Urban Sprawl

The spread of cities outward; consuming the surrounding land


Causes:

  • Growing population and rising affluence
  • Want to larger homes with greater amenities
  • Economic growth of the population
  • Single use zoning

What is urban sprawl?


Statistics of Urban Sprawl

  • Urban sprawl since 1990 has seen a 95.2% increase with an annual growth of around 4%. Urbanized areas have expanded by 45.6% translating to around 27.86 km 2  per day
  • In the US more than 25% of habitats were lost or fragmented due to urban expansion


Map Tour

Urban Sprawl Examples

1

Perth

In 2021 Perth reached a Size of 150 kilometers and the number of wealthy individuals rose by 10%

The rising population of Perth has led to increased urban sprawl and a decrease in biodiversity and ecosystems

2

Jakarta

Rapidly growing urbanization and industrialization have led to an expansive urban sprawl.

This rapid expansion is known to have affected the air quality, fragmented ecosystems, polluted many areas, and created many water pollution and management problems.

3

Tokyo

Tokyo's urban sprawl is related to economic growth and success

As a result, Tokyo faces land loss, water and air pollution

4

Los Angeles

Los Angeles is growing due to the rise in the use of automobiles and commuting. The growing population has pushed to sprawl to a large extent

This has caused severe environmental challenges like pollution, fires, and resource strain.

5

New York City

The leading causes for urban sprawl in NYC are population growth and economic factors

Water pollution is one of the most pressing issues of the sprawl in NYC


Heat Island Effect

Urban Heat Island Severity

What is the heat island effect?

This map shows an issue known as the heat island effect. This means that around cities there is an increased overall temperature due to many causes. Some of these major causes include greenhouse gas pollution from cars and a large population. Another cause is the low albedo of the dark concrete and buildings in the cities causing them to absorb the sun's heat and create something called a heat island in the urban areas. The map shows how there are heat islands in the major cities and not in the rural areas where the heat is managed. Urban sprawl leads to an increase in the heat island effect and therefore creates warmer temperatures affecting nearby ecosystems. It also causes a positive feedback loop where more energy is used to keep the building cool from the heat causing more fossil fuels to be burned making it hotter.


Memes

Memes


Solutions

  • Change zoning practices from single use zoning in residential areas to high density housing
  • Incentivising electric cars to cut back on CO2 emissions from commuters and improve air quality
  • Investment in public infrastructure like transportation, parks, and green spaces
  • Implementing energy-efficient designs for new construction and use of renewables to improve efficiency and air quality
  • Developing under utilized and vacant spaces to reduce wasted land
  • Environmental legislation and city planning that keeps natural spaces safe, protecting biodiversity
  • Investing in tertiary wastewater treatment to further protect water sources and the biodiversity of lakes, rivers, and ocean
  • Implement a carbon tax to mitigate air pollution and use the money from the tax to invest in cleaning or investment in renewables

Before & After

(The Villages, Florida - 2007) - (The Villages, Florida - 2017)

(Loudoun County, Va., - 2012) - (Loudoun County, Va., in 2018)

(Dublin, Calif., - 2009) - (Dublin, Calif., - 2018)

Cited Sources

Image 1

Bloomberg.Com, Bloomberg, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-17/a-new-index-to-measure-sprawl-gives-high-marks-to-los-angeles. Accessed 13 May 2024.

Size of Urban Sprawl

Dingjan, Lis. “The Longest Suburban Sprawl in the World.” Nowhere & Everywhere, Nowhere & Everywhere, 28 Aug. 2023, nowhereandeverywhere.co/longest-suburban-sprawl-world/#:~:text=It’s%20the%20most%20isolated%20city,this%20is%20no%20mean%20feat.

Causes of Urban Sprawl

“Urban Sprawl.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 22 Mar. 2024, www.britannica.com/topic/urban-sprawl#ref284704.

Data from map tour

“Sustainable Cities: Challenges and Opportunities in Jakarta.” Environment, 31 Mar. 2015, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/sustainable-cities-challenges-and-opportunities-in-jakarta.

Data from map tour

Popedadmin. “Examining Tokyo and Lagos: How Urbanization Looks in Megacities.” Population Education, 31 Dec. 2019, populationeducation.org/examining-tokyo-and-lagos-how-urbanization-looks-in-megacities

Data from map tour

Staff. “L.A. Urbanized: The Making of Los Angeles as a Global City.” Urbanize LA, 11 Jan. 2021, la.urbanize.city/post/la-urbanized-making-los-angeles-global-city.

Data from map tour

“Growth of the Metropolis.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/place/New-York-City/Growth-of-the-metropolis. Accessed 15 May 2024.

Solutions

“Solutions to Urban Problems of Tokyo That Will Impact the Future of Our Planet.” TOKYO UPDATES [The Official Information Website of Tokyo Metropolitan Government], 23 July 2021, www.tokyoupdates.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/post-295/.

Before & After pictures

Badger, Emily, and Quoctrung Bui. “A Decade of Urban Transformation, Seen from Above.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Dec. 2019,

Stats about sprawl

Behnisch, Martin, et al. “Rapid Rise in Urban Sprawl: Global Hotspots and Trends since 1990.” PLOS Sustainability and Transformation, Public Library of Science, journals.plos.org/sustainabilitytransformation/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pstr.0000034. Accessed 16 May 2024.

Habitat loss stat

“Urban Sprawl: Definition & Overview.” Terrascope 2024, terrascope2024.mit.edu/?page_id=259. Accessed 16 May 2024.

(The Villages, Florida - 2007) - (The Villages, Florida - 2017)

(Loudoun County, Va., - 2012) - (Loudoun County, Va., in 2018)

(Dublin, Calif., - 2009) - (Dublin, Calif., - 2018)