Jillian's+Essay

Jillian Burgess Senior Seminar December 9, 2008 Urban Sprawl The population is only rising in America and other countries and as time goes on the number of buildings and housing developments increases as well. A lot of developments and buildings are spaced out as well resulting in land loss. This wasted land is also a home to many animals and with the increased building production this leads to animals homes being destroyed. This became this way due to population increases leading to more demand in everyday needs. Many buildings are built to benefit the community and so people will not have to go far to get what they need. However, wildlife and humans are greatly affected. Biodiversity is declining significantly due to land being torn down and made into shopping plazas and new housing developments. Some consider the new developments and buildings as a positive action because they can have all their necessities in their reach. Many people enjoy the easy access so much that they quite often forget about the trees, plants, and animals that also live in these areas. Taking away from their homes is another way to look at the situation. Properties owned by houses can also be considered a waste of space because it is not used for any good. Although there a many different ways to look at this issue, I believe that simply balancing the community with developments and buildings with naturally occurring area is the best way to go about it. One reason is because not all buildings are necessities. By spacing out businesses in towns can leave more room for animals and plants. Also families who buy smaller properties can benefit in knowing they are not wasting land. Therefore saving land can help protect nature from being depleted. Since nature is an important piece of life, it has influenced me to try to balance both nature and urban developments. Although it is convenient to have everything you need close by, it is not a necessity. These days’ people have the technology to order materials over the internet or have transportation to take them to further away areas to get what they want. The course of action for urban sprawl is something I’d like to tackle to save land for nature.