Uses less land—less impact on the
environment.Impact on land is more
concentrated and more
pronounced. Examples include
water runoff and flooding.Better educational delivery
system.Overcrowded schools.Mass transit systems decrease
reliance on fossil fuels—
commuting distances are shorter.Commuting times are longer
because the infrastructure cannot
keep up with growth.Better sanitation systems. Sanitation systems have greater
volumes of wastes to deal with.Recycling systems are more
efficient.Solid-waste buildup is more
pronounced. Landfill space
becomes scarce and costly.Large numbers of people generate
high tax revenues.Large numbers of poor people
place strains on social services.
This results in wealthier people
moving away from urban areas
into suburbs and decreasing the
tax base.Urban areas attract industry due to
the availability of raw materials,
distribution networks, customers,
and labor pool.Higher population densities
increase crime rates. Population
increase may be higher than job
growth.Much of the pollution comes from
point sources, enabling focused
remediation techniques.Since population densities are
high, pollution levels are also high
(urban heat islands, ozone levels,
and water and soil pollution).Urban (Suburban) Sprawl
Urban (or suburban) sprawl describes the expansion of human populations away
from central urban areas into low-density and usually car-dependent
communities. Reasons for urban sprawl include an increased need for and
reliance on cars, higher family incomes (both parents working), tax advantages