Urban Sprawl

1
Urban Sprawl

• POSC 140
• Intro to California Govt and Politics
• Braunwarth

2
Urban Sprawl

• What is it?
• Low density urbanization spreading into
  undeveloped areas
• New housing tracts
• Decentralizing urban centers
• Dependence on automobiles
• Abandonment of older communities

3
Problems

• Why continue to expand the suburbs?
• Easier to build new infrastructure
• But, short term gain has long term costs
• Like what?
• Loss of environment
• Road Congestion
• Air Pollution
• Degradation of Inner City and older suburbs

4
Population Growth

• Urban Sprawl is fueled by population Growth
• CA now 32 million (doubled since 1960)
• Added 6 million in 1980s
• Plus 1/2 million/year in 1990s
• San Diego County is now 2,950,000 but is
  expected to reach 3,850,000 by 2010
• So Cal will go from 19 to almost 25 million (2
  Chicagos in 20 years)

5
Growth Options

• Pro-Growth
• Rural and poor areas
• Want more infrastructure, more jobs, more people
• No-Growth
• Upper-Income areas
• Concerned about environment, traffic, and NIMBY

6
Smart Growth

• Compromise economic activity should occur in
  urban areas and preserve open spaces
• Must reverse trend of restricting urban growth
  and promoting development in less regulated
  periphery
• Higher Density housing/mixed use
• Revitalize older communities as more desirable
  places to live

7
San Diego Solution

• San Diego history revolves around ranching,
  agriculture, and rural life
• Threatened by haphazard urban growth
• Dont want to end up like LA or OC
• San Diego will grow, question is how
• Solution Create urban/rural boundary
• Force urban areas to revitalize instead of poorly
  planned inland development

8
SOFAR plan

• In SD County General Plan
• outside boundary 40 and 80 acre minimum parcels
• Protect watershed, agriculture, wildlife,
  scenery, tourism
• Watershed is key plants and open ground clean
  and filter water as opposed to runoff from
  asphalt, parking lots, and streets

9
Endangered Species Act

• Purpose Conserve ecosystems of endangered
  species and
• Prohibit take of species, including harm to
  habitat that impairs the species
• Over 200 listed plant and animal species in San
  Diego
• gnatcatcher, tortoise, kangaroo rat, etc.
• One of 25 most diverse habitat areas in the world
  (desert, mtns, climate, etc.)

10
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

• If want to develop land must file an Environment
  Impact Report (CA Environmental Quality Act)
• If incidentally takes habitat of listed
  species, must get a permit from the fish and
  wildlife service
• Must specify impacts, how to mitigate impacts,
  and alternatives so wont reduce the species

11
Single-Species Approach

• Coastal CA Gnatcatcher
• lives in coastal sage scrub
• essentially put a brake on all development in CA
• Single-Species approach wasnt working
• Needed to protect wildlife while preserving
  growth
• Need a more ecosystem-based approach

12
Multi-Species Approach

• Habitat Islands in an Urban Sea
• The greater the area preserved, the greater the
  number of species possible
• So, need to preserve big areas
• San Diego Multiple Species Conservation Plan
  (MSCP)
• Allows for regional conservation

13
San Diego MSCP

• Voluntary Cooperation of many local governments
  in exchange for
• Planning Certainty for future development (not
  species by species)
• What about private property rights?
• Are not unlimited i.e. Zoning
• short step from housing set backs and small signs
  to protecting open spaces

14
Other CA Growth Issues

• Electricity Crisis Suspended some regulations to
  speed plant construction
• Outraged environmental groups and NIMBY
  homeowners
• Zero Emission Vehicles
• Brownfields and need for Urban School property
• Storm Water Regulations

15
Political Response

• Split along class lines
• Wealthier more concerned about environmental
  issues
• Less fortunate demand economic and social
  improvement
• All are happy to have growth pull us out of a
  recession but then face environmental fallout