Introducing 

Prezi AI.

Your new presentation assistant.

Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.

Loading…
Transcript

Photograph Citations

Rapid Urbanization:

small towns big cities

This montage about my town just highlights some of my favorite places in contrast with the constant construction and commercial development occurring. Many landowners in my town have been offered significant sale prices for their acreage from corporate real estate agents and land developers. Our town is constantly changing in order to accommodate more people and more jobs. In this way, you can see the early stages of urbanization occurring.

(Apex Aerial Photo Online Image). Retrieved from https://www.homesnacks.net/these-are-the-10-best-places-to-live-in-north-carolina-125130/

Downtown Apex (Online Image). Retrieved from http://www.lennar.com/new-homes/north-carolina/raleigh/apex

(Jordan Lake Dock Online Image). Retrieved from http://www.lennar.com/new-homes/north-carolina/raleigh/apex

Pardue, D. (2010). Apex Water Tank (Online Image). Retrieved from http://apex.ipub.us/photos

Town of Apex Government (2015). Apex Water Tank Aerial (Online Image). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/TownofApex/photos/a.260733664008340.63667.115962645152110/725733440841691/?type=3&theater

(Welcome to Apex Online Image). Retrieved from http://activerain.com/blogsview/4872392/apex-nc---the-peak-of-good-living---move-to-apex-nc

Apex, NC

-Population in 1999: 13,000

-Population as of 2014: 44,000

-Influx of residents and publicity has transformed small farming suburb into a state of constant change and construction

-Early stages of urbanization could potentially lead to the formation of a city-like area

-This occurrence is taking place globally

-With the expansion of urban areas, policy change and more rigid guidelines will be necessary to maintain sustainability and prevent environmental harm

Urbanization in Our World

-Globally, more people live in urban areas than in rural areas (54% in 2014)

-2007: for the first time in history, the global urban population exceeded the global rural population

-Most projected future growth in the world's population will occur in urban areas

Impacts

-Urbanization is typically associated with positive changes (i.e. influx of jobs, local revenue)

-Urban living usually leads to higher literacy and education, better health, more access to social services, etc.

-However...

  • rapid and unplanned urban growth threatens sustainable development
  • inadequately managed urban expansion leads to rapid sprawl, pollution, and environmental degradation
  • also creates an increase in unsustainable production and consumption patterns

-Integrated policies to improve the livelihood and sustainability in urban areas will become necessary as urbanization patterns continue to grow

References

Urbanization

Environmental Consequences

-Process by which a rural or suburban area becomes more like a city

-Towns develop into cities as the population grows and more people move to an area to live and work

-Over the past century our world has seen a large-scale movement in the development of urban areas

atmospheric

temperature

hydrology &

water quality

This map identifies UHIs in the US that are significantly warmer than their surrounding rural areas. As you can tell, the UHIs tend to correlate with major cities in the United States. Disparities in UHI temperature differences can be attributed to the amount of vegetation in an urban area, or its relative proximity to a large body of water.

-Heat generated by urban activities affects temperatures across thousands of miles, warming some areas and cooling others

-Waste heat generated from buildings and cars has caused winter warming across the northern hemisphere

-Urban expansion is a major driving force in altering local and regional hydrology

-Removal of trees and vegetation increases runoff, leads to greater sediment in runoff, and increases the possibility of flooding

-Streams are often diverted or paved over to supply water for people or to create roads

-Increased sewage is discharged into streams, affecting water quality and harming water ecosystems

-Drilling of large-capacity wells can lower underground water table, resulting in other wells drying out and sinkholes developing

urban heat islands

Information

Borneman, E. (2015, September 25). Vegetation Helps to Lessen the Effects of Urban Heat Islands. Retrieved from https://www.geolounge.com/vegetation-helps-to-lesson-the-effects-of-urban-heat-islands/

Cardelino, C.A. & Chameides, W.L. (1990) Natural hydrocarbons, urbanization, and urban ozone. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 95:13971-13979.

Maas, R., Grennfelt, P. (2016, May 31). Towards Cleaner Air. Scientific Assessment Report 2016. EMEP Steering Body and Working Group on Effects of the Convention of Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, Oslo. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/news/air-quality-has-improved-dramatically-there-s-still-work-be-done

Parrish, D. & Stockwell, W. (2015). Urbanization and air pollution: Then and now. Retrieved from https://eos.org/features/urbanization-air-pollution-now

Tang, Z., Engel, B.A., Pijanowski, B.C., & Lim, K.J. (2005) Forecasting land use change and its environmental impact at a watershed scale. Journal of Environmental Management. 76: 35-45.

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2014)

World Urbanization Prospects: The 2014 Revision, Highlights (ST/ESA/SER.A/352)

US Environmental Protection Agency (2015). Our Nation's Air: Status and Trends through 2015. Retrieved from https://gispub.epa.gov/air/trendsreport/2016/

US Geological Survey. (2016, October 27). How urbanization affects the hydrologic system. USGS Water Science School. Retrieved from http://water.usgs.gov/edu/urbaneffects.html

Zhang, G.J., Cai, M., & Hu, A. (2013, January 27). Cities change temperatures for thousands of miles: Energy consumption and the unexplained winter warming over northern Asia and North America. Nature Climate Change. Retrieved from http://www2.ucar.edu/atmosnews/news/8773/cities-affect-temperatures-thousands-miles

-Urban heat islands (UHIs) develop as a side effect of living in a large metropolitan area

-UHIs form when heat collects and is retained in the concrete, asphalt and metal of a city

-Higher concentration of solar energy in these spots can make larger cities 2 to 5 degrees warmer than surrounding rural areas

air quality & pollution

trends in air quality

-Lack of vegetation in a city increases UHI effect

-At the start of industrialization, air pollution increased significantly

-Photochemical air pollution arises as the result of reactions of sulfur, carbon, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in the air

-Urban activities (traffic, power plants, industrial plants) increase these pollutants and diminish air quality

-Air quality in North America and Europe has actually improved in the last 30 years due to policy-driven reduction in air pollution

-Clean Air Act 1963

  • amendments over the past 30 years have set regulations for both industrial and mobile pollution sources and expanded federal enforcement, monitoring

-Air Quality Act 1967

-EPA established 1970

design by Dóri Sirály for Prezi

This map shows cities around the world with at least 500,000 inhabitants, as marked by the colored circles. Megacities of 10 million or more are denoted by a red circle. Cities are clearly concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere, especially in Asia, Europe, and the United States.

This graph catalogs atmospheric pollutant concentration levels dating back to 1990. Levels of harmful substances like lead, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter have all decreased in the past 30 years, despite an increase in urbanization and pollution-creating activities. This is mainly due to policy-driven change in air protection. The EPA uses their national standard (denoted by the dotted line) to determine whether or not stricter policy needs to be implemented to keep the air quality improving.

Learn more about creating dynamic, engaging presentations with Prezi