Urban sprawl: Observations on urban form, environment, and health

Abstract: This talk will explore how neighborhood- and regional-scale urban form can influence energy, environmental, and health impacts of cities. The talk will present a scaling rule for urban land area expansion over time, offering quantification of urban sprawl (i.e., declining population density), and discuss implications for population exposure to urban air pollution. For example, increasing population density would, in certain cases, reduce vehicle emissions (people don't have to travel as far each day in denser areas) yet increase air pollution exposures and health effects, because people are closer to, and breathe more of, the emissions. The talk will discuss air pollution exposures versus pedestrian-friendliness for neighborhoods in Vancouver, Canada, and energy and climate impacts of sprawl versus infill development.

Papers:

Inhalation of motor vehicle emissions: Effects of urban population and land area. Julian D. Marshall, Thomas E. McKone, Elizabeth Deakin, and William W. Nazaroff. Atmospheric Environment, 39 (2005) 283-295.

Urban land area and population growth: A new scaling relationship for metropolitan expansion.  Julian D. Marshall   Urban Studies, vol 44, no. 10, 1889-1904, Sept 2007.