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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