Global Sprawl

1. Global Sprawl

2. Essential Question What are the affects of Urban Sprawl and what can we all do to decrease its impact around the world?

3. What is Global Sprawl? • Global Sprawl is the world wide affect of Urban Sprawl • It can be defined as the uncontrolled spread of the population to areas away from the city center • Human Population is increasing, causing houses and industries to spread out • The affects of global spread begin to interfere with vital ecosystems • Species inhabited lands become corrupted with increasing environmental waste

4. What factors affect sprawl? • Individual Housing • People are looking for an individual lifestyle away from the center of the city • Increased Mobility • Transportation is thriving , causing people to live farther away but still get where they want to go • Commercial Investment • The decisions of groups or company’s influence what gets built where for a project or corporation is also causing the areas to spread

5. Why is Global Sprawl bad? • People moving from urban to suburban areas is taking over our agricultural land and wildlife land. • Without agricultural land, there is a shortage of food, and without land for wildlife, animals won’t have a place to live. This is Urban Sprawl, as they keep building houses out onto the open land, there will be no more land for wildlife. Without animals, we wouldn’t be able to live.

6. Urban Sprawl in North America • Urban Sprawl happens in America because people have decided that they want to live in a suburban area. Houses in suburban areas have bigger yards, bigger rooms, and 2-3 car garages which are appealing to many families • When people start to move from urban areas to suburban, what they don’t realize that they’re making that suburban area into an urban area (which is not what they wanted). For example, people who live in Los Angeles are getting tired of the "city lifestyle" so they move to places like Pasadena so they can have a quiet lifestyle.

7. How are local animals affected in North America? • Birds, cats, cows, ferrets, rabbits, foxes, and many more animals are losing their old habitats because of Urban Sprawl. • Animals were once living where you live, and because of Urban Sprawl, they lost their homes, and now have to struggle to live in a place that was once a perfect place for them

8. Urban Sprawl in South America • With the rapid increase of the South American population, we can see the effects of urban sprawl taking place • As the population expands, so are the cities, which affects the natural habitats of the animals and local environment • The growing population prompts the continent to deface the land and create new homes for those who need it • Ultimately, the destruction and deforestation of the beautiful South America will leave no homes and for all kinds of wildlife

9. Statistical Information about South America • The current rate of deforestation in the amazon has steadily decreased down to about 28% which is a strong improvement from the staggering 60-50% in the early 2000’s • South American governments are making more conscious attempts to build onto cities rather than expand them into their natural surroundings • Almost 84% of South America’s total population lives in cities

10. Urban Sprawl in Europe • In places with little known population, there is still a lot of expanding • People are searching for new lives outside the inner city. • Post-war period is when expanding was thriving • East and West Germany benefited from transfers across their borders making it a rapidly growing country. • The complete coverage from 1990-2000 could cover all of Luxembourg • Since the mid 1950’s Europe has expanded 78% where the population has only expanded 33%

11. Urban Sprawl in Asia • From 1951 to 2010, South Asia population has risen from 15.6% to 30.1% • Asia’s growth rate is very high for this era and has quadrupled within the past 100 years • As the population grows, the pressure on natural resources will also increase

12. Who is it affecting specifically? • Giant Pandas are a highly endangered species in the world • There are only about 1,600 left in the world today • They can weigh up to 250 pounds • A main reason that the pandas are endangered is because of habitat loss, due to population and construction increase

13. Urban Sprawl in the future • Urban sprawl is expected to triple in Asia by 2030 • It is expected to grow along the coast of China and through the capitals of India • Urbanization has been neglected as a factor in deforestation

14. Urban Sprawl in Africa • Urban sprawl is expected to triple by 2030 in Africa. • It causes over dependency on motorized vehicles because it takes longer to get places with no open space.

15. Urban Sprawl in Africa • Sometimes, urban sprawl is caused because of unstable land or a lack of proper planning • Urban sprawl blocks many migration routes for a variety of animals, making them an easier target for hunting and poaching • The loss of farmland means less food for the people and animals.

16. Urban Sprawl in Australia • Australia’s population density is 7.5 per square mile. • Population in Australia is growing by 1.8% each year. • In Sydney, Australia population is expected to rise from 3.9 million to 4.9 million in just twenty years.

17. Price of Urban Life in Australia • Prices to live within cities are rising, as shown in the graph at the bottom, therefore people are unable to afford to live in them. • This forces people to live out of the cities and in cheaper developments, encouraging urban sprawl

18. Animals in Australia • There are very little natural resources in Australia, and the growing population drives these amounts farther down. • Koalas’ habitats are currently being destroyed to make room for more human living space. • Because of Urban Sprawl, the koala is now an endangered animal.

19. Urban Sprawl in Central America • Aerial photographs of Mexico city show how urban landscape has spread over the land’s natural boundaries, its mountains. • Despite what should be an obstacle, the area still maintains 25,400 people per mile. • The homes form ocean-like waves across hills and flatlands. • The city is constantly threatened by its incessant population growth and its lack of infrastructure.

20. Costa Rica Urban Sprawl • San Jose, the capital city of Costa Rica, has had a rapid urbanization rate over the last 60 years and is now facing the problems of urban sprawl and traffic congestions. • The traffic issue lies in that all roads in San Jose lead to the center because there is no transverse infrastructure currently. • Right now, everyone must cross through the city center first before arriving at their destination. • This causes traffic to become too heavy in central parts of the city and many streets serve as thoroughfares. • If new traffic control measures were instated, this issue could die down rapidly. • Some of these measures include road tolls, better road signs, and public transport systems between suburbs.

21. Urban Sprawl Rates in Central America

22. What Can We do to Stop it? • In order to stop the harmful affects of Global Sprawl, we must be aware of our surroundings and not take up more land than is absolutely necessary • Everyone can do small things every day that can limit the affects of our presence on the environment, such as respecting the land that is reserved for animals • A perfect example of a place that is conscious of their affects on the environment is South America

23. In Closing • We chose the topic of Global Sprawl because we as a group believe it a topic that each individual can truly try to decrease • We have a blog that we update everyday with our progress and findings. The link is globalsprawlawarness.wordpress.com • Remember that everyone can make a difference in the issue of Global Sprawl, and it is up to the future generations to truly stop it once and for all! Thank you