Differences Between Urban Growth and Urbanization
The difference between urban growth and urbanization can be categorized using three broad aspects, including:
1. Population (immigration versus rural-urban migration)
Urban growth is characterized by population increase, while urbanization can be termed as the increasing proportion of a country’s population living in an urban area. Urbanization is expressed as a ratio or a percentage of the entire population, through the process of transforming rural areas into urban areas.
Urbanization, therefore, mainly involves rural-urban migration. Contrarily, urban growth involves the immigration of people. Urban growth happens when the increase in the number of people is not proportional to the number of urban dwellers in an area.
2. Land area (extensive land area versus intensive land area coverage)
In terms of urbanization, the land area covered is often extensive, owing to large-scale economic development. In other words, urbanization is linked to economic development in the sense that urbanization cannot occur if there lacks widespread economic development that covers a wide geographical area, which often comes about due to high per capita income.
Urban growth, on the other hand, can take place without far-flung economic growth and it is not strictly influenced by extensive land area coverage.
3. Infrastructural versus economic/commercial change
Urban growth primarily happens when there is infrastructural development in terms of manufacturing, invention, housing, and new transport systems or routes that encourage the immigration of people into new urban spaces.
Urbanization, on the other hand, is mainly influenced by increased commercial or economic activities within an area. The meaning of this is that the economic hub of an area defines urbanization. The more the economic, capital investments, and trade activities within an area, the more urbanized it becomes.
Effects of Urban Growth
1. Increased Air Pollution
Urban sprawl increases car, bus and truck traffic by creating longer and more frequent commutes, which leads to a major increase in air pollution and ground-level smog. Vehicles using fossil fuels are the number one cause of air pollution in many urban areas with serious implications for public, wildlife and ecosystem health.
As more time is spent in cars and more traffic congestion occurs over a larger area, it contributes to the growing emissions of greenhouse gases and particulates, resulting in the continued degradation of air quality in urban areas.
2. Increased Water Pollution
Urban sprawl is the cause of water pollution as rainwater picks up gasoline, lawn chemicals, heavy metals, paints spills, motor oil, pet wastes, construction site erosion and other pollutants in runoff from lawns, driveways, roads and parking lots, which can eventually travel in large, concentrated amounts, polluting nearby water sources, such as a stream, river or lake.
3. High Water Consumption
Urban sprawl can create water distribution issues and lead to water over-consumption as more water is consumed for lawn watering and other landscape activities, which can strain and deplete local water supply systems. According to the EPA, “an American family of four can use 400 gallons of water per day, and about 30 percent of that is devoted to outdoor uses. More than half of that outdoor water is used for watering lawns and gardens.
Nationwide, landscape irrigation is estimated to account for almost one-third of all residential water use, totaling more than 7 billion gallons per day. Other residential outdoor uses include washing automobiles, maintaining swimming pools, and cleaning sidewalks and driveways.”
4. Health Degradation
As communities are auto-dependent, we need to drive to schools, shops, parks, entertainment, playdates, etc. Thus people become more sedentary, making it more difficult for them to get physical activity and maintain a healthy weight. Residents of sprawling counties were likely to walk less during leisure time and weigh more than residents of compact counties.
A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of overall mortality, cardiovascular disease, and some types of cancer. The effect of low physical fitness is comparable to that of hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes.
5. Loss of Open Space and Wildlife Habitats
Urban sprawl threatens productive farmland, transforms parks and open spaces into highways and strip malls and destroys more than one million acres of parks, farms and open space each year. The increased proximity and accessibility of urban activities to natural areas impose stress on ecosystems and species through the noise and air pollution. The natural habitats of wildlife are disappearing beneath the concrete, which is threatening important ecosystems around the world.
According to National Geographic,” sprawl is claiming farmland at the rate of 1.2 million acres (10.5 million hectares) a year. Throw in the forest and other undeveloped lands, and, for a net annual loss of open space, you’re waving good-bye to more than two million acres (10.8 million hectares).”
6. Increased Traffic Congestion
As urban areas spread out, trip times are lengthened, residents are forced to virtually drive everywhere like drive to schools, work, shops, parks, entertainment, play dates, etc., spending more time in their cars and trucks, and traffic congestion occurs over a larger area.
7. Increases Risk and Damage from Floods
Sprawling developments drain and destroy wetlands that absorb floodwaters, and can be built in floodplains, leads to a higher susceptibility to floodwaters. According to the Sierra Club, ” in the last eight years, floods in the United States killed more than 850 people and caused more than $89 billion in property damage. Much of this flooding occurred in places where weak zoning laws allowed developers to drain wetlands and build in floodplains.”
Sumary this article
This article discusses the differences between urban growth and urbanization, emphasizing three main aspects: population, land area, and infrastructural versus economic/commercial change. Urban growth is characterized by population increase, while urbanization refers to the increasing proportion of a country's population living in an urban area. Urban growth involves immigration, while urbanization involves rural-urban migration. Urbanization is linked to economic development, while urban growth can take place without it.
The article also outlines the negative effects of urban growth, including increased air and water pollution, high water consumption, health degradation, loss of open space and wildlife habitats, increased traffic congestion, and increased risk and damage from floods. The primary cause of these negative effects is sprawling urban development, which increases car use and destroys natural habitats and ecosystems.
Urban growth refers to an increase in the number of people living in urban areas, whether through immigration or natural population growth. On the other hand, urbanization refers to the process of transforming rural areas into urban areas, as indicated by the proportion of a country's population living in urban areas.
Urban growth can occur without extensive economic development and is not strictly influenced by land area coverage. Conversely, urbanization is often linked to extensive land area coverage and requires widespread economic development. Urbanization is mainly driven by increased commercial or economic activities within an area, while urban growth is primarily influenced by infrastructural development, such as housing, manufacturing, and transportation.
The effects of urban growth include increased air pollution due to the higher number of vehicles and longer commutes, leading to the degradation of air quality. Urban sprawl also contributes to water pollution as rainwater picks up pollutants from streets, lawns, and parking lots and carries them to nearby water sources. Additionally, urbanization can lead to high water consumption for lawn watering and other landscape activities, straining local water supply systems.
Urban growth and sprawl contribute to a sedentary lifestyle, as people become more dependent on cars, leading to health degradation and an increased risk of diseases like cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. Moreover, urban development results in the loss of open spaces and wildlife habitats, threatening ecosystems and species. Urban areas spreading out also result in increased traffic congestion and higher susceptibility to flood damage.
In summary, urban growth refers to an increase in the urban population, while urbanization refers to the process of transforming rural areas into urban areas. Urban growth can lead to negative effects such as air and water pollution, high water consumption, health degradation, loss of open space and wildlife habitats, increased traffic congestion, and increased risk and damage from floods.