The Need for Stretches of Uninhabited and Undeveloped Land in Urbanized Societies
The commercialization and industrialization influenced by economic development in different countries have led to a rapid increase in urbanized societies across the world. The main features of an urbanized society are high population density, many houses and commercial buildings, railways, roads, and bridges. Most of the land in urbanized societies is utilized to develop commercial and residential buildings and other infrastructure that facilitates the interaction of the people in the society. However, urbanized societies need stretches of uninhabited and undeveloped land for different reasons. One of the reasons is to provide a habitat for wildlife. Some of the urbanized societies are developed in areas initially inhabited by wildlife. Therefore, it is vital to create space for wildlife to avoid completely displacing the wildlife and creating conflict between human and wildlife populations. Besides, according to Adams (2018), creating space for wildlife is essential in maintaining a sustainable, healthy balance between wildlife resources, human populations, and economic integrity. Wildlife also contributes to the functionality and completeness of the ecosystem by disrupting the food chain to balance the demand and supply of food in the food chain. For example, carnivores control the population of herbivores, thus reducing competition for food between animals and humans.
Urbanized societies also need stretches of undeveloped and uninhabited land to create beautiful sceneries (Banzhaf, 2007). One of the main advantages of beautiful sceneries is that they attract tourists who contribute to generating revenue that can be used to develop the economy of urban societies. Tourism also creates employment for people in urban societies leading to improved living standards due to increased household income. The undeveloped and uninhabited land also provides space for recreation for the people in urban societies. This land also provides resources needed to sustain the populations in the urban centers, such as water and food. For instance, undeveloped and uninhabited lands preserve natural resources such as rivers and natural habitats that can help urban populations sustain themselves. In most urban societies, the water used in most households comes from rivers around the urban areas. Therefore, rivers should be preserved to maintain a clean water supply for consumption within the urban centers. Some cities have laws prohibiting developers from constructing commercial and residential buildings around the rivers.
Living beings rely on ecosystem services for survival. Therefore, urbanized societies need stretches of undeveloped and uninhabited land to maintain ecosystem services such as air purification, climate regulation, pollination, and waste recycling. According to Withgott & Laposata (2018), ecosystems sustain the earth through various processes. One of the processes is cycling nutrients. The second process is regulating oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other atmospheric gases. Regulating atmospheric gases is vital in regulating climate change and preventing global warming. The third process is regulating precipitation and temperature, and the fourth is filtering waste, recovering nutrients, removing toxic substances, and controlling pollution. Therefore, urban planners must ensure that there is a reasonable amount of undeveloped and uninhabited land around the urban societies to sustain ecosystem processes. For instance, many urban societies experience pollution due to industrialization and vehicle pollution. Therefore, there is a need for constant air purification to prevent the risk of health issues that may arise from inhaling polluted air. The natural habitat around the urban societies helps to purify air through photosynthesis. The natural habitat also encourages pollination, which is essential in food production, thus providing the food required to sustain urban societies.
References
Adams, C. E. (2018). Wildlife Management. Urban Wildlife Management, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315371863-1.
Banzhaf, H. S. (2007). Public benefits of undeveloped lands on urban outskirts: Non-market valuation studies and their role in land use plans. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.990055.
Withgott, J., & Laposata, M. (2018). Essential environment: The science behind the stories. Pearson.
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The Need for Stretches of Uninhabited and Undeveloped Land in Urbanized Societies
Why do urbanized societies need stretches of uninhabited and undeveloped land?
(S) Essential Environment: The Science Behind the Stories
Jay Withgott & Matthew Laposata, 2018
Pearson
ISBN.13: 978-0-134-71488-2