The Plan: Integrating Our World with the Changing Environment

As humans continue to make the technological advancements necessary to progress into the future and cultivate a prosperous and productive society, the natural environment that supports and sustains such developments continues to suffer. As we have seen from the industrial revolutions of the past that were responsible for massive amounts of pollution to the green house gas pollution that is said to be the cause of our current global warming crisis, human progress has been in direct conflict with the proliferation of the natural environment for many years and yet the sole contributing factor for making environmentally sensitive policy and economic decisions as of late has been politics rather than principle. Our country is one of the leading nations in the areas of environmental protection policy and sustainable building and development, however, being that it is probably the largest polluter behind China in the world, it is hard to make the argument that everything that we are doing everything that we can to protect the environment. California alone breeds prime examples of the positive and negative effects of a policy driven society that must rely on individual actors to make decisions that will affect the environment and society as a whole. But as members of a global society, it is necessary that we take the environment that we share with the rest of the world into account as we continue to develop our country. While policy makers have certainly, over the past decade, taken greater notice to the detrimental effects of rapid urbanization and progress on the environment, improved policy must be made as well as enhanced implementation of such policy to deal with sustainability and environmental protection issues such as raw land use, transportation, species protection, and eliminating pollution so that we may better cope with the challenge of developing cities while protecting the environment.

Although we live on a very large planet, the earth has a limited amount of land that may be used for development. One of the challenges we currently face is the lack of available raw land and how to use what we have efficiently. Urban sprawl is a broad term used to describe the tendency of developers, planners, and other decision makers to allow new cities to develop in the outer lying regions of an urban area to deal with population growth. The problems that arises when new cities continue to sprout up further and further away from the urban center amount to the same problems that I will discuss further in this essay such as connecting these areas with a central transportation system, protecting the environment in these sensitive areas, and limiting the pollution created by building and automobile use. According to Fulton and Shigley, two of California’s leading urban planners, “for decades [California’s] planning infrastructure has revolved around the single question of how to consume more undeveloped land,” but is currently working to grow within rather than out (Fulton 5). While on the other hand, Chicago, another U.S. site, has been deemed a champion in sustainable development. Both regions, however, must continue to develop policy that will enable limited consumption of raw land.

In Southern California sprawl has been the number one answer to urban growth problems. Now that it is evident that California not only has a limited amount of raw land at its disposal, but has a wealth of natural resources that need to be protected, it is more important than ever that policy changes be made to reflect the need for cities to grow from within rather than spreading out. Growth management and control policies began to emerge during the 70’s in California; however, the push to implement smart growth techniques within the region is a new development and is still not required of builders and planners in the state (Fulton 189). Part of the problem is that builders and economist are concerned more with the dollar amounts than solving environmental problems and anything having to do with the future. For example, several agencies reported in the mid to late 90’s that sprawling development could result in future liability and harm to millions of acres of necessary farm land in Southern California. However, these reports and figures have been disputed by builders and developers who argue that these developments are a necessity to ensure that the state’s economy continues to sustain itself (Fulton 25). The conventional suburban style of development that has become customary in Southern California is only creating an environmental conundrum that, if not stopped, will push development into environmentally sensitive areas and ultimately cause more economic problems than the ones that are trying to be avoided.

Chicago is one city that can be lauded for its efforts in sustainable development and is one of the leaders in developing better policies to implement sustainable development practices in the region. According to architect Carmen Hallett, “the city of Chicago is aggressively exploring ways to invest in sustainability” (Hallett 1). Aside from its geometric and efficient layout, policy efforts by the City of Chicago to produce sustainable buildings include their green roof top initiative, bird safe building regulations, and other policies to encourage sustainable development (City of Chicago). Additionally, the implementation of smart growth techniques in buildings has become popular with Chicago planners and shows an acknowledgement of land use efficiency and new urbanist planning over sprawl.

With sprawl comes the fear of developing over land that is environmentally sensitive meaning that it is home to an endangered or protected species or it is of cultural or environmental significance. Policy that protects species and land marks is prominent in California even though it struggles to deal with the problem of sprawl. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the government protects endangered and threatened plants and animals (listed species) and the habitats upon which they depend” (EPA). Therefore, it is inevitable that we will work to protect species from developments encroaching on their habitats; however, we must continue to ensure that the best interests of the environment and the economy are jointly at the forefront.

Although criticisms can be made of it, the state of California’s environmental protection laws are better than most at protecting species and landmarks from development. The California Environmental Quality Act has made planners and developers legally accountable for, at the very least, investigating all of the environmental impact that proposed projects have on the surrounding environment. This at least makes decision makers aware of the effects of development. This law also enables others to file suit if either the planners or developers act irresponsibly or overlook something in the environmental impact review process. According to Fulton, “CEQA has achieved its goal of informing the public and generating public debate on the environmental consequences of building projects” (Fulton 174). However, debate may not be enough. These laws only compel builders and planners to be environmentally responsible and only require action when someone is caught red handed violating the law.

California is also known for its extensive conservation efforts. One example of this is the preservation efforts to save the habitat of the endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly. This species is native to the area south of the Los Angeles International Airport which is highly sought after by developers, oil refiners, and the airport itself. California has done its part by establishing a detailed habitat preservation plan to protect and revitalize the existing population of blue butterfly. As we can see from the work done by the California Coastal Commission, the habitat enhancement plan for this area requires a complete overhaul of the vegetation and landscape of the area to better format it with the natural habitat of the butterfly. However, the debate surrounding the proper use for the land that this habitat is located on, beckons policy makers to consider ways to integrate the habitat with additional uses to increase land use efficiency and promote economic growth.

Another sustainability issue we must deal with that is deeply connected to the issues I have already discussed is pollution. Along with the problem of sprawl comes the pollution caused by sprawl. More sprawl means that more cars will be on the road traveling to the urban center which translates into increased air pollution and emissions. Additionally, these outer lying regions will produce further pollution during their development phases and in the event these areas are used for industrial purposes. Industrializing nations face this problem most frequently since they do not have the resources to worry about the pollution that their industry produces. However, it is important that we work jointly to facilitate economic growth among all nations that protects the environment.

In many developing nations limiting pollution and reducing emissions is not a top priority. The population growth in new urban areas is so overwhelming that many health and environmental problems rises as it continues to expand. In an article describing the environment of these burgeoning urban areas, they are described as cities that “suffer from a catalog of environmental ills. A World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) study found that seven of the cities—Mexico City, Beijing, Cairo, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and Moscow—had three or more pollutants that exceeded the WHO health protection guidelines. All 20 of the cities studied by WHO/UNEP had at least one major pollutant that exceeded established health limits” (Abhat 5). Pollution and emissions from cars and industry are not only harming the environment but also the health and safety of humans. The solution here is more regulation to require developing industry to lower emissions. Most surprising is that cities in developed nations such as Moscow and Los Angeles are on the same level, pollution wise, as major cities in developing nations. Efforts must be made on a global scale to change environmental policies that assist not only urban centers in developing nations but developed nations to curb pollution for the health and safety of the populations that inhabit them and the preservation of the natural environment.

Lastly, transportation is a major issue whose detriment is intensified by sprawl and can exacerbate the problem of pollution. When urban areas feature multiple smaller, outlying areas, such as the suburbs of Southern California, planners and developers must figure out ways to connect them to the central transportation network or risk being criticized for boosting the thriving car culture that permeates Southern California society and causes the intense air pollution that can be seen hovering over the Los Angeles County basis on a regular basis. Abroad, other nations face similar transportation issues as they develop and become more accustomed to the use of the automobile as a means of transportation. We must initiate policy at home that increases the use of public transportation and abroad that curbs the development of heavy reliance on the automobile so that we may decrease air pollution and emissions.

Public transportation is not highly popular or efficient in Southern California. The system lacks efficiency because the sprawling nature of the development does not allow public transit routes to access very many areas. Additionally, the popularity of the personal automobile is higher here than anywhere else in the nation. These things combined make efficient transportation policy nearly impossible to be developed. However, some things have been done here to turn the situation around. Susan Handy of the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of California at Davis discusses this in her research on transportation policy and states that, “transportation investments and policies influence development patterns” (Handy, 3). Planning commissions in Southern California have noticed the need for investment in public transit and, in conjunction with government funded development projects, have increased the number of transit-oriented development projects in the region by setting certain requirements for developers interested in these projects and others not related to the government. This is a positive start in reforming transportation policies, however, actual changes to the laws must be made to further strengthen this movement.

In China transportation is a massive problem very similar to that which plagues Southern California. After the relatively recent introduction of the automobile to the mainstream Chinese consumer, the market and roads were inundated with affordable automobiles for many Chinese people. According to Wei-Shiuen Ng and Lee Schipper’s work on policy options for transportation in China, “this explosion in car ownership is unsustainable, as evidenced by the impacts of rising congestion, increased air pollution, increased oil consumption, and high rates of traffic fatalities” (Ng 1). However, China’s current transportation system is extremely efficient and accounts for over half of the urban trips made in China. China’s real problem lies within the policy made by its officials and the economy. The automobile industry is a key industry in China and most economists believe that a collapse in the automobile industry would result in a collapse in the Chinese economy. Be that as it may, one solution would be to increase the efficiency and lower the emissions of the cars they produce. Ng discusses policy solutions for China in his work and suggests that, “the fuel economy standards announced in October 2004 are a key regulation to aid energy security. These standards require the auto industry to produce more fuel efficient vehicles, which could include cleaner advanced vehicles or alternative-fuel vehicle technologies” (Ng 6). As long as we continue to improve public transit systems and lower the emissions produced by automobiles, sustainable transportation policy is to be anticipated.

The importance of preserving the natural environment is more urgent than most would believe it to be; and the process of planning cities with this in mind is very difficult. Such complex issues as raw land use, species preservation, pollution, and transportation present a daunting task for policy makers who are responsible for integrating solutions for these problems into regulations that facilitate economic growth. However, continued research and collaboration on these issues at home and abroad will produce great advancements in sustainable development and policy in the future.



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Sunday, February 22, 2009