Urban sprawl today is increasing at an alarmingly rapid rate across towns and cities

worldwide and has unintentionally created long term issues concerning society and the
environment. Although globalisation and the development of modern technologies have
contributed immensely to the growth of economies and public convenience, problems such
as climate change, social and ecological impacts of motorisation and depletion of resources
threaten our future. Various groups have come up with suggestions for possible solutions to
solve these problems but some are more likely to be successful and effective than others.
This essay examines and compares a few examples of different solutions made to target the
effects of urban sprawl and their effectiveness.
Urban sprawling has seen to the extreme increase of greenhouse emissions into the
atmosphere from agricultural, transport and energy factors over large areas. The
diminishing of precious resources e.g. fossil fuels is an immediate consequence of urban
sprawl. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) are two international business organisations that
have taken an approach to addressing climate change. The organisations discuss and
develop policies on the question of climate change. Both the WBCSD and the ICC rely heavily
on the idea of developing and utilising technologies to conquer global warming instead of
using stronger and more practical methods to reduce environmental degradation and
energy consumption. The WBCSD displays a rather immature idea of ecological
modernisation which could be replaced by more effective manoeuvres. These could include
using more sustainable land management operations, encouraging healthy and non-
polluting forms of transportation (e.g. walking, cycling and taking public transport instead of
driving private vehicles) and creating denser communities to save on electricity, land and
automobile usage.
The ICC Environmental and Energy Commissions Energy Committee recently published a
report, Energy for Sustainable Development , that puts technology forward as the only
solution to the economic and environmental issues related to energy usage. (Paragraph 19;
Urban Sprawl, Global Warming and the Limits of Ecological Modernisation) This quote
emphasises that the ICCs objective is unreasonable and limited. Ideal technologies that are
expected to reduce emissions while at the same time, offering an economically and
environmentally friendly substitute for fossil fuels are currently non existent. The WBCSD
and the ICC truly advocate very weak ecological modernisation as it is currently hard to
predict whether such great technological breakthroughs could occur in the future before the
damage of global warming become irreversible.
Urban sprawl is not only taking its toll on the land and environment, but also on modern
peoples physical and mental wellbeing. Global motorisation and massively expanding
infrastructures have isolated city residents from interactions with natural environments and
biodiversity. It has caused the loss of forests, farmland and significant architecture. Mass
construction of roads and buildings in large cities have taken away much of the lands
beautiful scenery and have transformed it into a dull, noisy and polluted place where
peoples lifestyles are often sedentary. The rapid increase of motorisation since the 19
th

century around the world has provided a must faster connection for convenient and easy
commuting as opposed to the previous travel methods (e.g. ships, horses, carriages). The
fast evolving of automobile, train, bus and plane systems have created huge social and
ecological impacts. It can be argued that motorisation affects social wellbeing detrimentally
as people are now spending most of their time within homes and vehicles. The degradation
of public social venues through heavy traffic can make normally popular places like parks
and plazas useless and unappealing. It has become a habit for people to get around on
wheels instead of taking the healthier option to walk. The growth of urban sprawl and
motorisation could be a big factor contributing to the increase of obesity. An extremely
effective solution developed to counter the negative impact of urban sprawl is the use of
bike share schemes. The Velib scheme which was launched in Paris in 2007 has been
adopted by many European countries, promoting bicycles as a healthy and environmentally
friendly transport. Bikes are docked at many stations around the city for public use for a
daily, weekly or yearly subscription. To encourage this cleaner and cheaper form of
transport to circulate, the first half hour is free of charge for all commuters. This scheme has
distinguished itself as an extremely effective and successful solution that could make a big
difference. Telecommuting can also be a feasible solution that could reduce the effects of
urban sprawl. With the fast internet technology now available, emissions and commuting
costs can be saved as people can work at home. Flexible working conditions can improve the
effects of urban sprawl, both socially and environmentally. Workers can spend more time
with family while avoiding transport issues such as strikes or extreme weather conditions.
Bike share schemes and telecommunication are both effective solutions that could be
considered globally while the wait for the development of the ideal technologies envisioned
by the WBCSD and the ICC goes on.
Some solutions for urban sprawl definitely work more effectively than others, as shown in
the examples above. Therefore, it is essential to find the best solutions. The dream for big,
magnificent cities lasted for thousands of years and helped shape our civilization. However,
this might all come to an end. Although it is impossible to solve every issue that has been
generated by urban sprawl and motorisation, attempts to find the most effective solutions
must be made to improve the quality of living.