Land Use and
Urbanization
Essential Questions in this Lesson
• What are different land usages?
• What are some local land usages?
• Describe the impact of human
activities on the land.
• What are some local and federal laws
governing land usage?
Most people used to live like this
Increasingly people live like this.
Major Urban Regions in U.S.
For the first time in history, there are now more urban
residents than rural residents – shown here in this amazing
image taken from space of city lights at night.
Land Use and Land Cover
Land cover: Vegetation and
structures that cover land.
Land use: Human activities
that occur on land
Humans change land cover,
especially in urban areas.
These changes have
environmental and
economic effects
What are some land uses and cover in Concord?
What
does this
pie chart
tell us?
What is
largest
land use in
U.S.?
What do these bar graphs show
us?
Urban vs. Rural
•Urban: Land mostly • Rural: Any other type
covered with
of land use or land
buildings and roads cover (includes
(includes suburbs)
forests, cropland,
etc.)
According to this map, is NC mostly urban or rural today?
Urbanization
• Occurs when people
move from rural areas
to cities
• Cities are not new,
but the enormous
size of today’s cities
is. More than 20 cities
have at least 10
million residents.
Why are
people
moving
to cities
and
leaving
rural life
behind?
SHOULD
WE
CARE?
Environmental Costs of
Urbanization
Pollution: Increased
waste, industrial
byproducts, noise
pollution, light
pollution
• What is noise
pollution? Light
pollution?
Noise Pollution
Light Pollution
What the night should
look like.
Environmental Costs of
Urbanization
• Heat islands:
Cities, several
degrees warmer
than
surrounding areas,
affect local weather
and trap pollutants
WHY?
What can cities do to reduce this
impact?
Environmental Costs of
Urbanization
• Imported
resources: Fossil
fuels are burned
to import food,
water, fuel, and
raw materials.
Environmental Benefits
of Urbanization
• What do you
think are some
environmental
benefits of
cities?
Environmental Benefits
of Urbanization
• Efficiency: Less fuel and resources needed
to distribute goods and services to residents
• Universities and research centers: Urban
areas tend to foster education and
innovation.
• Land Preservation: Dense urban centers
leave room for agriculture, wilderness,
biodiversity, and privacy.
Sprawl Goals
• Describe what
contributes to
sprawl and its
patterns.
• Explain the
impacts of
sprawl.
Los Angeles,
CA, is one the
most
sprawling U.S.
cities.
In 1950, 65% of the U.S. population
lived in urban (including suburban)
areas, while 35% lived rurally.
In 2010, 89% was urban and only 11%
rural.
What is sprawl?
• The spread of low-density
urban or suburban
development outward
from a dense urban core
• Often, growth of suburban
areas outpaces population
growth because suburbs
allow more space per
person than cities
Primary Contributors to Sprawl
1) Population Growth
2) Increase per capita
land use
3) Cheap gasoline
4) Decay of inner cities
5) Cheaper to build
new than rebuild
(less expensive land)
Primary Contributors to Sprawl
6) Improved road
system
7) Affordable cars
8) Government
subsidies of
mortgages,
infrastructure
projects
Contributors to Sprawl
Patterns of Sprawl
•Uncentered
commercial strip
development
•Low-density single-use
residential
development
•Scattered, or leapfrog,
development
•Sparse street network
Per Capita Land Consumption
Why care about sprawl?
Impacts of Sprawl
Transportation:
Little to no public
transportation
• Must use car to
get anything
• Air pollution
Impacts of Sprawl
Public health: May
promote inactivity,
and by extension
obesity and high
blood pressure
Impacts of Sprawl
Land Use: Less land
left as open space,
forests, and farms
• Habitat destruction
and fragmentation
• Farmland destroyed
• Road kill
• Soil erosion
Impacts of Sprawl
Economics:
Wealth tending to
concentrate in
suburbs, leaving
urban areas poor
• Decline of town
centers
Impacts of Sprawl
• Water Pollution
• Wetland
Destruction
• Increased
runoff
• Increased
flooding risk
Essential Questions in this Lesson
• What are different land usages?
• What are some local land usages?
• Describe the impact of human
activities on the land.
• What are some local and federal laws
governing land usage?