|  | Public Health Safety | Community

How does Urban Sprawl Affect Humans?

Moving out to the country usually means swapping urban pavement and noise for tree-lined streets and sprawling backyards. The tradeoff is that suburban and rural residents spend more time commuting to their jobs and stores. This car-dependent lifestyle wreaks havoc with people's physical and mental health because obesity, hypertension and automobile accidents increase, according to Ontario College Of Family Physicians. Researchers who delve into the question of how urban sprawl affects humans suggest that the trend is reversing as baby boomers retire.

  1. Traffic

    • City dwellers can feel shortchanged when they move to the suburbs, according to the Ontario College of Family Physicians, which in 2005 published "The Health Impacts Of Urban Sprawl." Their new lifestyles are devoid of walking or bicycling because now they drive to work, church services, community events and retailers. People suffer more serious injuries and long-term psychological trauma associated with the rise in auto accidents. In addition, living near a heavily traveled road affects pregnant women and children who consistently inhale automobile fumes, says the Ontario College report.

    Resources

    • Suburbanites feel urban sprawl's effectct on natural water supplies. Contaminated runoff drains into rivers, streams and lakes during construction of new homes, commercial sites, paved lots and roadways, according to the Clean Water Action Council. Families settle into their new households and start to generate more toxic overflow with their lawn chemicals, pet wastes and fuel, oil and paint spills. And not only do the throngs of newcomers poison nearby bodies of water, but they also drain reserves by taking showers, operating laundry equipment and watering their spacious lawns.

    Communities

    • The overall exodus from city settings gradually whittles away residents' sense of community, says the Clean Water Action Council. Homes that are outside metropolitan areas typically are single-family houses with wide yards for privacy. This lifestyle represents a dramatic change from past generations of families who lived in compact homes, congregated with other neighbors on front porches, and walked to corner stores. Today, those community interactions have vanished. Neighbors seldom interact with each other except to wave as they drive down their streets, CWAC reports.

    Aging

    • Older and disabled populations struggle with the fallout of urban sprawl. Isolation sets in when they no longer can safely drive or access transportation to doctors' offices, supermarkets or social service programs, says the Ontario College of Family Physicians. Such people experience more episodes of loneliness and cardiovascular disease when they feel cut off from friends and communities. Today, many baby boomers are selling their larger country homes in favor of compact housing that is closer to amenities and services, says CWAC.

Community - Related Articles