Charlie Jenkins 13TL
Examine the causes of urban sprawl and assess the effectiveness of strategies to contain it (60)
Urban sprawl is one of the key planning issues today. It consists of low density settlement extending beyond the boundaries of built up areas. Also it involves high dependence on private automobiles and is often the result of poorly planned or unplanned development. While urban sprawl is linked to population growth, it is also caused by falling household sizes, increased demand for low density living, lower land prices in peripheral areas and a desire to escape from cities because of crime and pollution. There are number of forms of urban sprawl that can take place, the three main patterns are low density sprawl, ribbon sprawl and leap frog development. Each type of sprawl is often caused by the same core problems, all of which resulting in consequential effects. There are numerous reasons as to why urban sprawl occurs, however a significant point when it became apparent was after World War 2. At this time people started moving from the cities to the countryside. Living in suburbia signified a better, healthier lifestyle. The land in the areas people were moving to was cheap and there was plenty of it, and government incentives and subsidies helped families realize their dream of a better life.
As times have moved on the issues of urban sprawl have continued, caused by a variety of factors. To begin with the increasing demand for housing plays a large part in urban sprawl, with more people buying houses and living with fewer people, houses are in demand more than ever. This coupled with the quality of the inner city environment causes people to want to move out of the inner city into suburban areas, hence urban sprawl. A further cause for urban sprawl is the demand for low density housing, people have increasing wants for higher living standards and want to get as much as they can for their money, therefore this can be achieved more easily by moving out of the densely populated city centre’s to suburban areas where they can have more space and land. Additionally the demographic structure and household changes may impact upon urban sprawl. Changes in age structure, social structure of the population and household type and structure may all affect location preferences of households. Lastly, lifestyle and behaviour can have a significant effect on urban sprawl. Changes in lifestyle, for instance increases in leisure time and disposable incomes may lead to people to want to live in an environment to suit this type of lifestyle and often suburban areas can meet these needs.