Human Impact & Home

Urban Sprawl: We're Spreading Out

Jen Colletti

Now let me think.... our communities keep getting larger and our towns and cities keep spreading out further away from where they started. There are more people living today than there used to be (over 6.2 billion of us worldwide!), and we all have the same needs for places to do business and live our lives to the most productive and healthy extent possible. So, this "natural" outgrowth kind of makes sense. But, with all of this expansion, I am also seeing fewer natural places, trees, wildlands, and places where farms and crops have been. So, maybe this outward growth needs further reflection ... .

Wilmington, NC, is neatly sandwiched between the Cape Fear River (pictured) to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. While it is totally surrounded on the north, west and south by rural areas, its population grew over 35 percent from 1990 - 2000 from just over 56,000 to nearly 76,000 people (Source: US Census Bureau). Although its population size may pale in comparison to major centers such as New York, Tokyo and London, its rate of growth was double the world population growth rate during the same time. The success and attractiveness of the area naturally invite new challenges via urban sprawl as the Hoggard High School students have observed. (Photo: Coastal Carolina REIA)

If you are not sure what to think about all of the new growth and development in your community, you are not alone. Let's call it by its name: urban sprawl.

Urban sprawl is the term we use to describe the expansion of human development out and away from city centers. And this phenomenon is eating up valuable countryside at an alarming rate, 365 acres per hour in the US alone, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

One place that has been noticeably affected by urban sprawl is on the Atlantic coast in my home state of North Carolina. Wilmington and its surrounding coastal and farm area is smaller than New York, Tokyo, Paris, London, Los Angeles, Sydney, Beijing, Amsterdam and other urban centers, but urban sprawl is just as big an issue here. My generation has some pretty unique thoughts about urban sprawl, although they have not had the opportunity to see the way things used to be like our parents did.

This image shows the enormous growth Baltimore, Maryland, has experienced over the last 200 years. It's easy to see how this growth can consume an entire countryside over a short period of time. (Courtesy: US Geological Survey)

The way we see it, we are preparing to inherit a world of development that has been shaped by all those who came before us. And what we think of urban sprawl, therefore, is extremely important because it will determine our approach to the future.

Students Speak Out!

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with a group of environmental science students, ages 16-18, at Wilmington's Hoggard High School about this issue. In listening to them, urban sprawl began to take on the manifestation of a double-edged sword. Progress is a good thing, but at what cost to other things we have appreciated and even taken for granted?

"I have lived in Wilmington all my life," says Erin, "and it is amazing how big the city has gotten. Driving to places like Ogden [a city suburb] took forever. Now with new roads, it's a five minute trip!"

The sense that Wilmington has sprawled dramatically in recent years was something that students repeated over and over again. "We have paved over so much unnecessary land instead of putting businesses and housing developments closer together," said Lindsey, suggesting that perhaps businesses should share more parking lots and use smaller areas.

Alli (left) and Jonathan both live in neighborhoods where trees were "cut down in huge groups" for housing and the local mall. Says Jonathan, "I used to have a huge backyard full of trees and woods." Alli suggests construction companies replant the trees they cut down for housing. (Photo courtesy: Miranda Dungan, Hoggard High School)

Alli explained, "When my family built and moved into our house in our neighborhood, we were one of eight houses … this was about nine years ago, and now … there are houses on every lot on every street. Trees all over the neighborhood were cut down in huge groups."

"I used to have a huge backyard full of trees and woods," Jonathan, who lives next to a shopping mall and its parking lots, told me. "Now I have a small backyard that backs into a hill separating us from the parking lot."

It's the same story repeated over and over again.

• "I have seen so many new neighborhoods and shopping centers go up," said Sarah.
• Caroljane sees that now, "there are less natural spaces. Everywhere you look, there's a building, pavement, planted trees that seem out of place. The few remaining natural spaces are small and filled with litter."

The "booming population" and housing needs go hand-in-hand, according to Paul. (Photo Courtesy: Miranda Dungan)

What I found particularly interesting was a set of insightful comments made about the American Dream. "Urban sprawl is a result of America's desire for bigger and better," Erin said, agreeing with several other students that all the rapid development they have seen can be overwhelming.

Clearly these teenage students have had their antennas up, and are highly aware of the rapid changes going on around them. Although they see it as a problem necessitated by the needs of our society, they realize they have a responsibility to seek solutions that will allow for sustainable growth.

"Everything doesn't need to be new to use it," says Alison. (Photo Courtesy: Miranda Dungan)

So what's the deal? These students have a good start on finding a solution by first acknowledging the challenge. Says Paul, "Urban sprawl is unfortunately not going to cease due to the [need] for living space for the booming population."

Then Alison hit the mark with one very wise realization: "Everything doesn't need to be new to use it."

Several students suggested improvements in public transportation as a way to cut down on car pollution, including use of monorails -- or even neighborhood electric vehicles! (Now this is a good idea!) Many also thought that development should simply be stopped. "Our city is big enough, we don't need anything else," said Sarah.

• "The city's expansion needs to be planned out better before destruction and development," recommended Emily. (Notice how she used "destruction" as opposed to "construction"!)
• Lewis suggested that part of the new plan for development should "have commerce be as centered as possible, to get rid of all the strip malls."
• "Restoration is extremely important for improving downtown life and also for tourism and for space/land conservation," says Kate.
• Alli proposed "planting trees where they have been cut down for housing," and Ian said people must make "a conscious effort to preserve the ecosystem and the organisms that flourish within it…too many people view nature as a thing to be conquered and dominated."

Is It Too Late?

Is it really too late to stop the momentum of urban sprawl? It will be a challenge with the world population rate booming at its current rate, and the future could find us expanding upwards instead of outwards! While I can't predict the future, I know for certain that we can plan for it -- responsibly!