Transcript Federal Regulations and Urban Sprawl

Urban Sprawl
What is Urban Sprawl?
Urban Sprawl the creation of
urbanized areas
that spread into
rural areas.
Residential Land
 Suburban- areas surrounding metropolitan centers
with low population densities.
 Exurban- similar to suburban areas, but are not
connected to any central city or densely populated
area.
Urban Sprawl
The four main concerns of urban sprawl in the U.S. are:
 automobiles and highway construction
 living costs (people can get more land and a
larger house in the suburbs for the same amount of
money)
 urban blight (city revenue shrinks as people
move to the suburbs)
government policies
Problems with Urban Sprawl
Feedback Loop?
Positive Feedback
Loop?
Government policies
Urban blight
Land-Use Planning Theory
(urban design)
 Plan for the needs of the community while safeguarding natural
resources.
 Scientific, aesthetic, and orderly disposition of land, resources,
facilities and services with a view to securing the physical,
economic and social efficiency, health and well-being of urban and
rural communities.
 The American Planning Association states that the goal of land-use
planning is to further the welfare of people and their communities
by creating convenient, equitable, healthful, efficient, and attractive
environments for present and future generations.
Smart Growth
 Mixed land uses
 create a range of housing opportunities and choices
 create walkable neighborhoods
 encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in
development decisions
 take advantage of compact building design
 Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of
place
 Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical
environmental areas
 Provide a variety of transportation choices
 Strengthen and direct development toward existing communities
 Make development decisions predictable, fair and cost-effective
Federal Regulations
 1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)mandates an environmental assessment of all projects
involving federal money or permits. (Clean Air Act,
Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act)—ensure
protection of nation’s resources.
 Environmental impact statement (EIS)- outlines the
scope and purpose of the project. EIS may suggest
alternative approaches and analyzes the environmental
impact of each alternative
 Environmental mitigation plan- outlines how the
developer will address concerns raised by the projects
impact on the environment.
Government Policies
 Highway Trust Fund- a federal gasoline tax to pay
for construction and maintenance of roads and
highways.
 Zoning- a planning tool to create quieter and safer
communities. For example, prohibiting the
development of a factory or strip mall in a residential
area.
 Multi-use zoning- allows retail and high-density
residential development to coexist in the same area.
 Subsidized mortgages- low interest rates offered to
people to purchase a home that would otherwise not
be able to do so.
Road Patterns
 Older Urban
Road Patterns
 New Suburban (Urban Sprawl)
Population Growth
 Urban Sprawl is fueled by population Growth:
 CA now 32 million (doubled since 1960)
 Added 6 million in 1980s
 Plus 1/2 million/year in 1990s
 San Diego County is now ~2,950,000 but is expected to
reach 3,850,000 by 2010
 So Cal will go from 19 to almost 25 million (2 Chicagos in 20
years)
Growth Options
 Pro-Growth:
 Rural and poor areas
 Want more infrastructure, more jobs, more people
 No-Growth:
 Upper-Income areas
 Concerned about environment, traffic, and NIMBY
Smart Growth
 Compromise: economic activity should occur in urban
areas and preserve open spaces
 Must reverse trend of restricting urban growth and
promoting development in less regulated periphery
 Higher Density housing/mixed use
 Revitalize older communities as more desirable places
to live
SOFAR plan
 In SD County General Plan
 outside boundary 40 and 80 acre minimum parcels
 Protect watershed, agriculture, wildlife, scenery,
tourism
 Watershed is key: plants and open ground clean and
filter water as opposed to runoff from asphalt, parking
lots, and streets
Endangered Species Act
 Purpose: Conserve ecosystems of endangered species and
 Prohibit “take” of species, including harm to habitat that impairs the
species
 Over 200 listed plant and animal species in San Diego
 gnatcatcher, tortoise, kangaroo rat, etc.
 One of 25 most diverse habitat areas in the world (desert, mtns,
climate, etc.)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
 If want to develop land must file an Environment
Impact Report (CA Environmental Quality Act)
 If incidentally “takes” habitat of listed species, must get
a permit from the fish and wildlife service
 Must specify impacts, how to mitigate impacts, and
alternatives so won’t reduce the species
Single-Species Approach
 Coastal CA Gnatcatcher
 lives in coastal sage scrub
 essentially put a brake on all development in CA
 Single-Species approach wasn’t working
 Needed to protect wildlife while preserving growth
 Need a more ecosystem-based approach
Multi-Species Approach
 Habitat Islands in an Urban Sea
 The greater the area preserved, the greater the number
of species possible
 So, need to preserve big areas
 San Diego Multiple Species Conservation Plan (MSCP)
 Allows for regional conservation
San Diego MSCP
 Voluntary Cooperation of many local governments in
exchange for
 Planning Certainty for future development (not species
by species)
 What about private property rights?
 Are not unlimited: i.e. Zoning
 short step from housing set backs and small signs to
protecting open spaces
Other CA Growth Issues
 Electricity Crisis: Suspended some regulations to speed
plant construction
 Outraged environmental groups and NIMBY homeowners
 Zero Emission Vehicles
 “Brownfields” and need for Urban School property
 Storm Water Regulations