Urban Sprawl Essay - 970 Words

Urban Sprawl I. Each morning, millions of Americans start their engines and grind their way to work. They leave quiet settings for the hustle and bustle of the cities. When evening approaches, these same people make their way home. Home, however, is no longer just across town. Many of these people will commute miles and miles to their *country= homes. II. They are not alone in their commute though - the entire rest of the subdivision is doing the exact same thing, day in and day out. They endure the traffic, lost time, and general inconvenience to be surrounded by farmland and open space and a hundred or so homes exactly identical to theirs. (Transition)Today I am going to discuss urban sprawl, its history, causes and effects.†¦show more content†¦So sure are they in their quest for justice that they never stop to consider one simple fact: they once were newcomers too. And before them, the land was open space or farmland. The developer *exploited= the land that they fell in love with, the politician *allowed= their home to be built, and they were *audacious= enough to inhabit it. IV. So the circle begins. We as a country are facing an epidemic of unknown proportions: age - old expansionist attitudes. Urban sprawl has made a definite impact on environment, agriculture, and economy. (Transition) So what exactly is Urban Sprawl. Body I. Henry R. Richmond who wrote From Sea to Shining Sea: gives us a good definition: AThe terms Aurban sprawl@ and Asuburbanization@ are often used to describe the continuous out-migration of the American economic and population base from its central citiesYmajor cities are surrounded by seas of low density residential development highlighted byYAEdge Cities@ or Asuburban megacenters@, where commercial, retail, office, and entertainment development has occurred.@ This description describes the trend overtaking rural America. The land that once fed the populace is being used to house the masses. This phenomenon is being met with a variety of opinions - all of them strong one is going to affect us in the most harmfulShow MoreRelatedUrban Sprawl Essay3380 Words   |  14 Pagesemerging issue is that of urban sprawl. While some aspects of urban sprawl has been seen since ancient times, this phenomenon has started gaining the most momentum in the past century, aided by the advancement o f technology, especially with the rise of mass produced automobiles, houses and highway systems. Many people unknowingly contribute to this environmental problem, as is the nature of it. Urban sprawl deals with the growth of the suburbs, the area between the urban and rural areas of a cityRead More Urban sprawl Essay1298 Words   |  6 PagesSunoco gas rebate banner on his right knee. A KFC sign was just above his left knee, and Clancy’s mask was a US road atlas. Even among all the goblins, ghouls, ghosts, and Lord of the Rings characters, Clancy was the scariest creature of them all. Urban Sprawl. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Since the emergence of prefabricated housing in preplanned neighborhoods in the 1950s, the Pleasantville ethic has brought more than half of the country’s population to the suburbs. Yet while the suburban value systemRead More The High Price of Urban Sprawl Essay2565 Words   |  11 Pages Urban sprawl is a social pattern describing the way cities continue to grow outward uncontrollably. People who do not want to live in an urban atmosphere often seek refuge in suburban areas that have access to metropolitan areas. As more people follow this trend the suburban areas slowly become developed and new areas must be sought for people to inhabit. This leaves some city workers commuting in trains, cars, or even buses for hours. Urban sprawl is not the luxury that it seems to beRead MoreUrban Sprawl, Inner City Growth, And Suburban Developments1872 Words   |  8 PagesRecently, people in different displines have vigorously discussed and suggested issues, goals, and principles to create better future settlements to fight against problems of urban sprawl, inner city decline, and suburban developments. As a part of these efforts, several sustainable models (e.g., smart growth, new urbanism, sustainable development, resilient community, or etc.) have been proposed and implemented. Please discuss topics below. Q 1. Several decades ago, suburban was one of the utopiasRead MoreUrban Sprawl : Urban City Of Edmonton1541 Words   |  7 PagesUrban sprawl is a concept that describes the spread of human populations from the major cities or urban areas into the low-density rural communities. Several factors are attributed to cause urban sprawl, such as lower land rates in rural areas, improved infrastructure, lack of effective urban planning, rise of population growth in the cities, and consumer preferences among others. Urban sprawl is considered to present significant benefits to individuals. For example, access of cheap land, betterRead MoreUrban Sprawl Of The United States1716 Words   |  7 Pages Urban Sprawl in The United States Kori Thompson The Gwinnett School of Math, Science, and Technology Urban Sprawl in The United States A great number of Americans living today reside in areas where homes, businesses, and institutions are spread sparsely. These areas are commonly referred to as either urban or suburban sprawl. Sprawl is generally designed for the movement of cars and not the movement of pedestrians; most people simply will not, and often cannotRead MoreUrban Sprawl And Smart Growth2197 Words   |  9 Pages Urban Form, Urban Sprawl, and Smart Growth Introduction: Since the Industrialization, cities attracted large amounts of labor force from rural to urban to engage in industries, which changed the structure of cities by increasing huge population. In addition, changing the structure of cities produces lots of problems, such as traffic congestion causes more serious air pollution, and insufficient housing problem; therefore, central cities began to extend the boundaries to desire better living environmentRead MoreUrban Sprawl and Wildlife Essay1279 Words   |  6 Pagesand development, but should this be re-examined? There are many opinions on the subject of urban sprawl and its effects on wildlife, but one thing is for certain, we are expanding. From 1955 to 2005, urban and suburban areas grew by 300%, however, the population only increased by 75% over the same period (Ewing, Kostyack and Chen). According to NatureServe, a non-profit conservation organization, urban sprawl threatens one of every three endangered species in the United States . NatureServe’s analysisRead MoreUrban Sprawl And New Urbanism1200 Words   |  5 PagesUrban Sprawl and New Urbanism In the modern world, human civilization has seen many changes from earlier points in our history. In the more developed countries in the world, human civilization is broken up into two main categories known as â€Å"Urban Sprawl† and â€Å"New Urbanism†. In the interactive, Urban Sprawl and New Urbanism are broken down into five main branches: Regional Transportation, Parking, Street Plans, Shops, Civic Buildings, Workplaces, and Residential Distribution. These branches reflectRead MoreEssay High Cost of Urban Sprawl1661 Words   |  7 PagesUrban Sprawl is an intricate concept that is mostly known as low density, automobile dependent development beyond the edge of employment and services zones. This type of development is ubiquitous in the United States since the end of World War II. Urban sprawl or suburban sprawl has raised immense number of concerns in various areas, such as: environmental impacts, loss of farmland, traffic problems, urban decline, taxpayer subsi dy, loss of community, housing, as well as some unspecific concerns