Urbanization Impacts and Environmental Injustices in the US

As more and more inventions are made, more people are moving from rural areas to urban areas in search for better lives. However, the rapid urbanization of urban areas is causing a lot of environmental injustices such as water pollution, air pollution, inequalities based on race, color, and ethnicity, lack of spaces to provide green spaces, urban amenities, and clean water for domestic consumption among other effects. With this said, it is crucial for the human race to reflect, understand, and realize how urbanization has affected their environment such that they can devise ways of meeting their current needs without sacrificing the needs of the future generations. Introduction Human beings have evolved from the primary users of fire after its discovery by the early man to flying airplanes in the sky during the age of technology.

It’s amazing what human beings have accomplished as a species, but it is now time to reflect, realize, and understand the human history, urbanization, and its implications to environmental injustice. The rapidly changing landscape in the United States of America which have resulted from urbanization has occurred in progressively dynamic and complex conditions with exponential demands being put on both built and natural resources, and this is mostly affecting the environmental landscape in several ways. Despite the economic benefits that are associated with urbanization in the United States, its impacts on the environment have far overreaching consequences on the environment as well. Human History Human beings have evolved from ape-like creatures who lived in forests, but with the advent of technology, human beings have continued to alter the environment to suit their needs.

Urban living is a recent phenomenon that took center stage in the 21st because, from history, human beings lived in low-density rural areas. It is approximated that about 1600 years ago, less than five percent of the world’s population lived in urban settings, increased to about seven percent in 1800, but started to shoot during the 20th century. • Decreased need for police and prisons. • Higher ability to attract and retain businesses. • Promotes tourism. • Increased level of physical activities and leisure. • Reduced juvenile and crime rates • Higher sense of security. As a result, the development in the neighboring regions remains undone which has contributed to regional inequalities, degradation of natural resources, pollution, and poverty among other social injustices (Rashid, Manzoor & Mukhtar, 2018). All these factors are as a result of urbanization in several counties.

Although several cities had been developed in a compact style to facilitate connectivity between commercial and residential areas, the introduction of the private transport system instead of public transport quickly changed the landscape. With the introduction of private transport regulations, more people currently regard this private transport as their primary form of freedom through which they connect from one town to another (Wright, 2011). Additionally, most of the public highways which were destroyed during the Second World War and revived after the way did not take their original artistic and futuristic designs; instead, the densely populated cities were demolished to give freeways for new passages, and this has affected the physical environment and outlook of the populated urban cities. Transit Justice The Federal-Aid Act in 1956 in the United States encouraged sprawl development as well as urban development via low-density development through significant fares and tributaries (Wright, 2011).

This kind of development is highly connected to residential and commercial growth to provide the required infrastructure and other necessities. According to Wright (2011), these developments not only reduce the federal funding which is allocated for the maintenance of the existing infrastructure but also increases the cost of the transportation network. Hence, these developments have reduced the amount of funding required to subsidize other essential facilities, consumption of resources, and separating lower income and inner-city residents from major economic activities. Additionally, urbanization has eroded the social interactions among communities because of separating the low-income communities from the wealthy persons in the society which is against the principle of environmental justice (Kyne & Bolin, 2016). Research shows that lead contributes to several health and development problems such as learning difficulties, Vitamin C, iron, and calcium deficits (Wendel & Mihelcic, 2009).

All these factors are as a result of urbanization which finally affects the less fortunate families in the United States. Climate Change and Basic Living The increasing severity of climate change implies that people of color will have to pay for social amenities and other social services than the whites and this is a violation of the principle of environmental justice. With the increasing effects of climate change, low-income families and people of color will soon start paying more for the necessities and this is going to affect their quality of life (Wing, Cole & Grant, 2000). Another report says that currently, low-income families and people of color spend about twenty-five percent of their incomes on food, water, and electricity and this is higher than what the white families spend.

Wright, Downs, & Mihelcic, (2011) define food deserts as a condition in which people are likely to live in areas where they cannot access nutritious foods, health services, and other essential amenities. In 2016, the U. S. A’s Department of Agriculture released a list of food deserts, and the reports indicate that the most affected regions are those inhabited by the people of color. The report further shows that more than 2. , Munoz, I. , & JaJa, J. Linking ‘toxic outliers’ to environmental justice communities.  Environmental Research Letters, 11(1), 015004. Dottie R. Gasper, R. , Blohm, A. , & Ruth, M. Social and economic impacts of climate change on the urban environment.  Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 3(3), 150-157.  Environmental health perspectives, 121(5), 537. Rashid, H. , Manzoor, M. M. , & Mukhtar, S. Intensive livestock operations, health, and quality of life among eastern North Carolina residents.