What does this pie chart tell us? What is the largest land use in U.S.?

How does our growing population affect the environment? Video Link: /video/news/7-billion/ngm-7billion /video/news/7-billion/ngm-7billion

Land Use, Urbanization & Management

Essential Questions What are different land usages? What are some local land usages? What beneficial services do ecosystems provide? How have human activities impacted the land? What are some local and federal laws governing land usage?

Section 1 Goals What is the difference between land cover and land use? Urban and rural land? Describe how humans impact the land. Explain the concept of ecosystem services.

Most people used to live like this

Increasingly people live like this.

Major Urban Regions in U.S.

For the first time in history, there are now more urban residents than rural residents.

Land Use and Land Cover Land cover: Vegetation and structures that cover land. Land use: Human activities that occur on land. Humans change land cover, especially in urban areas. These changes have environmental and economic effects

What are some land uses and cover in Wanaque?

What do these bar graphs show us?

Urban vs. Rural Urban: Land mostly covered with buildings and roads (includes suburbs) Rural: Any other type of land use or land cover (includes forests, cropland, etc.)

The Urban-Rural Connection People are dependent on resources produced in rural areas (both city and rural) Resources include: clean drinking water, fertile soil and land for crops, trees for wood and paper, and much of the oxygen we breath, which is produced by plants An ecosystem service is the role that organisms play in creating a healthful environment for humans. Ecosystem Services (Crash Course) Ecosystem Services

The Urban-Rural Connection

Urbanization Occurs when people move from rural areas to cities Cities are not new, but the enormous size of today’s cities is. More than 20 cities have at least 10 million residents.

Why are people moving to cities and leaving rural life behind? SHOULD WE CARE?

Section 1 Review What is the difference between land cover and land use? Describe how people impact the land.

Section 2: Sprawl Goals Describe what contributes to sprawl and its patterns. Explain the impacts of sprawl.

Los Angeles, CA, is one the most sprawling U.S. cities.

In 1950, 65% of the U.S. population lived in urban (including suburban) areas, while 35% lived rurally. In 2010, 89% was urban and only 11% rural.

What is sprawl? The spread of low-density urban or suburban development outward from a dense urban core Often, growth of suburban areas outpaces population growth because suburbs allow more space per person than cities

Primary Contributors to Sprawl 1)Population Growth 2)Increase per capita land use 3)Cheap gasoline 4)Decay of inner cities 5)Cheaper to build new than rebuild (less expensive land)

Primary Contributors to Sprawl 6) Improved road system 7) Affordable cars 8) Government subsidies of mortgages, infrastructure projects

Contributors to Sprawl

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY

Patterns of Sprawl Uncentered commercial strip development Low-density single-use residential development Scattered, or leapfrog, development Sparse street network

Per Capita Land Consumption

Why care about sprawl?

Impacts of Sprawl Transportation: Little to no public transportation Must use car to get anything Air pollution

Impacts of Sprawl Public health: May promote inactivity, and by extension obesity and high blood pressure

Impacts of Sprawl Land Use: Less land left as open space, forests, and farms Habitat destruction and fragmentation Farmland, forests, wetlands destroyed Road kill Soil erosion

Impacts of Sprawl Economics: Wealth tending to concentrate in suburbs, leaving urban areas poor Decline of town centers Higher taxes

Impacts of Sprawl Water – quality & amount decrease with increasing development Water pollution- surface & groundwater Wetland destruction Increased runoff Increased flooding risk Decreased water storage

Section 2 Review Describe what contributes to sprawl and its patterns. Explain the impacts of sprawl.

Environmental Costs of Urbanization Pollution: Increased waste, industrial byproducts, noise pollution, light pollution What is noise pollution? Light pollution?

Noise Pollution

Light Pollution What the night should look like.

Environmental Costs of Urbanization Heat islands: Cities, several degrees warmer than surrounding areas, affect local weather and trap pollutants WHY?

What can cities do to reduce this impact?

Environmental Costs of Urbanization Imported resources: Fossil fuels are burned to import food, water, fuel, and raw materials.

Environmental Benefits of Urbanization What do you think are some environmental benefits if cities?

Environmental Benefits of Urbanization Efficiency: Less fuel and resources needed to distribute goods and services to residents Universities and research centers: Urban areas tend to foster education and innovation. Land Preservation: Dense urban centers leave room for agriculture, wilderness, biodiversity, and privacy.

Section 3 Goals Discuss land use planning

Land Use Planning Land Use Planning: determining in advance how land will be used Where do we put houses, schools, businesses, roads, factories, etc. What land should be left open?

Land Use Planning City planners attempt to design cities that both work well and look and feel appealing. Zoning: Classification of land areas for different types of development and land use – An area can be mixed use or single use. – Involves restrictions on the use of private land

Land Use Plan

Infrastructure Infrastructure: all the things we build to support living Buildings Roads Sewers Water treatment plants Power Plants Environmental/ societal costs?

Smart Growth Focuses on economic and environmental approaches to avoiding sprawl Builds “up,” not “out” Maintains open spaces by redeveloping existing urban areas, waterfronts, and industrial sites

Smart Growth Seeks to design neighborhoods that minimize the need to drive Requires good public transportation systems

Transportation

Smart Growth: Transportation Public transportation a key factor in the quality of urban life Buses, subways, trains more efficient, less polluting than cars Cities encourage mass transit with fuel taxes, vehicle taxes, rewarding carpoolers, and encouraging bicycle and bus use.

Explain what this graph shows

Busses Advantages More flexible than rail system Can be rerouted as needed Cost less to develop and maintain than heavy-rail system Can greatly reduce car use and pollution Disadvantages Can lose money because they need low fares to attract riders Often get caught in traffic unless operating in express lanes Commit riders to transportation schedules Noisy

Trains Advantages More energy efficient than cars Produce less air pollution than cars Require less land than roads and parking areas for cars Cause fewer injuries and deaths than cars Reduce car congestion in cities Disadvantages Expensive to build and maintain Cost effective only along a densely populated narrow corridor Commit riders to Transportation schedules Can cause noise and vibration for nearby residents

AdvantagesDisadvantages Bicycles Affordable Produce no pollution Quiet Require little parking space Easy to maneuver in traffic Take few resources to make Very energy efficient Provide exercise Little protection in an accident Do not protect riders from bad weather Not practical for trips longer than 8 kilometers (5 miles) Can be tiring (except for electric bicycles) Lack of secure bike parking

Did You Know? Paris, France removed 200,000 parking spaces to encourage the use of public transportation within the city.

Bike lanes in NYC Bike Parking Garage Netherlands

Green Building The goals of a green building are to save energy and resources without sacrificing people’s comfort.

Section 3 Review Discuss land use planning Explain the importance of transportation choices Differentiate green building from traditional building

Sustainable Cities What are different land usages? What are some local land usages? Describe the impact of human activities on the land.