Chapter 23Sustainable Communities

and Lifestyles

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Prentice Hall, Inc.

EnvironmentalScience

Tenth Edition

Richard T. Wright

Trenton Brownfield Site

Sustainable Communities and Lifestyles

• Urban sprawl• Urban blight• Moving toward sustainable communities• Toward a common good

Urban Sprawl

• The origins of urban sprawl• Measuring sprawl• Impacts of urban sprawl• Reining in urban sprawl: smart growth

Urban Sprawl

• Sprawl: extension of city perimeters outward in the countryside, one development after the next, with little plan as to where the expansion is going and no notion as to where it will stop.

Urban Sprawl

The Origins of Urban Sprawl

• Post World War II demand for consumer goods: cheap cars and gas

• Housing boom with low mortgage rates• Highway Trust Fund• Population growth

Impacts of the Highway Trust Fund

The Flight Continued

• The results of a car-dependent lifestyle

City Suburbs Exurbs

Measuring Sprawl

• Residential density• Neighborhood mix of homes, stores, and

workplaces• Accessibility of the street networks• Strength of activity centers and downtowns

Low scores meanhigh sprawl

Impacts of Urban Sprawl: Environmental

Environmental Impacts of Urban Sprawl: Simplify and Destabilize!

Photos by C.E. Adams

Impacts of Urban Sprawl: Quality of Life

• Higher vehicle ownership and driving mileage• Greater risk of fatal accidents• Lower rates of walking and lessened use of

mass-transit facilities

Impacts of Urban Sprawl: Quality of Life

• No change in congestion delays• Higher costs for municipal services• Higher incidence of obesity and high blood

pressure

Benefits of Urban Sprawl

• Lower density residential living• Larger lot sizes• Larger single-family homes

Benefits of Urban Sprawl

• Better quality public schools• Lower crime rates• Better social services• Greater opportunity to participate in local

governments

Reining in Urban Sprawl: Smart Growth

• “Smart Growth”: forces communities to purposely choose to develop in more environmentally sustainable ways.– Sets boundaries on urban sprawl– Saves open space– Develops existing urban space– Creates new towns

Urban Blight

• Economic and ethnic segregation• The vicious cycle of urban blight• Economic exclusion of the inner city• Urban blight in developing countries• What makes cities livable

Indicators of Urban Decay

• Economic and ethnic segregation• Eroding tax base• Loss of social services• Lowered property values• Higher property taxes• Deterioration of central city infrastructure

An Area of Suburbia

An Area of Inner-city Baltimore

Abandoned Buildings

Economic Exclusion of the Inner City

Urban Blight in Developing Countries

• Slum communities– No utility services– No land ownership– Crime and disease are endemic– Expected to continue growing into middle of

century– Continually overwhelmed by influx of rural

immigrants

Slum Community Needs

• Home security• More jobs• Cheap transportation• Government representation(Slum Dwellers International – SDI athttp://www.sdinet.org)

Shantytown

What Makes Cities Livable

• Integrated living, working, and recreational spaces

• Affordable housing• Provisions for pedestrian and bicycle traffic• Protection of sensitive habitats

High Population Densities Make a City

What Makes Cities Livable?

• Reduced outward sprawl• Reduced automobile traffic• Improved access by foot or bicycle• Mass transit

What Makes Cities Livable?

• High population density• Heterogeneity of residences and business• People meet people not cars

Moving Toward Sustainable Communities

• Sustainable cities– Proximity of people to residences, shops, and

workplaces– Use of solar energy– Self-sufficiency in provision of food– Stable population

Livable Cities

Car-centered Cities

Bicycle-centered Cities

The Big Dig

Moved central freewayunder ground

Urban Gardens

Moving Toward Sustainable Communities

• Sustainable cities• Sustainable communities

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Sustainable Communities

• Renovation and recycling

• Greenways development

• Reclaimed waterways• New industries

Toward the Common Good

• Our dilemma• Lifestyle changes

The Common Good

• Compassion• Concern for justice• Honesty• Frugality• Humility• Neighborliness

Lifestyle Changes

• Individual lifestyle changes• Political involvement• Membership and participation in NGO

environmental organizations• Volunteer work• Career choices

Habitat for Humanity Volunteers

End of Chapter 23

PPT by Clark E. Adams