|
Each generation needs to grapple with the challenges of its
times. The environmental challenge facing our planet today needs all
of us, young or old, to learn new words that describe our condition
and problems. Gobar Times digs into the ever increasing pile of
environmental jargon and presents 10 key terms that all Indians
aspiring to be responsible global citizens ought to know
Sprawl is the spreading out of a city and its suburbs over
rural land at the periphery of an urban area.
This involves the conversion of open space (rural land) into builtup, developed land over time |
|
|
 |
Still Dreaming
The American Dream has been defined as a house in the
suburbs and two cars in the driveway.
Millions of Indians are beginning to follow suit. In its
path, sprawl consumes thousands of acres of forests and
farmland, grazing lands and wetlands. It requires government
to spend millions extra to build new schools, streets and
water and sewer lines. In its wake, sprawl leaves demolished
communities of urban poor, closed local businesses,
abandoned and often contaminated industrial sites, and
traffic congestion stretching miles from urban centers. |
>> Its about the ever-expanding
cities gobbling up rural lands that surround its borders. They eat
up agricultural farms, fields, and lands that were being used for
some other purpose—and that were vital for maintaining the general
balance in environment.
So knowing the actual square miles of urban expansion (sprawl) can
help us understand how serious is the threat to the natural
environment, to the nation's agricultural productivity and to the
quality of life of people who live in cities and in the small towns
and farms that lie close to them.
Yes, the size of the ‘sprawl’ is significant to the quality of life
of urban dwellers. The larger an urban area, the more difficult it
will be for the average resident to reach the
open spaces beyond the urban perimeter; the increase in urban
distances can also affect commuting time, mobility and a resident's
feeling of being "trapped".
Again, per capita urban land consumption is not limited to the size
of a person's house or apartment complex. It also includes a portion
of all the other land that has been converted from rural to urban
use to provide for jobs, recreation and entertainment, shopping,
parking, transportation, storage, government services, religious and
cultural centres, waste handling, and education.
|
