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Urban sprawl: a contributing factor to increased vehicle miles traveled and green house gas emissions

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/defaults/xd07gv408

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  • Written for DHE 481.
  • The automobile, an iconic image of American freedom and mobility transports its proud citizens from suburb to suburb. Is this freedom when we are stuck behind the wheel, inhaling polluted air and witnessing sprawl being built on our way to work? “The U.S. is home to the most sprawled urban areas on the globe” (Gonzalez, 2005, p. 345). Urban sprawl is defined as “new development on the fringes of existing urban and suburban areas”, characterized by low-­‐density neighborhoods and a strong reliance on automobiles (Cafaro, 2009, p. 293). Brian Stone Jr. also describes suburbs as comprised of four distinct parts: “low density development, segregation of distinct land use types, growth in the absence of definable centers, and a lack of physical connectivity between new areas of growth” (2006, p. 690). Since the late 19th century, “the landscape in the United States has come under considerable alteration through the rapid expansion of housing developments,” paved roads and vehicle ownership (Dolney, 2009, p. 52). As urban boundaries grow and suburban sprawl increases, water and air pollution become a concern, as demonstrated by Cafaro, “sprawl development destroys 2.2 million acres of wild and agricultural lands each year; over 1300 plant and animals species remain on the endangered species list; and U.S. carbon emission continue to rise” (2009, p. 293). The implications of urban sprawl auto-­‐reliant America are questioned.
  • Keywords: Greenhouse gas emissions, Urban sprawl
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