URBAN SPRAWL ANALYSIS
What is Urban Sprawl?
Urban Sprawl is the result of urban populations moving away from inner cities and rural areas and developing large suburban developments on the outskirts of cities. This pattern of land use increases the size of urban areas and creates several issues for citizens and the environment, including traffic congestion,smog, health problems among residents, increased highway maintanance and utility costs.
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How is Satellite Imagery and Remote Sensing technology used in Urban Area Analysis?
Remote Sensing is the art and science of gathering information about an object without coming in contact with it. Satellites equipped with sensors are used to record digital imagery of the earth from space. Remote Sensing Imagery, combined with Geographic Information Systems, are powerful tools to analyze the change in urban areas across the planet through comparison of imagery from different time periods.
What are some of the problems associated with Urban Sprawl?
Urban Sprawl in the United States should actually be referred to as "suburban sprawl", since in reality it is the increased suburbanization of a once rural area. These areas are known for the abundance of low density housing, usually in the form of large single family housing lots on dead end streets known as cul-de-sacs, that feed into larger local roads, that usually lead to a major divided highway. Retail, Commercial and Industrial areas areas are located along these major roads and away from the residential areas.
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This kind of community is usually completely automobile dependent, which leads to heavy traffic and pollution. Increased automobile dependency can also lead to a reduction in physical activity of a urban areas population. The American Journal of Public Health and the American Journal of Health Promotion have both stated that there is a significant connection between Urban Sprawl in an area, and the percentage of the population that is obese or suffers from hypertension.
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Increased suburbanization can also lead to increased infrastructure costs for taxpayers. City and State governments are forced to invest heavily in highway and local road maintainance and improvement projects. Also, public utilities such as water, sewer and electrical service are more expensive per household in low density suburban developments.
