Land Use Primer:
What is urban sprawl?
There are varying definitions of “Urban sprawl,” which has become a major issue in communities throughout the nation. Urban Sprawl is a pattern of Land Use change caused by human actions. Burchell et al. (1998, 2000) identify three essential characteristics: a) low density development, b) leapfrog development, and c) unlimited outward expansion. The United States Environmental Protection Agency describes urban sprawl as “low density, automobile dependent development beyond the edge of service and employment areas” (USEPA 2001). This low-density development generally replaces existing farmland, woodland, and wetland; automobile-enabled leapfrog development creates seeds around which satellite communities grow.
There are several economic, social, and environmental issues of concern associated with Urban Sprawl. These include:
- Increased traffic congestion and the time spent in traffic getting to work, shopping, and other activities.
- A decrease in social interaction among neighbors because of changes in the physical structure of neighborhoods.
- Loss of farms, forests and related ecosystems.
- Redirection of public and private resources from inner cities to surrounding areas.
- Water quality degradation due to increases in impervious surface area associated with new roads and parking lots.
- Air pollution resulting from the increased volume of traffic as people must drive longer distances, often on congested roads.
For more information on Urban Sprawl please refer to: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/11oct_sprawl.htm
Click for audio file Urban Sprawl The Big Picture: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/images/sprawl/audio/story.mp3