Environmental Problems

Infrastructure [definition]

- context dependent - historically called "Public Works" can be defined by function - a wide array of public facilities and equipment required to provide social services and support private sector economic activity elements - structures commonly identified as infrastructure include but are not limited to roads, railroads, bridges, public transit, etc

Urban Population Characteristics

- diverse population - younger population that local rural area - more males in developing nation cities - more females in developed nation cities

Characteristics of a Sustainable City

- efficient use of energy and other resources - reduction of pollution and waste - large areas of green space - designed to be people-centered, not car-centered - compact development

Population Growth is Driven by Developing Countries

- higher fertility rates than anywhere in the world (almost 2x) - less educated - look at children as resources - do not have resources for contraception

Strategies to Stop Urban Growth in Developing Countries

- promote agricultural development in rural areas - provide incentives to industries and business to relocate from urban to rural areas - provide incentives to encourage new businesses in rural areas - developing the infrastructure of rural areas

Current Population Trends

- total # of people is rising and is expected to continue to increase - about 40% of world's population lives in countries in which couples have so few children that the countries' populations are likely to decline over the coming years

Environmental Benefits of Urbanization

- well planned city can benefit the environment - compact development

Drivers of Infrastructure Development

- worldwide population shifts - economic pressures [globalization] - governments policies [massive build-out in developing world, repair and replacement in developed countries]

Youth Bulge

-characterization of developing countries -a high proportion of 15-29 year olds relative to the adult population -youth bulge combined with other characteristics of rapidly growing population, such as resource scarcity, high unemployment rates, poverty, and rapid urbanization, sets the stage for political unrest

Jobs define urban vs. rural NOT POPULATIONS

-rural area occupation involve harvesting natural resources -urban area occupations involve jobs not connected with natural resources

Sustainable Infrastructure

1. financing is available for construction, operation, maintenance, expansion and renewal 2. social and economic benefits are sufficient for society to support continued operations and expansion 3. environmental impacts are limited, and the necessary resources are available

Slums

1/3 city dwellers live in slums -overcrowding -little employment -poor water, sanitation, & health care services

Poor Maternal, Infant and Child Heath

1/4 children born in developing countries is unwanted - more kids, fewer parental resources and social resources available to each child

Traffic Problems

2003 - traffic congestion caused 3.7 billion hours of traffic delay and wasted 2.3 billion gallons of fuel

"Embodied Energy"

Accounts for entire life cycle of materials - extraction, processing, assembling, transportation, construction, etc.

Why Urban Infrastructure Matters [EXAMPLES]

Collapse of I35 bridge over Mississippi River in Minneapolis, MN - Aug., 2007 - 13 dead - over 100 wounded Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, LA - Aug., 2005 - catastrophic levee failures Widespread Blackout, Queens, NY - 170,000 people without power for 9 days - due to failure of aging cables

Defining Infrastructure by Function

Congressional Budget Office - has common characteristics of capital intensiveness and high public investment at all levels of government --- directly critical to activity in nation's economy Council of State Planning Agencies - a wide array of public facilities and equipment required to provide social services and support private sector economic activity

Defining Infrastructure by Elements

Congressional Budget Office - structures commonly identified as infrastructure include roads, railroads, bridges, public transit, airports, seaports, water and sewer systems, electrical power lines, and public institutions Council of State Planning Agencies - roads, bridges, water and sewage systems, airports, ports, and public buildings and schools, health facilities, jails, recreational facilities, etc.

Demands of a Growing Population

EX: collapse of Interstate 35W - lack of adequate funding for repair and maintenance of bridges - increasing demands of a growing population, especially in urban areas

Mega-Cities

cities with 10 million residents or more

Suburbanization

city residents left the city to live in outside areas (the suburbs) cities experienced DECONCENTRATION - the redistribution of the population from cities to suburbs and surrounding areas

Autosclerosis:

clogged vehicular arteries that slow rush hour traffic to a crawl or a stop, even when there are no accidents or construction crews ahead

Environmental Problems in Urban Areas

growing urban areas affect land use patterns - fragments wild life - encroaches wetlands, forests, deserts, etc. impermeable surfaces and urban runoff discharged into water ways - motor oil, lawn fertilizers, heavy metals noise pollution, light pollution brownfields -urban areas of abandoned industrial or residential sites that may be contaminated from past use long commutes urban air pollution sources of particulate matter

Urban Heat Island

local heat buildup in an area of high population density (buildings trap heat) - affect local air currents and weather conditions - contribute to buildup of pollutants

Dust Dome

of pollutants forms over a city when the air is somewhat calm and stable - when wind speeds increase, the pollutants move downwind from the city

Urbanized Area

one or more places and the adjacent densely populated surrounding area that together have a minimum population of 50,000

Suburban Sprawl

patchwork of vacant and developed tracts around the edges of cities PROBLEMS -loss of wetlands -air and water pollution -loss of biological habitat -decline in available cropland

"Rural Flight"

people are moving to cities due to decrease in employment opportunities in rural areas

Urban Population

persons living in cities or towns of 2,500 or more residents

Urbanization

process in which people increasingly move from rural areas to densely populated cities - transform a society from a rural to an urban one

Why Urban Infrastructure Matters

provides elementary services - taken for granted unless it fails catastrophically

"Built Environment"

the man-made environment we live in

Population Density

the number of people per unit of land area - population density of India is 869/sq. mi. - population density of US is 80/sq. mi.

Doubling Times

the time it takes for a population to double in size from any base year

Urbanization Trends

urbanization is increasing rapidly - especially in developing countries world's 10 largest cities are in developing countries

Urban Agglomeration

urbanized core region that consists of several adjunct cities or megacities and their surrounding developed suburbs

World Population

- 99% of human history, population growth restricted by disease and food supplies - change during Industrial Revolution ---improved standard of living (better food, cleaner water, improving housing & sanitation, medical advances)

Current Population Projections

- UN: world pop. growing at +1.14%/yr - addition of 76 million people/yr