urban sprawl
As I stroll the streets of Downtown Davenport, to investigate the latest flood, I couldn't help but notice a theme that resonated through most of the buildings, streets, and housing around that area: poverty. I toured the area known as the Gold Coast of Davenport, a historic neighborhood of grand Victorian houses that is directly north of Downtown Davenport, and I was saddened to see an area that has been forgotten. Although attempts have been made to restore many homes, most of what was once examples of the splendor of architecture and the homes of the elite of this city have now been abandoned of hope, overlooked as viable housing and left to deteriorate. Then I drive to Super-target. On my way I see structures such as car washes, fast-food restaurants and parking lots claiming what used to be farmland. What once was rich soil and grasslands has now been replaced by offensive architecture, overrun by chain stores... and I see no end in sight. In this paper, I will explore the forces that have driven the expansion of cities like Davenport across the United States, investigate the consequences of these augmentations, and inform you of progress that has been made to stop policies that encourage this unsustainable growth.
Local groups such as the 1000 Friends of Iowa are dedicated to the preservation of our farmland and the stop of urban sprawl. We must preserve our downtowns, because they are the natural hub of culture, arts, fine dining, sports, and entertainment. We must engage in sustainable, market driven development. In the absence of coordinated, long range planning, the traditional 'downtown' has become an abandoned ghost town of dilapidated building, crumbling into rubble. about a 400-pound bear decided that it was going to enter Suburban growth began as an answer to the growing demands of many social, economic, demographic, and technological factors. Transportation has been a major influence on urban sprawl. Prior to innovations in transportation, people were able to travel by walking or riding a horse. Inventions such as the steam ferry, cable cars, commuter and elevated railroads, and the electric streetcar increased accessibility to the suburbs. By far, the arrival and increased use of the automobile marked the single invention that has multiplied the outward growth and settlement of this nation. As the automobile became less expensive and became the dominant form of transportation, the government stepped in and accelerated growth. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 created a large public words project that increased the highway system to 41,000 miles and connect 90% of cities with a population of 50,000 people or more. With the advent of these new highways, the American city began to change. An accessible highway system made the automobile the most convenient form of travel. This is a development that still continues to contribute to the problem of urban sprawl. A 1995 Transportation Research Board report affirms that transportation investments influence the location of growth. Locally, to fight urban sprawl, many cities have adopted laws and programs to fight urban sprawl. Wisconsin enacted the Wisconsin's Farmland Preservation Act nearly two decades ago, which is an incentive program. The Act taxes farmland in urban areas at lower rates if landowners promise to use the land for agricultural production. Milwaukee has built 2,000 new housing units downtown in the past 3 years. A man in Milwaukee bought a downtown warehouse for 1 million dollars and turned it into 40 apartments. He then sold the apartments for $500,000 a piece. to give us enough time to get away." "So we were out in the yard and we were playing, and I'm We should look to mass transit and developing communities that are compatible with pedestrians. Not only will this move away from the automobile improve air quality and curb pollution; it will save us all money in the months to come as gas prices reach higher and higher every day. Oak Ridge, New Jersey is growing rapidly, and residential de
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Approximate Word count = 1899
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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