Urban Problems

Urban Problems

This year has been an exciting and always educational experience in Social Problems. Although I did not know at first what I was fully getting into I did know the course description drew me in. Cover a variety of topics in such a small amount of time I feel that by presenting we really get a deeper understanding for our area of expertise. However when it comes to group work I am a very busy person and I personally found it hard to incorporate group time into me time. It is for that reason I truly appreciate the time allotted in our class to work on the project. Thus to write about such a broad topic like “URBAN PROBLEMS” would be difficult because I am not in-tune with my colleagues findings in depth. I will discus a little about urban sprawl.

Suburban expansion, urban sprawl, growth management, smart growth, new urbanism: these are the terms currently used to describe what is happening in many communities across the U.S. No matter what we call it, expanding cities spawn a host of critical issues affecting everyone in your viewing and listening audience. Traffic, jobs, housing, shopping, the air we breathe and the water we drink are just a few areas where the impacts of growth and land management touch our daily lives. It is no surprise these issues are catching the eyes and ears of many local and national politicians. All though to some it is.(EPA)

Since the end of World War II, the American Dream has been defined as a house in the suburbs and two cars in the driveway. ( Social Problems) Sparked by a series of federal and state government policies, including home buying subsidies provided by the GI Bill, massive road building projects and community planning designed around the car, Americans abandoned the cities for greener pastures in suburbia. It is clear that public spending can, and does, affect private decisions about where to live, where to work, and where to build. This may not really sound like a big deal to those who study it carefully it is. So might be asking yourself now what is being done if anything at all to help solve the problem. ( EPA)

State and local governments are already