Essay On Urban Sprawl

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2.0 Literature Review
Urban sprawl does have major impacts that effects urban fabrication positively and negatively. These major impacts will be explored under the categories of housing affordability, suburban lifestyle and health. In this section, the literature reviewed is predominately studies of Australia, United Kingdom and United States of America. Within each of the section of the literature review positive and negative impacts of lifestyle will be explored.
2.1 Housing Affordability
Urban sprawl has opened the door and created opportunities for households to be able to be able to afford to purchase and rent housing. Currently in Australia and around the world, groups of society are facing housing and financial stress. This section of the literature review explores housing stress in Australia and the effectiveness of master planned communities and the connection of housing affordability to urban sprawl.
2.1.1 Housing Stress in Australia

It is important to understand the housing stress and lack of affordable housing and how urban sprawl has enabled improved affordable housing. Lack of affordable housing has been an on-going issue in Australia over a substantial amount of time. Housing choice and affordability has been negatively affected low to moderate income earner in particular, due to inflation over the last ten years (Berry 2003, Berry and Hall 2001, Randolph and Holloway 2002). Furthermore, within the capital cities of Australia, the rapid housing price inflation has increased at a faster rate than the average income and benefits (Berry and Dalton 2004) (see figure 1). Berry and Dalton (2004) argue that the significant rise in housing prices is a major contributor to the causes and difficulties in economic and soci...

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...ng arguments for and against urban sprawl and the impacts it has on lifestyles. Urban sprawl can be seen as a mechanism to reduce housing stress and enable increased access to affordable housing. Australian society values suburban living and urban sprawl allows for larger houses to be built upon larger lots than in Brisbane’s metropolitan area. In reference to health, car dependency plays a strong role in the lack of physical activity that causes increase obesity rates. To encourage more activity in low density living it requires sensitive planning of urban design that promotes walkability. Theses lifestyle components of housing affordability, suburban lifestyle and health have major impacts of quality of life in which urban sprawl plays a role in. Further research is needed to have more of an in-depth understanding on the benefits urban sprawl has on lifestyle.

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