Sustainability Challenge Associated with Urban Dynamics Essay

Sustainability Challenge Associated with Urban Dynamics - Essay Example Urban sprawl did not start recently. It started a long time ago. Here, we find that the rich had a desire to seek the pleasure of living in secluded areas with low population densities. The Chinese and the Romans historically practiced this habit of the rich living in suburbs with protective walls (Karen & J. Marshall, 2009 p 2). The sprawl in cities and towns always occur when the city has reached peak economic growth. Therefore, at first population density in the city center is normally high. As the city develops, this density reduces as people move away from the center due to improved services such transportation.Scholars, planners, public officials and community activists have offered many possibilities that cause urban sprawl. These causes include lack of comprehensive planning, rapid population growth, consumer preferences and subsidized infrastructure improvements.Lack of comprehensive planning is one of the principal urban sprawl causes. Poorly planned developments in the out skirts of urban centers often happen due to officials planning in a densely populated urban area without consulting nearby communities (Chiara et al, 2010, p 3). The resultant less densely populated regions demand high expenses for infrastructural development. Rapid population growth is another key factor responsible for urban sprawl especially in the Southern and Western United States regions (Klaufus, 2010, p 5). When the population of a city increases, people will tend to move spreading. further from the city centres. When communities in the urban fringes enjoy subsidies of roads, sewers and water from municipalities, unplanned developments easily sprawl in the regions. Some people prefer living in isolated places with much space for large homes, large yards and more bedrooms. This desire means movement of people away from densely populated city centres. The movement results in spreading of cities and progressively reduction in population density away from the city centre. A lack of understanding of unplanned growth consequences may also lead to urban sprawl. The government in most cases has not taken a consideration of the implications of urban sprawl. The government’s action of allowing developers to do as they wish may also cause urban sprawl. When people over depend on automobiles for transportation, urban sprawl may also result. Developments in the urban areas involve the use of materials such as stone, cement and asphalt. Subsidies on automobiles play a critical role in the spreading of urban sprawl. This, according to Hanson (1992), enables automobile owners to incur low costs of