Announcements

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Announcements Nov. 27, 2006

• Exam III results are in.
• We will hand out error sheets on Wednesday.
• Student evaluation forms (ICES) Wednesday.
• Extra Credit on Wednesday

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CNN - Report links urban sprawl to health
problems. September 27, 2004 People who live in
areas with a high degree of sprawl are more
likely to report chronic health problems such as
high blood pressure, arthritis, headaches and
breathing difficulties compared to residents in
less sprawled-out areas. "People drive more in
these areas, they walk less." A sprawling area
is defined in the study as a place that has
streets not well connected, lower population
density and areas that are far from each other,
such as schools and shopping malls.
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Land-Use Planning

• Lecture Objectives
• Trace the history of land use in North America
• Understand the problems of unplanned growth
• Learn mechanisms for land-use planning

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• Why are cities and suburbs located where they
  are?
• Why is there so much traffic congestion and
  poorly designed highways?

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The Need For Planning

• 1/31/2 worlds land surface altered by humans.
• Most change done with minimal forethought to
  consequences.

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The Need For Planning

• Most land-use decisions based on economic
  considerations or short-term needs rather than on
  unique analysis of the landscape.
• Natural ecosystems should be considered a
  non-renewable resource.

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Historical Forces That Shaped Land Use In North
America

• First U.S. colonists converted landscape to
  farming, and then to towns and cities.
• A good place for a city was
• On or near a waterway
• Transportation
• Water
• Waste disposal
• Surrounded by farmland

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Water and Urban Centers
9
Rural-To-Urban Shift

• Industrial Revolution triggered switch from rural
  to urban living
• Industrial jobs to be found in cities.
• European Immigrants
• Congregated in, and subdivided cities.
• Offered variety
• of cultural, social,
• and artistic
• opportunities.

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Migration from Central City To The Suburbs

• Industrial Revolution led to polluted waterways
  and crowding congestion in central city

roads and rail transport became more common
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Migration from Central City To The Suburbs

• Undesirable city conditions expensive city land
  caused people development to move to outskirts
• 195060 urban population lived in central
  cities.
• 199030 urban population lived in central cities.

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Migration from Central City To The Suburbs

• Agricultural land surrounding towns was converted
  to housing.
• Cheap, easy to build on little restrictions
• Land began to be viewed as a commodity, not a
  non-renewable resource to be managed.
• Most single family houses after WWII were built
  away from city congestion.

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Suburb Migration

• Convenience and personal automobiles escalated
  decentralized housing patterns and diminished
  importance of mass transit.
• Decreased energy efficiency
• Increased cost of supplying utility services

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Urban Sprawl

• Urban Sprawl Pattern of unplanned low density
  housing and commercial development outside of
  cities usually on undeveloped land.
• Wealthy suburbs
• Tract development
• Ribbon sprawl

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Factors That Contribute to Sprawl

• Lifestyle
• Increased wealth of population.
• Houses and cars
• Economic
• Building on agricultural land less expensive.
• Tax laws encourage home development.
• Planning and Policy
• Historically, little coordination of effort.
• Zoning ordinances prohibit land use mixing

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Problems Associated With Unplanned Growth

• Transportation and traffic
• Little thought to transportation corridors.

Average person in U.S. spends 9 hrs/wk in an
automobile. 70 of surface in Los Angeles is
either roads, parking garages or lots
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Local issues with transportation

• MTD suspends trolley proposal
• MTD considers annexing Savoy bus service, higher
  property taxes no public vote
• Funding for area road projects

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Problems Associated With Unplanned Growth

• Air Pollution
• As traffic increases, so does air pollution.

Energy Efficiencies Automobiles are inefficient
transportation. Decentralized citieslonger
commutes. Single family homes less efficient.
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Problems Associated With Unplanned Growth
Death of Central City
Loss of Open Space

• Loss of Farmland

Land converted to urban uses at rate of over 1
million acres/year
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Problems Associated With Unplanned Growth

• Water Pollution
• Typical mall has parking lot that is 4x larger
  than the space taken up by the building
• Floodplain Problems
• Many cities located on floodplains.

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Problems Associated With Unplanned Growth

• Other
• Building on fault lines.
• Building in dry areas.

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Land-Use Planning Principles

• Land-Use Planning Evaluating
• needs and wants of a population
• land characteristics and value
• various solutions to land uses before changes are
  made

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Land-Use Planning Principles

• Evaluate and record unique features.
• Preserve unique cultural or historical features.
• Conserve open space
• Plan for mixed uses in close proximity.
• Plan variety of transportation options.
• Set limits and managed growth patterns.
• Encourage development in areas of existing
  infrastructure.

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Mechanisms For Implementing Land-Use Plans

• Establish state or regional planning agencies.
• Local govts have narrow view and dont want to
  give up power
• Purchase land or use rights.

• Regulate Use
• Zoning Designating land for specific uses.

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Special Urban Planning Issues

• Urban Transportation Planning
• Conserve energy and land resources.
• Provide efficient / inexpensive transportation
  both within city and to suburbs.
• Reduce urban pollution.

• Urban Recreation Planning
• Until recently, most urban parks were considered
  uneconomical use of the land

Redevelopment of Inner City Areas
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Smart Growth

• Smart Growth growth without sprawl
• Smart Growth Principles
• Mix land uses
• Take advantage of compact designs
• Create walkable neighborhoods
• Foster distinctive, attractive neighborhoods
• Preserve open space and critical areas
• Strengthen development of existing areas
• Provide variety of transportation choices.

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Federal Government Land-Use Issues
Recreation - Conflicts develop because some
activities cannot occur in the same place at the
same time
Both groups argue they pay taxes, thus own the
land and have a right to use it.
Snowmobiles in Yellowstone
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Points to Know

1. Historically, where was a good place to build a
   city? What are two factors that prompted the
   rural to urban population shift?
2. What land and personal factors lead to abandoning
   the central city for the suburbs?
3. What is urban sprawl and what are 3 reasons for
   it?
4. Be able to recognize the 9 problems with
   unplanned growth.
5. Why is land-use planning often difficult to
   implement?
6. What is smart growth? How can it be achieved?