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Dec 30, 2016 · Other examples, such as the core municipalities of Copenhagen (from 1950), Barcelona and Milan (from 1970) have suffered significant population losses while all metropolitan area growth has been in the suburbs. There are many similar examples around the world.
Mar 5, 2024 · Geography. Source: Medium.com. Suburbanization has been a defining characteristic of modern society, transforming the way we live, work, and interact with our environment. Over the past few decades, suburban areas have expanded rapidly, becoming home to a significant portion of the global population.
Here are some examples of suburbanisation around the world: Levittown, New York. Levittown was one of the first and most famous suburban communities in the United States. Built in the late 1940s and early 1950s by the Levitt brothers, it was designed as a model community for returning World War II veterans and their families.
Jun 16, 2015 · Beijing’s northern periphery is sprinkled with suburban developments bearing names of exotic Western locales: “Napa Valley, Yosemite, Vancouver Forest, Riviera. On the edge of Shanghai, a series of themed European towns have popped up, each in the style of a different European nation. In the early 1990s, these houses were mostly occupied by ...
- Overview
- Causes
urban sprawl, the rapid expansion of the geographic extent of cities and towns, often characterized by low-density residential housing, single-use zoning, and increased reliance on the private automobile for transportation. Urban sprawl is caused in part by the need to accommodate a rising urban population; however, in many metropolitan areas it results from a desire for increased living space and other residential amenities. Urban sprawl has been correlated with increased energy use, pollution, and traffic congestion and a decline in community distinctiveness and cohesiveness. In addition, by increasing the physical and environmental “footprints” of metropolitan areas, the phenomenon leads to the destruction of wildlife habitat and to the fragmentation of remaining natural areas.
During the period of economic prosperity in the United States following the end of World War II, increased manufacturing output and new federal loan programs allowed many American citizens to purchase single-family homes and private automobiles. At the same time, continued road-building projects, most notably the onset of the Interstate Highway System in 1956, and other infrastructure development made it possible to build homes on land that was previously inaccessible. Compared with land in the cities, suburban land was relatively inexpensive, and the homes constructed on this land afforded more space to their occupants than inner-city dwellings. Some citizens moved to the suburbs to enjoy a lifestyle that was ostensibly closer to nature; however, others moved to escape the congestion, crime, and noise of the city. Suburban residents retained a connection to the city through their automobiles.
Over time this migration to the suburbs, along with rising local populations, led to substantial increases in the geographic extent, or spatial footprint, of metropolitan areas in the United States. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the causes of urban sprawl are divided equally between local population increases and lifestyle choices. For example, between 1970 and 1990, metropolitan areas in the western United States (such as Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, and Salt Lake City, Utah) experienced massive influxes of new residents that contributed to increases in their individual spatial footprints. On the other hand, in the metropolitan areas of the eastern and central United States, relatively modest population growth was also accompanied by significant spatial growth. For example, the population of the metropolitan areas of Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland, grew by 1 percent, 16 percent and 20 percent, respectively, between 1970 and 1990, but each area’s geographic extent grew by 24 percent, 55 percent, and 91 percent, respectively. The spatial footprints of major cities in the Midwest and the Northeast, such as Detroit, Michigan, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, grew approximately 30 percent even as the cities experienced declines in population over the same period.
For many years, urban sprawl was thought to be an exclusively American problem; however, this phenomenon is occurring in several other countries. According to data collected in 2002 by the European Environment Agency, the population of a subset of European countries increased by only 6 percent between 1980 and 2000; however, the spatial footprint of built-up areas within these countries increased by 20 percent. The spatial footprints of some metropolitan areas, such as Palermo, Italy, expanded significantly more from the mid-1950s to the late 1990s. Palermo’s population rose 50 percent but its spatial footprint increased 200 percent over the period.
There are many factors that contribute to urban sprawl. As indicated by the statistics cited above, population increases alone do not account for increases in a metropolitan area’s urban extent. In many cases, urban sprawl has occurred in areas experiencing population declines, and some areas with rising populations experience little urban sprawl, especially in developing countries. Economic growth and globalization are often cited as the principal macroeconomic drivers of urban sprawl; however, increased affluence, attractive land and housing prices, and the desire for larger homes with more amenities (such as yards, household appliances, storage space, and privacy) play significant roles at the level of the individual. Many experts also believe that weak planning laws and single-use zoning also contribute to urban sprawl.
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The construction of houses, utilities, and roads in the suburbs, along with the delivery of resources to suburban residents and workers, are integral components of the gross national product of developed countries. Because much of the growth in a metropolitan area occurs at the fringes, large amounts of resources and services are directed there. Construction at the “urban fringe” is increasingly characterized by a standardization of design. Many suburban housing tracts contain similar or identical models that sit on parcels with identical or nearly identical specifications. Standardization reduces costs, since materials (which often come from sources overseas) can be ordered in bulk, and quickens the pace of construction. Some urban planners and social scientists have linked this trend toward design standardization to the rising influence of globalization.
- John P. Rafferty
May 22, 2018 · 1. Demographic and economic trends in urban, suburban and rural communities; 2. Urban, suburban and rural residents’ views on key social and political issues; 3. How people in urban, suburban and rural communities see each other – and say others see them; 4. Views of problems facing urban, suburban and rural communities; 5.
Oct 2, 2018 · Suburban counties are the only ones that have gained population from other community types, as well as from abroad. Suburban and small metro counties have grown since 2000 because of people moving from urban and rural areas, as well as immigration from abroad.
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