Urbanization Challenges and Opportunities Describe how urbanization affects
Urbanization Challenges and Opportunities
§ Describe how urbanization affects energy availability and use § Explain how food systems change as populations become more urban § Describe how urbanization affects health and diseases § Describe how urbanization changes water safety and availability. Objectives
Energy systems energy infrastructure is expensive. 600 million people in rural sub. Saharan Africa are without electricity. Electricity and transportation are basic infrastructure needs but hard to provide in rural areas. Urbanization is one ‘solution’ to these issues. Power lines in rural Tanzania
Electricity Highly developed economies have near universal electricity access with centralized infrastructure (the grid) Developing economies have less well-developed centralized energy infrastructure. Within cities, the challenge (and opportunity) is to deploy renewable forms of energy through urban settings Urban Settings • • Centralized (power plants) Often fossil-fuel centered Energy access is more universal Costs can limit access Rural Settings • • • Centralized (power plants) in high income countries, more decentralized in some low income countries. Often fossil-fuel centered Energy access is near university in high income countries and more limited in low-income countries In developing economies, energy access and equality remains a major issue
Transportation Cities need transportation Personal cars vs. public transportation. Car Ownership Statistics (cars per 1000 people) US: 797 Germany: 572 South Korea: 376 Mexico: 275 China: 83 Tanzania: 7 Density increases the viability of public transportation – benefit of urbanization but policies are highly variable around the world Suburban development increases transportation impacts and tends to increase the environmental footprint of residents
In Low-income settings, urbanization often increases food access. Most severe famine occurs in rural areas. However there is still considerable food insecurity in urban areas and it often tends to economic rather than supply related. Obesity is a growing (mostly urban) problem in low and middle-income countries In the U. S. there is a higher incidence of obesity in rural vs. urban settings but the causes are not fully understood (https: //www. cdc. gov/pcd/issues/2019/ 18_0200. htm). Examples in Low, middle, and high income settings of simultaneous problems with undernutrition, nutrient deficiency, and obesity. Food Systems Food access varies across rural to urban gradients. Complicated differences between high income and low income countries
Consumption X Access and cost Sales and distribution Farm Processing Food supply chains Urbanization tends to drive centralization of food production Larger farms Industrialized supply chains Increased processing Increased transport time/distance
Potential for communicable disease transmission increases in urban settings Covid-19 Possibility of treatment/mitigation also increases Malaria (Mosquito control) Cholera (water treatment) Improved health care access In low income rural settings, childhood malnutrition can be a major issue Maternal care is limited Access to food can be highly constrain Disease
Water Access to a clean and reliable water supply is one of the key benefits of urban settings. The infrastructure required to provide clean water is extensive and expensive. Urban settings usually require stored water supplies (reservoirs) and in a changing climate, drought can become a major issue. SW US Cape Town, South Africa
Urban settings change regional hydrology The increase in impermeable services in cities can lead to flooding and pollution Solutions: Preservation of natural flowpaths Use of permeable materials in surface construction Restoration of river corridors Consideration of regional climate patterns & change
§ Urbanization tends to increase energy availability and leads to lower use in some settings (vs. suburbs) and increased use in low income countries. § The trend toward urbanization accelerates the trend toward industrial, centralized agriculture with long(er) supply changes Summary § Urbanization can increase access to important preventative care and can support increased nutrition (in low income settings) but can also accelerate the spread of disease and does not solve food insecurity issues § The key benefit of urbanization for water supply is improved access and safety. The issues revolve around ensuring supply in a changing environment and in sustaining urban and surrounding ecosystems
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