Solutions!

As we have explain Urban sprawl is a huge issue that needs to be solved.

Just to recap Urban sprawl is the massive expansion of urban areas That has many consequences. Such as the loss of valuable farmland, road congestion and many other problems.  Some solutions are we could better plan out roads in canada so they are more efficient and help to minimize traffic. Another very possible solution would be to halt the building on large sprawling homes and build more apartment buildings. This would be useful because we would have more building diversity and we would have more options than just living in sprawling homes

In a recent article On CBC news (Urban or Suburban? Mayoral Candidates respond) States many ways we can cure urban sprawl. For example  candidate Richard Bergon said we could create more green spaces that way people living in apartment complexes would be able to have more space to go outside since they don’t have backyards. Candidate Mélanie holy suggested to build and renovate sports and cultural centers that way people wont need a backyard to play sports and participate in other activities.

These are all very large scale solutions that could have an immense impact on urban sprawl. Although these large scale solutions are more effective There are simpler things we can do to help fix this problem. For example we can chose to live in apartments instead of the suberbs or you could even just spread awareness on urban sprawlOverall Urban sprawl is a condition that can be cured.

Calgary’s Biggest Issue

Calgary is probably Canada’s fastest growing city. People from all over come there for new opportunities.

The big issue is you guessed it, urban sprawl! Calgary is the almost the same size as New York City with 1 tenth the population. The city keeps growing out into the suburbs, when it should really be going up not out. Every time a new house is built, which is about 20 each day. It costs tax payers more, around $33 million each year. Which can lead to $1.5 billion in dept.

Home rates In Calgary cost much more than Ontario, due to more job opportunities in the city, but at the same time if a new family moves there looking for a new start, how will they afford to live in a house right away?. There’s also a lack of apartment buildings and Calgary housing happens to be very picky. Also due to the food there’s a extreme wait list on homes, and a housing issue. That’s probably why Calgary has North America’s largest homeless shelter. The Urban development institute doesn’t agree with building up instead of out, stating stopping the development of more homes can lead to less choice and increase in prices.

Another issue is high ways. Due to the large spread of the city, to get anywhere you must drive on the high way, which limits going anywhere on foot or by biking. Talk about air pollution and a long wait during rush hour.

During the mayor election late last year, when Naheed Nenshi got reelected he promised to fix the growing issue.

Hello: The intro.

Hello, our names are Menna and Megan. We’ve started this blog for a class project called “Be The Change” where we tackle huge issues in Canada. We chose urban sprawl as our topic because it currently a very discussed issue in our city and it is a growing problem around Canada (and the world of course). This blog is active to raise awareness, and find solutions on this egregious issue.