The Negative Effects About Sprawl Population, Research Paper Example

The growth of areas typically described as suburbs or exurbs is not a new phenomenon. It is, in fact, part of a historical cycle that has repeated itself for thousands of years. As cities grow larger and more densely populated, those who wish to escape the pressures of city life –and can afford to do so- move to outlying areas where there is less completion for space and resources. This process has been taking place since the time of the earliest cities, and it continues to this day. In contemporary times, however, sprawl is exponentially larger and leads to significantly greater negative consequences. As populations density creeps outward from urban centers, the effects are felt in a variety of ways, from the impact on the environment to the implications for human emotional and physical well-being. The ripple effects of sprawl have been amplified considerably with the advent of the automobile and other technology, particularly in the developed world. As the size of the human population continues to grow, the effects of sprawl will grow accordingly, leading to more negative consequences for people and the environment. The following paper examines some of the primary problems related to population growth and sprawl, and also offers brief commentary on some of the ways the worst effects of sprawl might be lessened.

Background and Overview

The development of cities and urban areas has been a defining feature of human civilization for thousands of years. There are a variety of economic and social factors behind this, and a detailed examination of those factors is beyond the scope of this discussion. Briefly, it can be said that as cultures and civilizations grow to the point where trade between people is a basic activity, people tend to cluster together to make such activity easier and faster (Bruegmann, p.21). Cities have traditionally grown up around natural resources such as water and coastlines, bountiful food sources, and energy sources such as wood, coal, and oil (Bruegmann, p.18). As populations in urban areas grow, some members of the population choose to move outward from the urban center. While this is not a new phenomenon, it has become increasingly significant as the use of automobiles and other forms of transpiration has made sprawl easier and more common. Although sprawl has been a feature of most civilizations, it is leading to greater damage than ever before to people and the environment.

It should be noted that population density alone does not account for sprawl in terms of development of suburban areas. The city of New York, for example, has a higher population than the city of Los Angeles, but Los Angeles takes up much more geographic space (Eidlin, n.p.). This difference is easy to understand, as New York City is almost entirely surrounded by water, and there simply is no place to go. The surrounding regions are already built up to a great extent, so population growth in New York leads to greater population density more than it leads to geographical expansion (Eidlin, n.p.). As the city of Los Angeles grew in population density it was also able to grow geographically, moving outward from the city center into the surrounding region. Although Los Angeles is not a new city, the explosive population growth in that area aligns closely with the advent of the automobile, which made it possible for people to easily escape the city by car to live in the suburbs (Eidlin, n.p.). New York may have more people than Los Angeles, but Los Angeles has many more cars than New York. This dependency on the automobile is one of the key factors in the growth of sprawl in the 20^th and 21^st century, and is also one of the underlying factors related to the problems associated with sprawl.

Just as New York and Los Angeles are examples of cities where the rate of sprawl is markedly different, there are other cities around the world where population growth and density do not always lead to sprawl. In many cases there are economic factors at work, and the population growth in the city of Beijing and other Chinese cities show how a country’s economic systems and conditions are linked to sprawl (The Economist, web. 2014). In the mid-20^th century in the United States, the growth of manufacturing industries led to increased size and population density in urban areas as people move to cities looking for work (Bruegmann, p.47). Similar circumstances are taking place in China today as that country’s economy continues to move away from an agriculture-based system to a manufacturing-based system. The populations of cities such as Beijing are growing larger every year as more and more people move from the countryside and farm jobs to work in factories in urban areas (The Economist, web. 2014). Manufacturing and other factory typically require large numbers of people, which in turn leads to growth in population density in urban areas.

The economy in the United States produced massive amounts of wealth and supported the growth of a large middle class in the years after World War II, and in subsequent decades many in the middle class left the cities for the suburbs Squires, p.26). As the U.S. economy has slowly shifted from being based on manufacturing to being based on service industries such as retail and finance, the growth of population sprawl into the suburbs and exurbs has continued. This growth has been supported by the development of the county’s massive interstate highway system and other roads, which has made it possible for the automobile to remain a central component of modern American society (Squires, p.25). As population sprawl of U.S. cities has continued to grow, the impact on people and the environment has been significant, and even dangerous.

 Characteristics of Sprawl

Sprawl is typically defined by a number of common characteristics. As populations move outward from cities, the surrounding land is usually developed in the same ways. Real estate developers purchase land for the construction of residential eras known as subdivisions. These subdivisions contain mostly single-family homes, and they have far fewer residents per square mile than cities. Commercial developers build strip malls, fast food restaurants, and other businesses to serve the local populations, which are also spread out much more widely than stores and restaurants in cities.  Many residents in these areas often commute into cities for work, while other residents work at the local service-industry jobs (Freilich et al., p.12). The way in which these suburban centers are planned and developed leaves little room for increased population density, which means that any significant population growth requires more construction and development in surrounding areas, leading to even more sprawl.

Negative Consequences of Sprawl

The most obvious negative effect of sprawl is the impact it has on the environment, and the damage from sprawl is happening rapidly. According to Squires, “we are consuming far more land than simple population growth would predict” (p.25) . This impact is felt in a number of ways, most of which are connected directly or indirectly to the use of automobiles. The growth of suburban populations in the mid-20^th century was based largely on people moving to suburbs while commuting to cities for work (Squires, p.24). The growing middle class was able to afford cars which they used to drive to and from the urban centers. This required the development of roads and highways, which often destroyed vast amounts of land. The subdivisions built to house this growing population also take up significant stretches of land, and also require the use of other resources such as water. In the early years of suburban sprawl very little consideration was given to the impact of this development, and even today many sensitive environmental areas are destroyed to make way for sprawling suburban growth (Squires, p.23). As sprawl continues, water and land are being poisoned by chemical runoff or depleted by overdevelopment and overuse (Squires, p.23). Pollution from automobiles and other vehicles that support sprawl are also contaminating the air and contributing to problems associated with climate change.

Along with these environmental issues associated with sprawl, there are effects on human health that are not as easily visible, but are equally serious. As the impact of sprawl wreaks havoc on the environment, the chemicals and toxins “seep into the air and water from such sources as farm fields, lawns, construction sites, parking lots, (and) roads” (Squires, p.23). The geographical structure of the typical suburban area also contributes to health problems in other ways; again, these problems are often directly and indirectly associated with automobiles. As population growth expands outward from urban centers and takes up more and more land, residents in these areas spend more and more time in their cars and less time walking and exercising(Freilich et al, p.30). The layout of the typical subdivision demands that residents use automobiles for virtually every activity, driving from work to the store to the fast food restaurant to home. This lack of activity, as well as the poor diet of many Americans, contributes to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and a range of other ailments.

The effects of sprawl also have a significant impact on the quality of life and the economic and social conditions in the United States.  As individuals with greater economic means leave urban centers for surrounding areas they often undermine the economies of the cities they leave behind. As fewer dollars spent in urban areas, local business close down and workers are left without jobs. City governments subsequently have weaker tax bases, leading to a reduction in services such as police, firefighters, and public schools (Freilich, p.31). This urban flight leads to a cycle of poverty that often grows worse every year, and many cities that were once vibrant are now characterized by crime and poverty. At the same time, the growth of sprawl-related businesses like the “big box” Wal-Mart and other retailers pushes smaller businesses out, driving down available jobs, wages, and the diversity and individual character of different regions. Even as the population sprawl grows in the suburbs and exurbs, the routine of modern life in those areas means fewer opportunities for community and social interaction.  As Freilich et al explain, “sprawl east up our open space. It creates traffic jams that boggle the mind and pollute the air. Sprawl can make one feel downright claustrophobic about our future” (p.35). At the same time as population growth and social conditions lead to urban sprawl, they also lead to conditions in which people spend less time with each other and more time in their cars or in their single-family homes.

Response and Reaction to Urban Sprawl

When urban sprawl into the suburbs began exploding in the mid-20^th century, grew people gave much thought to the long-term consequences of this growth. Millions of acres of land were developed for subdivisions, stores, restaurants, parking lots, and roads, and the money involved in this growth generated great amounts of wealth for landowners and small towns across the country (Eidlin, n.p.). As decades have passed, however, the true costs of this growth have become clear, and many suburbs and urban areas are taking new approaches to land use and development. These new approaches have been described as “smart growth,” and they include new regulations and laws about how and where unused land can be developed (Freilich et al., p.36). Urban areas are also being used in different ways as city planners look for opportunities to bring residents back to urban areas through the development of mix-used areas that include homes, businesses, and recreational opportunities. These mix-used areas are connected with pedestrian walkways, bicycle paths, and low-impact mass transit facilities that bring some of the advantages of suburban life while leaving out the worst effects of sprawl.

The Future of Sprawl

As history has shown, sprawl is a common feature of human civilization, and the cycle of urban expansion is unlikely to disappear in the foreseeable future. As the human population moves forward into the 21^st century, however, city planners, politicians, corporations, and private citizens will have to look for new ways to minimize the damage created by urban sprawl. It is clear that sprawl is associated with some specific economic conditions, which means that not every country (or even every city) will be able to take the same approach to dealing with sprawl. While millions of people in China are moving into the cities, millions of Americans have been moving outward into the suburbs. As conditions change in coming decades, it may be possible for many Americans to break the cycle of dependence on cars and oil, and begin to move towards communities that are closer together physically and socially. Just as the technology of automobiles made it possible for people to spread outward, it may be that the technology of the future, from clean energy to instant communication, will bring people together again.

Works Cited

Bruegmann, Robert. Sprawl. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005. Print.

Eidlin, Eric. ‘What Density Doesn’t Tell Us About Sprawl, By Eric Eidlin’. ACCESS: the Magazine of UCTC37 (2010): n. pag. Web.

Freilich, Robert H et al. From Sprawl To Sustainability. Chicago, Ill.: Section of State and Local Government Law, American Bar Association, 2010. Print.

Squires, Gregory D. Urban Sprawl. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute Press, 2002. Print.

The Economist,. ‘People, Not Paving’. N.p., 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.