Land Use: Land use refers to the purpose or activities for which a certain piece of land is utilized. It encompasses a wide range of activities including:
- a.
residential,
- b.
commercial,
- c.
industrial,
- d.
agricultural,
- e.
recreational,
- f.
and institutional
uses etc.
It involves the
systematic allocation of land for different purposes to ensure efficient and
sustainable utilization of resources while meeting societal needs.
Zoning:
Zoning is a regulatory tool used by governments to divide land into different
zones or districts and prescribe regulations regarding
a.
land use,
b.
building size,
c.
height, density,
and
d.
setbacks within
each zone.
Zoning plays a crucial
role in ensuring orderly development and minimizing conflicts between various
land uses. Zoning ordinances are typically implemented through zoning maps and
zoning codes that outline permitted land uses and development standards in each
zone.
Sprawl
Development:
Sprawl development is the
inefficient or less productive land use of any land development, or It can also
refer to the unplanned, low-density expansion of urban areas into surrounding
rural or undeveloped land.
Examples:
Examples of sprawl development include:
1.
suburban
subdivisions with large single-family homes on spacious lots,
2.
shopping malls
surrounded by vast parking lots,
3.
office parks
located at the outskirts of cities, and
4.
ribbon development
along highways characterized by scattered commercial establishments and strip
malls.
Characteristics
of Sprawl Development
1. Low Density: Sprawl development
typically features low-density development patterns with large lot sizes and
significant distances between buildings, resulting in urban sprawl and land
consumption.
2. Automobile Dependency:
Sprawl development relies heavily on automobile transportation due to the lack
of alternative transportation options and the spread-out nature of development.
3. Fragmentation: Sprawl development often
leads to fragmented land use patterns, with residential, commercial, and
industrial uses scattered across the landscape rather than concentrated in
compact, mixed-use neighborhoods.
4. Infrastructure Costs:
Sprawl development can result in higher infrastructure costs for governments
and taxpayers due to the need to extend utilities, roads, and services over
larger areas.
5. Social Segregation: Sprawl
development may contribute to social segregation and economic disparities by
separating residential areas based on income levels and creating barriers to
access essential services and amenities.
6. Excessive Energy Consumption:
Sprawl development in Bangladesh often leads to increased energy consumption
due to the reliance on automobiles for transportation over longer distances,
resulting in higher fuel consumption and emissions.
7. Single Land Use: Sprawl
development tends to promote single land use patterns, with segregated zones
for residential, commercial, and industrial purposes, contributing to the
inefficient use of land and limited mixed-use development opportunities.
8. Located in Suburban Areas:
Sprawl development predominantly occurs in suburban areas surrounding major
cities like Dhaka, Chittagong, and Khulna, where there is available land for
expansion and demand for housing and amenities from urban migrants and
middle-class residents.
Relationship
of Sprawl Development and Urban Services
Positive Relations:
1. Consumer Choice: Sprawl
development often provides consumers with a wider range of housing options,
including more green space, and a quieter environment, single-family homes,
townhouses, and apartments, catering to diverse preferences and lifestyles.
2. Accessibility: Sprawl development may
improve access to housing, employment, and amenities for certain populations,
particularly those who prefer suburban lifestyles.
3. Diverse Communities: Urban sprawl can
lead to the creation of diverse communities with varying socio-economic
backgrounds and cultural influences.
4. Economic Growth: Urban sprawl can
stimulate economic development by providing space for businesses to expand,
attracting investment, and creating job opportunities.
5. Lower property taxes: Residents
in sprawling areas may benefit from lower property taxes due to the reduced
cost of providing municipal services in less densely populated areas.
Negative
Characteristics:
1.
Hiigh
Infrastructure Costs: Sprawl development increases the costs of
providing and maintaining urban services such as roads, utilities, public
transportation, and emergency services due to the expansion of infrastructure
over larger areas.
2. Lack of affordability:
a. More
transport cost
b. Housing
cost
c. Low
chance of housing choice
As
developments spread outward, affordable housing options may become scarce,
leading to socioeconomic disparities and reduced access to essential services
for lower-income populations.
3.
Environmental
Degradation: Sprawl development contributes to
environmental degradation through habitat loss, air and water pollution,
increased energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with
longer commuting distances and automobile dependency.
4.
Social
Inequity: Sprawl development can exacerbate social inequalities
by isolating low-income communities from essential services, employment
opportunities, and social amenities, particularly in areas with limited access
to public transportation.
5.
Lack
of Public Health: Sprawl development may have negative
implications for public health by promoting sedentary lifestyles, physical
inactivity, and obesity, as well as increasing exposure to air pollution and
traffic-related accidents.
6.
Difficulty
in Achieving Economies of Scale: Sprawl development can
make it challenging to achieve economies of scale in the provision of urban
services such as public transportation, utilities, and emergency services,
leading to higher per capita costs and inefficiencies.
7.
Management
Challenges: The decentralized and dispersed nature of
sprawl development presents management challenges for local authorities,
including difficulties in coordinating land use planning, providing services,
enforcing regulations, and maintaining infrastructure over vast areas.
Overall, while sprawl
development may offer certain benefits such as housing choice and
accessibility, its negative impacts on infrastructure, environment, social
equity, and public health underscore the importance of sustainable land use
planning and smart growth strategies to promote more compact, walkable, and
transit-oriented development patterns.
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