The Affects of Urban Sprawl

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Recommended: Introduction and background on urban sprawl

Have you ever had a dream of moving outside the city and living with your wife, husband or kids with about an acre of land. Well if your dream becomes reality, than you are participating in Urban Sprawl. Urban Sprawl is the expanding of a city over its rural land with single-family homes in low-density neighborhoods. Low-density neighborhoods, with no transportation options are increasing energy costs. My cure is multiple story housing inside the city. Urban Sprawl is negative, because it causes bad health and environmental effects on society.
Urban Sprawl can cause bad health conditions such as obesity, which is linked to diabetes and can shorten the life expectancy of a person. 78% of Americans do not meet basic activity level recommendations and there has been a 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 years old since 1990 in America (Collins). In 1962, research statistics showed that the percentage of obesity in America’s population was at 13%. By 1980 it has risen to 15% -- by 1994 to 23% -- and by the year 2000 the obesity progression in America had reached an unprecedented 31% (American Sports Data). Now, over a 20 year period (1970-1990), the 100 largest Urbanized Areas in the United States sprawled out over an additional 14,545 square miles. That was more than 9 million acres of natural habitats, farmland, and other rural space (Key Statistics Of Urban Sprawl). As you can see, as Urban Sprawl increases, so does obesity. With all this land being converted to cities and neighborhoods, the natural environment is being destroyed. Where do all the animals go that used to live in this space? They are just left to die off or live in a more dense population somewhere that has not been developed yet. By cities ...

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Hu, Pat. "Americans and Their Vehicles." NHTS Logo. 2003. Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 20 Nov. 2008 .
"Key Statistics Of Urban Sprawl." Urban Sprawl. 2008. Numbers USA. 20 Nov. 2008 .
"McDonald's USA Nutrition Facts for Popular Menu Items." McDonald's USA. 2008. McDonald's. 20 Nov. 2008 .
Singh, Mike. "Recommended Calorie Intake." Ezine Articles. 2008. Ezinearticles.com. 20 Nov. 2008 .

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