Reading Questions and Answers for Geography Alive, Chapter 5 Urban Sprawl Reading Questions and Answers for Geography Alive, Chapter 5

urban City

rural Countryside

suburban Areas of houses outside the center of a city; can include businesses and shops

Urban sprawl Poorly planned spread of cities and suburbs

smart growth Control sprawl by making better use of land that has already been developed

infill Filling in empty or run-down parts of a city with new development

Mixed-use development Combining housing and businesses in one area

Challenges facing Portland 1. fast growing population 2. lots of houses built in the urban fringe 3. urban sprawl might take over too many farms and forests

5.5 What Portland chose to do The state created a land-use policy Created an urban-growth boundary to separate land from rural land Limited development to inside the boundary

Portland’s three results: 1. They used smart growth to make better use of land; used mixed development 2. created pedestrian-friendly downtown with parks and open spaces 3. created a public transit system using buses and light rail so people won’t need cars

Give an example of why mixed-use development is a good idea People can walk to jobs or shop It reduces traffic and air pollution But opponents say it limits the kind of new homes that can be built. It could also drive up the price of existing land (this is from me, not your book)

5.6 What challenges did Toronto face? 1. The city was run down 2. in the 80s and 90s it began to sprawl outward; traffic clogged highways and caused pollution 3. sprawl took over farms, forests and wetlands

5.7 What did Toronto do? Created an official plan to allow growth in 25% of the city but limit growth in the rest of the city

5.7 What were the results? Limited growth in 75% of the city – all over Encouraged infill for 25% of the city 3. improved public transportation to link growth areas and so people wouldn’t need to use cars

What is an example of infill? Building an apartment on an empty lot Building a shopping mall on an old amusement park

Why are some developers and others concerned about infill? Hidden costs Extra time and money to clean up abandoned sites Work must be done before new construction can start Crowding is a concern others have

5.8 What challenges did Atlanta face? 1. Not enough room for all the new people and houses. 2. new homes built quickly and people needed cars to get around, causes lots of air pollution and traffic jams 3. hundreds of acres of forest were cut down each week to make room for houses. The urban fringe sprawled into the rural fringe.

5.9 What did Atlanta choose to do? Focus on public transit to help decrease people’s dependence on cars and to meet the Clean Air Act standards

What were three results? 1. Atlanta created the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority to reduce traffic, air pollution and reduce poorly planned developments. 2. Promote mixed use development and encourage people to walk or bike instead of drive by creating new bike trails 3. Expanded public transit with rail and bus and subway lines

What have I learned about urban sprawl? Cities grow outward Growing cities follow the same patterns of growth and sprawl Cheaper land outside of cities encourages sprawl Sprawl happens in cities around the world, not just in the U.S.