Urban Sprawl and its Impact on the

Environment
Urbanisation and its Impact on Environment

By:
C. Aparnaa - UD0716
Dhwani Doshi - UD1116
Contents
1. What is Urban Sprawl?

2. Causes and Characteristics

3. Impacts on the Environment

● Wildlife and Ecosystem
● Soil
● Water
● Temperature
● Air

4. Case study- Mumbai, Maharashtra

● Flooding
● Mangroves cover
● Fish

5. Example of Shanghai

6. Conclusions and Solutions

URBAN SPRAWL AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT 1

What is Urban Sprawl?

Urban sprawl can be defined as the extension of a city from a geographical perspective which is
the outcome/consequence of an increasing population and their need of infrastructure to house
them. It is one of the ways to deal with the rapid urbanisation happening and there are many
cities and towns that have undergone and continue to undergo this process with a difference in
the intensity of the urban sprawl, depending on various factors.

Causes and Characteristics

There are various causes of the urban sprawl in cities and towns which are due to the
urbanization of the urban areas which leads to migration from rural to urban areas. This in turn
results in extension of urban areas to rural areas. Out of the following causes, the first two are the
major initiators of the sprawling:
1. Due to increase in population and lack of infrastructure to accommodate the given
number of people
2. Due to aspirations of people of living a quality life, moving outside the city allows more
land to invest in/build on and lower property rates
3. Extension of city limits/boundary as a result of the economic growth
4. Space for slum settlements (for example Chandigarh, Mumbai)
5. Large area for industrial setups that also caters to decentralising economies and results in
a need for infrastructure for the workers to shift over there for ease of access
6. Geographical issues like steep terrains that result in horizontal extension in order to get to
usable land
A very prominent characteristic of the sprawl is that these are uncontrolled and uncoordinated
low density residential areas (and industries sometimes) that are usually single-use zoning and
relies heavily on private means of transportation. With the setting up of these housing
infrastructure arises the demand for other amenity provision like proper roads, water and sewer
lines, public transportation (which happens in a long term period) and some other basic utilities.
These areas usually start from being fringe areas where the existing governing body of the city
(whose extension these areas are of) is responsible for planning and allocation of the utilities and
the process continues.
There are four types of urban sprawl as per categorizations of the existing scenario-
1. Concentric urban sprawl
2. Sectoral growth
3. Axial sprawl
4. Multiple nuclei sprawl
Like every other thing, this phenomenon also has its pros and cons. Sprawling helps tackle with
problems of housing so many people at cheaper rates for the poor, provides grounds for
industrial setup along with colonies/housings for the workers which increases the job
opportunities for people which is beneficial for the economic growth. With more space, people
who can and want to afford a luxurious living move towards the outskirts.
URBAN SPRAWL AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT 2

However, this infrastructural development majorly affects the environment. It is ironic that those
who move towards the outskirts in order to be close to the nature are the ones who are the
reasons for the degradation of the quality of the environment around and are basically removing
the ‘close to nature’ factor itself. It would be stating the obvious that the man-made environment
is negatively affecting the natural environment.

Impacts on the Environment

The urban sprawling has a slow and disastrous effect over the different domains of the natural
environment. It alters the natural cycle followed in the micro as well as the macro environment
which are linked with each other as well and thus has a repercussion in the form of a vicious
cycle.

Wildlife and Ecosystem

With the urban sprawl,the ecosystem is affected both directly and indirectly. With the horizontal
expansion of the city i.e. the sprawling, there is a reduction in the forest cover, open spaces and
farmlands and not only do these get reduced, there is a fragmentation of land that occurs which
changes the physical environment of the wildlife sustaining in the area and their movement
patterns. With the loss of farmlands, these sprawled areas also affect the economy of the people
as well as hampers the production of food and other resources.

Soil
With the urban sprawl resulting in housings, industrial setups and road construction, the land that
could serve as farmlands are at stake. With construction, the ground is being covered with
impervious materials like concrete which doesn’t allow the water to seep into the ground and
thus degrades the quality of the soil in terms of other nutrients that the soil receives on being
exposed.

Water
As mentioned above, with the impervious paving and construction, the water doesn’t seep into
the ground and the groundwater table as well as the aquifers don’t get recharged. It also alters the
natural topography which in many cases, instead of leading the storm water to the natural water
bodies, are directed in such a way that clogging or flooding on the road takes place. Even if the
storm water runoff is directed to the water bodies, the dirt components like road salt, chemicals
from construction and pesticide treated vegetation flow along with it and contaminates the water
bodies as well. With lesser permeability, the rate of flow of stormwater runoff increases and so
does the probability of stripping off of the vegetation in the riparian zone of water bodies.
URBAN SPRAWL AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT 3

Temperature
Impermeable pavements, buildings and roads contribute to what we all know as the urban heat
island effect because of the dark roads and roof materials that absorb and reradiate heat. As the
urban sprawl happens, the dependency on vehicles increases which is also a contributor to the
increment in the temperature. If the vegetation is sparse as a result of the sprawl, that again
aggravates the increase in temperature as the evapotranspiration doesn’t occur.

Air
With more dependency on vehicles for commuting, the emission of more polluting gases like
carbon dioxide, methane, certain oxides increases which are responsible for global concerns like
global warming and acid rain. With such pollutants in the air, the vegetation and wildlife is
affected too. With the vegetation being affected, there is an increase in the temperature (as
mentioned in the paragraph before, lesser evapotranspiration occurs). With increase in
temperature, an increase in the use of cooling machines (majorly during summers and places
with high temperature during other times of the year) which is again an emitter of the polluting
gases. Thus, a vicious cycle is formed.

The above impacts are an overview of how the man-made environment i.e. urban sprawl in this
context impacts the natural environment. The phenomenon of urban sprawl extension has
touched almost all parts of the world. In Asia, it is predicted that in the future, China, India and
Nigeria will have the most population on the basis of the rate of urban sprawl that has happened
and is happening. In India, Mumbai and Delhi are amongst the top 10 cities of the world with the
most area under urban sprawl. The following section gives an overview of Mumbai, how its
growth has happened in terms of urbanization and how it has and continues to affect the micro as
well as the macro environment.

Case Study: Mumbai, Maharashtra

URBAN SPRAWL AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT 4

Mumbai, formerly Bombay, is an agglomeration of seven islands namely Bombay Island, Worli,
Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba and Old Woman’s Island. Since the textile boom, the island as
one of the major ports and the role of various philanthropists in the development of Bombay
(now Mumbai), the city has emerged as one of the prime commercial hubs in India. With the
development of port, trade and commerce, film industry and availability of water resources, the
city became a centre for job opportunities and thus, better living. This has led to the increase in
population, both in terms of permanent and floating and to be able to accommodate them, the
growth of the city took place in the northward direction (due to the shape of the island). Yet, it
was not enough to suffice the requirements and the growth started happening in the East and
West direction too, thus, encroaching the marshlands and floodplains. This, as we know, has
resulted in drastic changes in the microenvironment and there are three domains that it affects
majorly.

Flooding
Being an island and having a tropical climate with an average yearly rainfall of 2386mm,
Mumbai is a flood-prone city. With the urban sprawl taking up the marshlands and floodplains
(majorly by slums who are already devoid of the basic necessities), the impact of the inundation
is severed. With the urban sprawl, there is a rise in the temperature (from the known climate
pattern recorded, there has been a rise of 2.5 degree celsius in the past two years in Mumbai) due
to the urban heat island effect. As the temperature rises, the air becomes warmer and its water
content and precipitation increases. As the precipitation increases, the rainfall increases which is
what has happened in Mumbai considering it received the highest recorded rainfall (94cm) in 18
hours in the past 30 years and a successor of the 2005 flood. Thus, the rainfall pattern has
changed that is an attribute of the flooding too.
URBAN SPRAWL AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT 5

Mangrove Cover
“Mangroves are a group of trees, palms, shrubs, vines and ferns that share a common ability to
live in waterlogged saline soil.” The mangrove cover in Mumbai has increased from 45.3 km
square in 1972 to 65.9 k square in 2015. Even though there has been a steady increase in the
mangrove cover, there are specific domains that are being removed from their habitat like
species of fish and trees whose wood is used as firewood and for construction. This area has been
cleared due to the urban sprawl which caters to the climate change. Mangroves have been
effective in decreasing the intensity of the storms and flood and as controllers of carbon dioxide
emission and concentration in the air. With the mangroves at stake, people have put them in
harm’s way just in order to have a shelter which is anyways destroyed and rebuilt every year
considering the slum dwellings take up this land and suffer because of the heavy rainfall and
flooding.

Fish
The Koli community, who is also termed as the ‘fishing community’ have long been in Mumbai
and their economy has survived on fishing and agriculture majorly. With these employment
activities, they have been a major benefactor of and from the fish that has flourished in the
mangroves. However, with the mangroves being destroyed, the ecosystem as well as the
economy has been affected and this community have become trapped in the spiral of poverty that
makes them shift to other employment opportunities and rather than being a rural community,
they are becoming urban poor. Thus, they become a part of the urban sprawl, which ironically is
what has affected them.
URBAN SPRAWL AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT 6

Hence, with environmental changes, the economy is also being affected which is also one of the
causes of the urban sprawl. Urban sprawl is a cause and result of its own.

Example of Shanghai, China as a proactive approach towards dealing with urban

sprawl

China is one of the three countries in Asia that has almost all the cities experienced and
experiencing urban sprawl. However, they have identified it as a problem and have started
including urban sprawl as a part of their planning in order to control it and make sure that it is
not affecting them negatively.
In Shanghai, the government had come up with four options of affordable housing- public rental
housing system, low rent housing, houses for people who had been relocated from dilapidated
houses and shared ownership of houses. This measure was taken so that people won’t own the
house but will have a shelter, especially those who are poor and due to lack of affordable housing
make shacks to live in. This system was introduced in 2010 and was successful as there were no
income criteria and is still functional.
Mumbai too had adopted this idea but with the the risk factor of government as landlords (as
quoted), this was not successful and was changed into affordable housing.

Conclusions and Solutions

Urban sprawl is a global phenomenon and now is turning into a global concern as it had been
hidden under the covers of accommodating city growth concerns that were being catered to.
URBAN SPRAWL AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT 7

There is always a talk that a part of the natural environment should be left while the man-made
environment is being created, rather than being the other way round i.e. creating the man-made
environment in accordance with the natural environment. There have been various books,
articles, research written that tells about how planning and design can take place according to the
nature. But these are theories which are practiced at a smaller scale when the impact required is
at global scales. There are solutions like vertical approach to construction, sustainable
development and resource management which can prove to be very effective. But the
outweighing of certain aspects like economic growth and city extension as an attribute over the
conservation of the natural domains are proving to be the real issue and the consequence.
As quoted by Eduardo Lopez Moreno, head of City Monitoring Branch of UN Human
Settlements Program, “a city of urban area has to have adequate infrastructure to make them
cities of prosperity.” This can be achieved through smart growth which doesn’t stop the urban
sprawl but strategizes the urban sprawl i.e. coordinates it (as the process of urban sprawl is an
inevitable phenomenon), Portland Oregon in Colombia being a renowned example and new
urbanism practices which deal with designing physical aspect of the city to make it more livable
(like Venice and Stockholm).

References-
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