What’s the deal with suburban sprawl?
Suburban sprawl, also known as urban sprawl, refers to the expansion of cities and their surrounding suburbs, typically characterized by low-density housing, commercial development, and the reliance on personal vehicles. It is the idea of human population growing “out” instead of “up,” the latter of which is seen as common urban planning wisdom to maximize living efficiency. Suburban sprawl causes constant outward expansion of suburbs without necessarily the city planning to consider sustainability and practicality, meaning that although suburban sprawl has become increasingly popular over the past few decades, it has also become a major contributor to climate change and its harmful effects.
One of the primary ways in which suburban sprawl contributes to climate change is through increased greenhouse gas emissions. With low-density housing, individuals often have to travel longer distances to reach their destinations, resulting in increased car usage and more emissions, and perpetuating the issues of “car culture.” In fact, transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and suburban areas contribute significantly to this problem. Furthermore, middle-class households are often associated with suburbs due to the increased cost of living in the suburbs and the “exodus” from urban areas in the past few years. Considering that middle-class and high-income households are responsible for a disproportionate percentage of carbon emissions, the suburbs make up a large amount of greenhouse gases both due to the way of living and the wealth disparity between suburban and urban residential areas.
Another way in which suburban sprawl harms the environment is through the destruction of natural habitats and green spaces. As cities expand and new suburbs are built, forests, wetlands, and other natural ecosystems are destroyed to make way for new developments. This not only leads to the loss of biodiversity but also reduces the ability of the environment to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Moreover, the construction of new suburban developments often requires significant amounts of resources, such as water and energy, further contributing to climate change: in many cases, water resources are strained due to increased demand, leading to increased energy usage to pump and transport water. The construction and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure also require significant amounts of energy, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
While many people think that urban areas are the least climate efficient due to lack of green space, urban living is highly environmentally beneficial. Urban densification optimizes climate-friendly modes of public transit and allows for city services such as energy supply and waste disposal to be highly concentrated, decreasing the strain on such resources. The Astroturf and restrictive zoning of the suburbs actually cause much more climate harm, despite the presence of more “visible” green space. When it comes to maximizing resources and creating environmentally-friendly spaces, urban and rural areas have an incredibly vital interdependent relationship: rural communities provide a wide variety of resources and use large plots of land to their full extent, while urban centers take in those resources and concentrate them to benefit the greatest population possible. Suburbs do neither of these and offer no material benefit to the population at large, causing resource drainage on urban and rural areas alike.
To combat the harmful effects of suburban sprawl, cities can adopt policies that encourage compact and sustainable development, such as increasing public transportation options, promoting walkability and bikeability, and encouraging the use of green spaces. In addition, policies that promote the preservation of natural habitats and ecosystems can help to protect the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2016, French researchers put forward a model called the “fifteen-minute city”: the urban planning principle that cities should be structured such that basic services are accessible by residents within fifteen minutes by foot or bike. This model suggests that proximity-based planning reduces car consumption and increases the efficiency of more climate-friendly forms of transportation. It also influences consumption patterns, forcing residents to seek locally-sourced food and other resources, which has a measurably positive impact on the environment. The fifteen-minute city is a highly efficient and sensible urban living model that governments should examine to mitigate the effects of suburban sprawl.
In conclusion, suburban sprawl is a major contributor to climate change and its harmful effects. As cities continue to expand and new suburbs are built, it is crucial that policymakers prioritize sustainable development and take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect natural ecosystems. By doing so, we can help to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change and create more livable and sustainable communities.
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Image credits:
By Chris J - originally posted to Flickr as Beverly Hills of Chandler, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4378163
