Sacramento is a bustling city with a diverse population and a city structure to match. In the last few decades the growth and development within our area has grown exponentially, land that was completely vacant fields and farmland has been replaced with shopping centers and freeways, expanding with the population increase in recent years. With the fast-track building of these areas before the economic collapse, more areas were developed than can currently be filled, which unfortunately has left many new buildings empty and lots paved for new construction or parking lots left unused. This is in addition to the expansion of roads and freeways in an attempt to relieve the traffic congestion that comes from rapid urban growth. Because of the amount of overdeveloped areas that are now vacant, the desire to renovate old vacant properties and land plots has all but disappeared. What if there was a beneficial solution to unused land plots in need of rehab and redesign? What if, instead of paving over every leftover inch of grass and dirt in urban areas to make room for more parking for our daily commuting polluters, we instead reinvent that land for a purpose that is both beneficial to our …show more content…
A market where people can buy healthy, sustainable, organic local foods and goods, all without the marketing ploys and harmful environmental effects of wasteful packaging. It has been reported that 23% of all landfill waste is excess packaging, and certain modifications in types of packaging, like tin-foil liners in burger cartons or wrappers, makes then unable to be recycled and also inhibits their decomposition (EPA). By sourcing from local farmers and growers, and eliminating excess waste, the cost-effectiveness is passed on to the community
Echo Park, one of Los Angeles’s most well-known neighborhoods, was once associated with gang violence in the 80’s and 90’s. The crime rate in the area was to the point that many people would not dare being caught walking out after dark. Nowadays, people do not fear walking in the streets of Echo Park after dark. This new sense of safety in Echo park can be contributed to its nightlife scene characterized by Indie music venues and trendy bars. You may ask yourself how this change came about?
Riverbank, a large city, has a district with a huge problem. Grant’s Valley, although booming with business, is a quaint and historic part of Riverbank that the residents want to keep that way. The business aspect of Grant’s Valley has an ever growing need for more space for tourists to park and there is just too much traffic for the area to withstand. Riverbank’s historically quaint Grant’s Valley would benefit from the destruction of the unused junior-high on 35th and Princeton and the new construction of a one hundred space parking lot and a new park. This would attract more people and lessen the unattractive curb appeal of the parking lot in the residential area of Grant’s Valley that the residents want
Reshaping Metropolitan America provides an outlook of the next fifteen years for infrastructure development in the United States. Nearly two-thirds of the buildings that will be necessary to handle the projected half billion residents of the Untied States by 2030 are not built yet. We also need to reshape our cities to handle the inversion trend; families and the next generation want to move back and live near downtown. Richard C. Nelson, the author, supports this population shift but does not strongly support it. Instead of trying to create room and additional infrastructure in downtown areas, Nelson believes that metropolitan areas should start to urbanize its suburbs to accommodate desired urban living. The American population is also changing
A new phenomenon happening in our city is the rebirth of many of our older and rundown areas. One of the best examples of this is the "Soulard" area of town, which now has an established nightlife as well as exquisite historical antique homes. Lafayette Square has also enjoyed the same type of success as Soulard. It is still in the middle of a high crime area, but is populated by upper-class people with beautiful homes with elaborate wrought iron fences and intricate security systems. This trend of fixing up old flats is spreading out from the areas of Soulard and Lafayette Square to neighboring communities at a rapid pace. The Compton Heights area is coming back with rebuilt old Victorian styled houses and private gated streets that contrast the French styled flats of Soulard. The Shaw and Tower Grove area are also following the lead of revitalization similar to these charming old neighborhoods.
Gentrification is the keystone for the progression of the basic standards of living in urban environments. A prerequisite for the advancement of urban areas is an improvement of housing, dining, and general social services. One of the most revered and illustrious examples of gentrification in an urban setting is New York City. New York City’s gentrification projects are seen as a model for gentrification for not only America, but also the rest of the world. Gentrification in an urban setting is much more complex and has deeper ramifications than seen at face value. With changes in housing, modifications to the quality of life in the surrounding area must be considered as well. Constant lifestyle changes in a community can push out life-time
Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial sites where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real, or perceived environmental contamination that can add cost, time, and uncertainty to the redevelopment process. Throughout the country there are an estimated 450,000 brownfields. These vacant properties exist mostly in cities, serving no practical purpose, and act as both eyesores and environmental as well as economic pitfalls. The inner cities, where most brownfields exist, were once the only choice developers had in deciding where to build industry. However, since the birth of environmental laws and regulation, the redevelopment of these properties has become a complicated and often very costly procedure. This procedure causes many businesses and corporations to look outside of the inner cities and urban areas for locations to grow and develop. This trend not only leaves the inner cities vacant and economically useless, but also leads to urban sprawl, a phenomenon that leads to the development of greenfields, or the pristine, undeveloped land outside the confines of massive urban areas.
Residential, commercial and industrial development is the largest contributors to landscape change in the state of New Jersey. When buildout occurs in one region, development pressure begins in another, virtually insuring the Megalopolis concept of one huge urban corridor stretching between Boston and Washington D.C. Year after year, farmland dwindles, roads become congested, and more residents are left to compete for diminishing natural resources. Desperate measures and newer technologies are incorporated to replace poor planning and lack of vision on behalf of decision-makers caught between competing interests. When the long term health and wellbeing of the established population and the short term gain of a limited number of people compete for vital natural resources there should be no question who's interests should prevail.
The United States was very much a rural state in the past and it took us a long time to change and become an urban majority than a rural one. The United States began shifting from rural to urban around 1910 through 1920 and surprisingly is still shifting to this day. Rural culture is nothing to be looked down upon but the benefits from urban areas outweigh the rural in many aspects. Without the rise of urbanization we would not be the colony and superpower we are today.
In recent years Portland, Oregon has become one of the country’s most popular cities to live in. The influx of technology, creative marketing industries and environmental consciousness have all lead to the desirability of the area. Although the number of pull factors drawing people to Portland is high, Portland’s racial reputation is the main cause of gentrification in this area. Portland is becoming one of the United State’s worst example of displacement of Black residents, and the fastest gentrifying city. (Savitch-Lew, 2016) “Portland has experienced gentrification in more neighborhoods than any other of the nation’s fifty largest cities since 2000.” (Law, 2015) Portland neighborhoods are being hit hard by this. The popularity of the city
Trends of moving toward supporting local food producers have increased over the years. People are looking for quality over quantity. “With the explosion of interest in local food, consumers now have more choices of products, labels, and ways to shop, so, many people are left wondering where to start” (Table, 2009). Buying locally supports sustainable food system, beyond just methods of food production and helps to increase food from farm to plate. Supporting locally drastically helps with the reduction of emissions and the negative effect that food traveling has on our environment.
Over the years, growing attention has been paid to the ethical, environmental and social dimensions of business, most often under corporate social responsibility (CSR). Much of the early literature aimed to specify the concept and the various components of CSR, as it emerged in the second half of the 20th century (MINTZBERG, H., 1983). Various environment organizations and people are conscious of the toxic waste, of pollution, mountains of garbage and depletion of forests. McDonald’s, the largest restaurant chain in the world, presents a notable case study. For years McDonald’s used polystyrene containers for the famous Big Mac clamshell for its hamburgers. Since these containers were light in weight, did not absorb grease and kept the burgers warm. McDonalds soon become target of the Environmental Defense Fund which claimed that by making polystyrene packaging created toxic fumes, which took too much of landfill and took too much time to
Zero Waste Market is revolutionizing the way consumers shop, by making them consider the effect the products they choose to purchase have on the environment and community. Providing customers with organic, ethically sourced products in an environmentally friendly way will revamp the way consumers purchase groceries. Zero Waste Market is the first store of its kind in Canada, and with a strategic marketing plan in place, growing Zero Waste Market into a nationally known brand can be achieved.
Using plastic bags are second nature to people in this day and age. Warner acknowledges, “Much to the dismay of the environmentally conscious citizens worldwide, the ubiquity of the free plastic carryout bag has bred nonchalant consumers who take this modern convenience for granted” (646). Although some people are conscious about the environment, people strive more for convenience and do not think about the impacts using bags have not only on the environment, but on themselves as well. If something is bad for the environment, it will alternatively be bad for humans as well. When plastic bags are exposed to the sun from being littered all around, the ultraviolet rays cause the substances of plastic bags to weaken. After the substances weaken, the substances become invisible to the naked eye. The substances that are no longer able to be seen are toxic to humans (Warner 649). As a result of plastic bags being littered around, animals consume plastic bags. This is negatively affects humans because animals are often consumed. When humans consume animals like, fish, there can be plastic in the fish’s belly, which then transfers to the humans and this poses a concern for human’s health. Humans are negatively affected by plastic bags because of the toxic chemicals in plastic bags, as well as, consuming animals with plastic in their
I exited US Highway 101 South at Madonna Road, squinting into the sun through the windshield of a friends borrowed truck. As I neared the Central Coast Plaza that includes Staples, Bed Bath & Beyond and other retailers, I wondered what was to become of the Dalidio farmland, just south of the shopping center. 130acres of farmland sit just ten yards from the center, separated only by the newly paved Dalidio Road. I thought about how neat it is that we can have agriculture in such close proximity to large scale retail and both can prosper. I parked the truck in the plaza parking lot and strolled across the street to get a sense of the farmland. Rows and rows of cabbage lay in front of me, with tractors scattered, idle in the fields after a hard day of work. A slight breeze accompanied the warm, late afternoon sun. Sunlight leaked through the lines of eucalyptus trees on my right, and it looked as if the sun were meant to shine on these crops for years to come. A dirt path surrounds each field, making a perfect trail for me to saunter on. Just next to Highway 101, the Dalidio farmland paints a beautiful picture of the central coast of California. Despite my positive feelings and the serene look of this agricultural land, the future of the Dalidio farmland is being threatened. On April 26, 2005, voters will decide whether or not a 650,000 square foot shopping center will replace the Dalidio farmland. My spirits were crushed when I realized that this area could soon be destroyed by an enormous retail center. An additional shopping center of this size will ruin the unique economic structure of San Luis Obispo, while also slowly dissolving the city’s small town feel. Small bu...
Many villagers and small town dwellers want a living in big cities. With some expectations, they make a movement from villages to big cities. This migration from rural areas to big cities is called urbanization.