Liveable Landscapes Flashcards
urbanization
after the Industrial Revolution, urbanization was very rapid and is definitely increasing
urban slums
informal housing, usually features unsafe, unhealthy, overcrowded, unstable, and unserviced homes
push factors
factors that encourage ppl to leave their homes and settle elsewhere; ex. lack of land, few jobs, poverty, famine, war, persecution
pull factors
factors that draw ppl into another place; ex. jobs, econ and gov’t incentives, food, housing, lifestyle
urban ecological footprint
determined by the land area that a community needs to provide its consumptive requirements for food, water, and other products and to dispose of wastes from consumption
urban sprawl
spreading of urban developments on undeveloped land near a city, often characterized by low-density residential housing and increased reliance on private transportation
effects of urban sprawl
- on the land and biodiversity: loss of cropland, loss and fragmentation of forests, grasslands, wetlands, and wildfire habitats
- water: increased use and pollution of surface and ground water, increased runoff and flooding
- energy, air, and climate: increased energy use and waste, increased emissions of CO2 and other pollutants
- economy: decline of downtown business districts, more unemployment in central cities
suburbanization
population shift from central urban areas into suburbs, results from urban sprawl, has created livable cities and considered as new urbanism and smart growth
features of suburbs
- walkable neighbourhoods
- multiple use zoning
- most needs can be met locally
- human-scale design, not car-focused sprawl
- mass transit between neighbourhoods and urban cores
conventional housing development
original land is transformed into broad areas of similar size lots and homes
cluster housing development
houses, townhouses, apartment buildings are built on part of the land with near half of it being left as ecologically functional open space
components of an env sustainable econ development
- forest conservation
- production of energy- efficient fuel-cell cars
- underground CO2 storage
- high-speed trains
- deep-sea CO2 storage
- bicycling
- wind farms
- recycle, reuse, compost
- recycling plant
- landfill
- cluster housing
- water conservation
- communities of passive solar homes
- solar-cell fields
- no-till cultivation
options for transportation
- multiple use zoning
- mass transit (trains, subways, light rails)
greenways
strips of land that connect parks and neighbourhoods, protects water quality, act as corridors for wildlife, enhances community aesthetics
street greening and pedestrianizing
making streets become better places to walk and cycle to reduce exposure to poor air quality
