Sustainable Cities: Urban Land Use
and Management
G. Tyler Miller’s
Living in the Environment
13th Edition
Chapter 25
Dr. Richard Clements
Chattanooga State Technical Community College
Key Concepts
 Distribution of urban and rural populations
 Factors determining urban development
 Resource and environmental problems in
urban areas
 Effects of transportation systems on urban
growth
 Planning and controlling urban growth
 Making cities more sustainable and desirable
Urbanization and Urban Growth
Urban (metropolitan) area-more than 2,500 (10-50K)
Rural area-less than 2,500
Village-group of rural households, cultural or familial ties
City-large, variety of peoples
Degrees of urbanization-% of pop. Living in urban area
Urban growth: natural increase and
immigration
Patterns of Urban Growth
 Increasing proportion of population-90% urban
Growth in developing
 Great increase in large cities (>1,000,000)
Megacities-Tokyo, Mexico City (10 mil or more)
 Increasing rapidly in developing counties
 Urban growth slower in developed
countries
 Poverty in urban areas increasing
(See Spotlight p. 663)
Urbanization in the US
Migration to large central cities
Migration from cities to suburbs-American
Dream –ideal family life. Lower cost of livingIncreases urban sprawl.
Migration from north and east to
south and west –undeveloped areas, green spaces (less
water resources) lower cost of living in some locations*
Urban sprawl
Spatial patterns of development-pg 667
(see Fig. 25-9 p. 667)
Major Urban Regions in the US
Fig. 25-6
p. 665
Impacts of Urban Sprawl
Fig. 25-8
p. 666
Urban Resource and Environmental
Problems
 Air and water pollution; waste
management
 Reduction in vegetation
 Importation of food, energy, and materials
 Climate impacts: urban heat island
 Noise pollution
 Impacts on surrounding rural areas
Urban Areas: Inputs and Outputs
Fig. 25-11 p. 669
Urban Heat Island
Fig. 25-13 p. 670
Transportation and Urban Development
Individual transit- Advantages and Disadvantages???? Pg 674
Mass
transit
Buses
Trains
Automobiles
(See Pro/Con p. 673)
Urban Land-Use Planning and
Control
Land-use planning (See Case Study p. 677)
Ecological land-use planning
(See Solutions p. 681)
Property taxes
Zoning-land designated for specific uses –control growth or protect areas
Smart growth-less dependence on cars, discourage urban sprawl
Urban growth boundary
Cluster development (See Fig. 25-22 p. 682)
Greenways
Solutions: Making Urban Areas
More Livable and Sustainable
New cities and towns
Ecocity (green city)
Trees and climate-specific landscaping
People-oriented
People-involved
See Guest Essay p. 684