5.10: Urbanization Flashcards
Urbanization
Removing vegetation to convert the landscape to a city/ urban area
What does urbanization do?
It replaces soil, vegetation, and wetlands with impervious surfaces like concrete, asphalt, and cement
Where carbon Dioxide Emissions from urbanization
- Cement production
- Construction machinery
- Deforestation
Urbanization and groundwater
It prevents groundwater recharge as the impervious surfaces causes precipiation to runoff into local waters
Urbanization and saltwater intrusion
Urbanization and population growth lead to saltwater intrusion due to excessive groundwater pumping. Additionally, sea levels rise due to thermal expansion and melting of ice caps increasing the ocean volume which can contaminate groundwater with salt
Why do people move to urban areas?
Jobs, entertainment, cultural attractions. Since urban areas are so dense, it minimizes driving and land use per person
Urban Sprawl
Population moves out of the dense urban centers to less dense suburbs surrounding city
Causes of urban sprawl
- Cheaper property in suburbs than in cities
- We have cars to travel around and expanded highway system makes it easier to commute
- Domino effect where someone you know leaves so you leave
- Decrease in tax revenue for city (decrease in city services) from residents leaving
Solutions to urban sprawl
- Urban growth boundaries: laws set by cities that prevent development beyond a certain boundary
- Public transport and walkable city design so residents stay where they are
- Mixed land use where residential, business, and entertainment are all in the same area which makes it more walkable
An environmental problem caused by urbanization
Ecosystem destabilization as removal of vegetation messes with ecological processes like nutrient cycling, decreases habitat diversity, and can exarcebate water pollution
