TBLU - Are There Benefits to Urbanization? (Lesson)

Are There Benefits to Urbanization?

Human society has shifted from an agricultural society to an urban, industrialized society and land use has been impacted. Industrialization centralized many new jobs in urban areas, and since technological advancements also made agricultural processes more efficient, few people were needed to produce the needed food. Movement from rural to urban life is called urbanization.

Transportation and transportation infrastructure impact the environment, increasing air pollution by burning fossil fuels, destroying and fragmenting habitats, creating noise and light pollution, and increasing animal deaths due to collisions. However, since infrastructure is essential in today's world, instead of depending on decreasing infrastructure to lessen environmental impact, many point to thoughtful design and implementation of these systems as key to sustainable transportation.

The U.S highway system began in 1944 with the Federal-Aid Highway Act. In 1952, the Federal Highway Systems Act was passed and allocated federal funds to help develop a national interstate system. It passed in 1956 and required that interstate road engineers would develop uniform traffic highway designs. Although ease of travel was a benefit, the environmental impact has been equally dramatic. Large sections of habitat fragmentation occurred. An EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) must be created to assess potential impacts to the environment before development occurs.

Sustainable Land Use Strategies

Advancements in sustainable building techniques help balance the needs of human society with environmental impact. Much of the policy governing sustainable building is designed at the city and regional levels. Effective city planning takes into account the location and types of parks and green areas, transportation infrastructure, recreation, commerce areas, housing options, hospitals, schools, energy usage, waste removal, and many other components. One way cities manage these diverse needs is through zoning (limitations on the types of building allowed in certain areas). Zoning helps to control how a city grows and includes restrictions on what can be done with the land, separating commercial, industrial, and residential areas.

Partly in response to congestion and high population density in cities, some people now choose to move out of large urban areas to surrounding suburban and rural areas, broadening the continued environmental issues associate with urbanization.

 

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