AP Human Geography: Urbanization & Planning - The Night Before

Hey! Let's get you prepped for the exam with a super-focused review of urban planning concepts. We'll break down New Urbanism, Urban Revitalization, and Green Belts, making sure you're not just memorizing, but understanding how it all connects. Let's do this!

Urban Sprawl: The Problem 🚗💨

• Key Characteristics:
  • Low-density housing (single-family homes)
  • Strip malls and big-box stores
  • Heavy reliance on automobiles
  • Separation of land uses (residential, commercial, etc.)
• Negative Impacts:
  • Increased traffic congestion and air pollution
  • Loss of agricultural land and natural habitats
  • Higher infrastructure costs (roads, utilities)
  • Social and economic segregation
  • Reduced quality of life due to lack of green space and longer commutes

The Automobile's Role

• Pre-Automobile Cities:
  • Compact, pedestrian-friendly design
  • Mixed land uses
  • Variety of housing types
• Post-Automobile Cities:
  • Low-density, car-dependent development
  • Separation of land uses
  • Urban sprawl

New Urbanism: The Solution? 🏘️🚶

New Urbanism is a planning and design approach that aims to counter urban sprawl by creating walkable, mixed-use, and human-scaled communities. It's all about making neighborhoods that feel like places, not just collections of buildings.

• Core Principles:
  • Walkability: Prioritizing pedestrian access with sidewalks and paths
  • Mixed-Use Development: Combining residential, commercial, and recreational spaces
  • Compact Design: Creating higher-density neighborhoods that use less land
  • Sense of Place: Emphasizing community interaction and public spaces
  • Transect Planning: Density decreases as you move away from the center of the community

New Urbanist Design

• Key Features:
  • Central shopping areas surrounded by neighborhoods
  • Grid-patterned streets with sidewalks
  • Public spaces for community interaction
  • Variety of housing options
  • Lower environmental impact due to less driving and energy efficient buildings

Examples of New Urbanism

• Seaside, Florida: A pioneering example of a walkable, mixed-use community.
• Kentlands, Maryland: A suburban community designed to be more livable and pedestrian-friendly.
• Celebration, Florida: A Disney-developed community based on New Urbanism principles.
• Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands: A sustainable community with mixed-use and pedestrian-friendly design.

Urban Revitalization: Breathing New Life 🏙️✨

• Goals of Urban Revitalization:
  • Improve quality of life for residents
  • Boost economic development and job opportunities
  • Attract tourists and visitors
  • Address social and economic inequalities
  • Create more inclusive communities
• Common Strategies:
  • Physical improvements (infrastructure, parks)
  • Economic development (attracting businesses, supporting entrepreneurship)
  • Cultural and recreational amenities (events, green spaces)
  • Social and community development (affordable housing, job training)

Green Belts: Protecting the Periphery 🌳🛡️

Green belts are protected areas of land around cities that prevent urban sprawl and preserve open space. Think of them as a city's natural buffer zone.

• Purposes of Green Belts:
  • Preserve open space and natural habitats
  • Reduce urban sprawl
  • Improve air quality
  • Provide recreational opportunities
• Examples of Green Belts:
  • M25 Motorway (London): A large green belt encircling London, preserving countryside and preventing sprawl.
  • Greater Toronto Greenbelt: A protected area of 2 million acres around Toronto.
  • Metropolitan Green Belt (UK): A long-standing green belt around London.
  • Emerald Necklace (Boston): A system of parks and green spaces around the city.
  • Green Belt of China (Beijing): A vast protected area around Beijing.

Final Exam Focus 🎯

• High-Priority Topics:
  • Urban Sprawl: Causes, characteristics, and impacts.
  • New Urbanism: Principles, design elements, and examples.
  • Urban Revitalization: Goals, strategies, and challenges.
  • Green Belts: Purposes, types, and examples.
• Common Question Types:
  • Multiple-choice questions on the characteristics of urban sprawl and new urbanism.
  • Short-answer questions about the impacts of urban sprawl or the goals of urban revitalization.
  • Free-response questions analyzing the effectiveness of new urbanism or green belts.

Practice Questions

Practice Question

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of urban sprawl? (A) Low-density housing (B) Mixed-use development (C) Reliance on automobiles (D) Separation of land uses (E) Increased traffic congestion

2. New Urbanism seeks to address the problems associated with urban sprawl by promoting: (A) Increased reliance on automobiles (B) Low-density, single-family housing (C) Walkable, mixed-use communities (D) Separation of residential and commercial areas (E) Expansion of urban areas into rural land

3. Which of the following is a primary purpose of a green belt? (A) To encourage urban sprawl (B) To increase traffic congestion (C) To preserve open space and natural habitats (D) To promote high-density development (E) To separate residential and commercial areas

Free Response Question

Question:

Urban sprawl has significant environmental and social consequences. Discuss the environmental impacts of urban sprawl, and then evaluate the effectiveness of two strategies, New Urbanism and green belts, in addressing the negative impacts of urban sprawl.

Scoring Guide:

• (2 points) Environmental Impacts of Urban Sprawl:
  • 1 point for identifying one environmental impact (e.g., increased air pollution, loss of habitat).
  • 1 point for identifying a second environmental impact (e.g., increased water pollution, loss of agricultural land).
• (2 points) Effectiveness of New Urbanism:
  • 1 point for explaining how New Urbanism addresses sprawl (e.g., by promoting walkability and mixed-use development).
  • 1 point for evaluating its effectiveness (e.g., can reduce car dependence, but may face challenges in implementation).
• (2 points) Effectiveness of Green Belts:
  • 1 point for explaining how green belts address sprawl (e.g., by limiting development around cities).
  • 1 point for evaluating its effectiveness (e.g., can protect open space but can also increase land prices within the city).
• (1 point) Synthesis:
  • 1 point for a well-developed concluding statement that synthesizes the effectiveness of both strategies and considers their limitations.

Short Answer Question

Briefly explain how urban revitalization projects can improve the quality of life for residents in declining urban areas. Provide one specific example of an urban revitalization strategy and explain how it addresses a specific challenge.

You've got this! Go into the exam with confidence, knowing you've reviewed the key concepts and strategies. You're ready to rock it! 🚀