Effects of Urban Sprawl
All over the world, people are moving to the cities. As a result, when the cities fill up, the lure to spill over to the neighboring available land is inevitable. Urban sprawl is the exponential growth of urban centers to the nearing undeveloped land. It can also be referred to as urbanization. The expansion may result from the initial development having been poorly planned, or due to a high population.
The process is characterized by haphazard extension of cities into surrounding agricultural areas. Urban sprawling brings fulfillment to those moving to the suburbs with inexpensive and spacious dwelling units, a more natural lifestyle and escapes from the city’s noise, congestion, and crime. However, despite the apparent benefits of the sprawl, there are more impacts on the community as well as the environment, such as:
Increased Use of Private Transportation
The lack of mixed-use development in the suburbs promotes the use of private transportation to work. In turn, there is traffic congestion and increased emissions, not to mention the sedentary lifestyle and the resultant risk of health complications.
A Threat to Food Security
The loss of periurban arable land poses a threat to food production, thus contribute to food insecurity and increased prices. When rich agricultural land is lost, the biodiversity is lost. Consequently, agricultural activities are displaced to less productive areas. Urban sprawl also interferes with essential soil properties, therefore, reducing its agricultural capacity.
Environmental Degradation
Despite the loss of agricultural land and natural land, urban sprawl significantly leads to adverse ecological impact. Destruction of natural and protected areas such as wetlands and habitats is evident with increased proximity and accessibility of the cities to natural areas. This destruction has well-known and irreversible consequences. Similarly, the overall stress on the ecosystems significantly reduces the quality of life through the noise and air pollution.
Energy Consumption
The increased land use from the spreading population adds pressure to the available energy resources. Unlike the compact urban population, Suburbans are less energy efficient. Whether it is transport-related energy or electricity, sprawling cities leads to increased energy use.
Whereas urban sprawl may seem inevitable, prior planning of the available cities and their expansion may alleviate the consequences of the radical growth of suburbs. Legislation of sprawl reduction policies can also significantly lower the proliferation of undesired growth patterns. The policies in land ownership, infrastructure development, and protection of natural resources can contain sprawls while reducing the cost of living and increasing the quality of life.
