LAND MANAGEMENT AND URBAN SPRAWL

Presented by Josette O. Bonador

BSEd I-Social Studies

Objectives:

to discuss the meaning, causes and effects of “Urban Sprawl”

to analyze urban sprawl issues in the Philippines

to discuss what “Land Management” means

to understand Land Use Planning Laws and National Land Use Act

URBAN SPRAWL

Urban sprawl is basically another word for urbanization.  It refers to the migration
of a population from populated towns and cities to low density residential
development over more and more rural land.  The end result is the spreading of a
city and its suburbs over more and more rural land. In other words, urban sprawl
is defined as low density residential and commercial development on
undeveloped land. Most of the time, people will move from these areas to try to
find better areas to live. This has been the way of the world since the beginning.

The lands of urban sprawl which are defined as lands that have lost their rural
characteristics and yet cannot be defined as urban include specific
uncertainties results in various problems such as unplanned urban growth and
use of non-agricultural purpose. Therefore, urban sprawl can be defined as a
hinterland between rural and urban areas. While Gordon and Richardson (1997)
define urban sprawl as leapfrog development1, DiLorenzo (2000) defines it as
growth with cancer or virus. In the confusion in definition of urban sprawl, Wilson
et al. (2003) and Galster et al. (2001) state that describing would be more
suitable rather than defining. (The Journal of International Social Research
Zuhal KARAKAYACI)
Causes of Urban Sprawl

Urban sprawl can be caused by a variety of different things.  These causes will
mainly include:

 Lower Land Rates: Lower cost land and houses in the outer suburbs
of the cities, because the centers of urban development have really
made people want to stop settling in these areas and want to venture
further out.

 Improved Infrastructure: There is increased spending on certain

types of infrastructures, including roads and electricity.  This is
something that hasn’t always been available, and there are still some
areas that don’t have these luxuries.  That doesn’t mean that they
aren’t working on it.

 Rise in Standard of Living: There are also increases in standards of

living and average family incomes, which means that people have the
ability to pay more to travel and commute longer distances to work and
back home.

 Lack of Urban Planning: People love to find areas that are less

trafficked and more calm, which leads them to sprawl out to other
sections of the town. Unprecedented development, cutting of trees,
loss of green cover, long traffic jams, poor infrastructure force people to
move out to new areas.

 Lower House Tax Rates: Cities will usually have high property taxes,
and you can usually avoid these taxes by living in the outer suburbs
because the taxes are usually lower than they would be in other
situations.

 Rise in Population Growth: Another factor that contributes towards

urban sprawl is rise in population growth. As number of people in a city
grows beyond capacity, the local communities continues to spread
farther and farther from city centers.

 Consumer Preferences: People in high income groups have stronger

preferences towards larger homes, more bedrooms, bigger balconies
and bigger lawns. This also causes urban sprawl as this option is not
 available in crowded cities. People generally look out for low-density
residential areas where they can get home according to their
preference.

Effects of Urban Sprawl

Now, we will take a look at the effects of urban sprawl, now that we have taken a
closer look at the causes of it.  Some of the effects include:

 Increase in Public Expenditure: They can actually play a part in the

increases of public costs, because these changes in infrastructures and
building must actually be paid for by someone- and it is usually the tax
payers money that pays for it.

 Increased Traffic: Populations will begin to use their cars more often,

which means that there is more traffic on the roads, and there is also
more air pollution and more auto accidents that you have to worry with.

 Health Issues: When people use their vehicles, even to go to a very

short distance, people are going to be more overweight and are also
going to have to deal with ailments such as high blood pressure and
other diseases that come about with obesity.

 Environmental Issues: Sprawls can also cause certain environmental

issues that you may want to be aware of.  In fact, when you think about
going out to develop these lands you will have to worry about the
wildlife that lives in these lands.  You will be displacing them, and it can
really cause a ripple in the environment.

 Impact on Social Lives: When people move further out, they also

have an impact on their social lives.  They don’t have neighbors that
live as close, which means that they won’t really stay as social as they
should.  This isn’t always the case, but it is something that should be
taken note of.

As you can see, urban sprawl is something that will continue to occur as long as
we live here on earth.  It isn’t something that is going to change, but over time the
more rural areas are going to become more populated because of development
and change.  This can be considered a good thing at times, but others view it as
a bad thing.  You also have to consider the fact that it will actually play a part in
having to cut down more trees and tear up the environment, and in this aspect it
is not a good thing.

On a positive note, it may lead to less overcrowding- but it won’t happen

overnight.  Its clear that urban sprawl is something that people will consider to be
a good thing or a bad thing, depending on their own beliefs systems.  You may
find it to be something that is ideal, while others may want to steer clear of it.  It is
the inevitable, that’s for sure, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be rushed into,
and it should happen naturally. (Rinkesh, Conserve Energy Future)

How Urban Sprawl Intensified Floods in the Philippines

NATE BERG| AUG 10, 2012

Unchecked development and rapidly growing informal settlements in

metropolitan Manila have exacerbated the devastation of the recent flooding in
the Philippines, according to a UN official.

Speaking with The Philippine Star, Margareta Wahlström, chief of the UN Office

for Disaster Risk Reduction, notes that the growing numbers of people living on
unsuitable land in Manila put them directly in the path of the massive but not
unexpected flooding that happens during the summer monsoon season.

"As the urban sprawl of rapid urbanization expands outwards and upwards, it
provides ready opportunities for hazards such as floods, storms and earthquakes
to wreak havoc," Wahlström said. "Urban floods will represent the lion's share of
total flood impact because of infrastructure, institutions and processes that are
not yet up to the task ahead."

This report from CNN says that 60 people have died, 3,100 homes have been
damaged, and more than 2.4 million people in 144 municipalities have been
impacted by the heavy rains falling over the past five days. The UN says that
millions of slum dwellers were among those in metro Manila forced to evacuate
their homes, though no clear numbers are available.

Floodplains and vulnerable lands are commonly used as informal settlements. It's
unclear how many slum dwellers currently live in metro Manila, but this 2003
report from UN-Habitat estimated the population at 2.5 million. That's about 20
percent of the metro area's roughly 12 million people – a figure that has more
than doubled[PDF] since 1980. According to the UN report, most of these slum
dwellers live along rivers, near garbage dumps and railroad tracks, under bridges
and next to industrial sites. "Although there are relatively large slum
communities," the report notes, "the settlement pattern of the Metro Manila urban
poor is generally dispersed, located wherever there is space and opportunity."

In 2010, officials from the World Health Organization warned that Manila was

growing "fast and randomly" and that the rapidly increasing slum populations
would pose significant health risks. Insufficient infrastructure would continue to
lead to disease outbreaks, in addition to leaving millions vulnerable to natural
disasters.

Informal settling and unplanned floodplain development will continue to pose

risks for large segments of the population in Manila. As highlighted in a 2012
report from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, rapidly
expanding cities like Manila will have to more formally control the use of land in
these disaster-prone areas to prevent the widespread personal and economic
devastation wrought by these recurring floods.

LAND MANAGEMENT

(UN-ECE 1996). Land management encompasses all activities associated with

the management of land and natural resources that are required to achieve
sustainable development. The concept of land includes properties and natural
resources and thereby encompasses the total natural and build environment.
The organisational structures for land management differ widely between
countries and regions throughout the world, and reflect local cultural and judicial
settings. The institutional arrangements may change over time to better support
the implementation of land policies and good governance.
Land management practices describe the way that land is managed - the
means by which a land use outcome is achieved. (Australian Government-
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources)

Land is a scarce and limited resource, which cannot be multiplied. It is a

valuable basis for livelihood and for economic or ecological development. Land
conflicts occur when people with different interests run up against the declining
availability of fertile land. Developing countries in general, and disadvantaged
people in society are often the most affected groups. Yet, even industrialized
countries face issues with sustainable land policy. As a result, experts in
sustainable land management are desperately needed.

Land use has generally been considered a local environmental issue, but
it is becoming a force of global importance. Worldwide changes to forests,
farmlands, waterways, and air are being driven by the need to provide food, fiber,
water, and shelter to more than six billion people. Global croplands, pastures,
plantations, and urban areas have expanded in recent decades, accompanied by
large increases in energy, water, and fertilizer consumption, along with
considerable losses of biodiversity. Such changes in land use have enabled
humans to appropriate an increasing share of the planet's resources, but they
also potentially undermine the capacity of ecosystems to sustain food production,
maintain freshwater and forest resources, regulate climate and air quality, and
ameliorate infectious diseases. We face the challenge of managing trade-offs
between immediate human needs and maintaining the capacity of the biosphere
to provide goods and services in the long term..

(Global Consequences of Land Use Jonathan A. Foley)

Understanding the Proposed National Land Use Act

 Lamudi | June 11, 2018

Both the Executive and Legislative Departments of the Philippines have been
pushing for the passage of the proposed National Land Use Act for many years.
Passing it would mean keeping the country’s lands from further misuse and
degradation.

June is Philippine Environment Month, and this year’s theme is “Raise Your

Voice, Not the Sea Level.” At this current climate, it is essential that
environmental action be taken seriously by everyone, but particularly by large
industries that implement projects that have a considerable ecological impact.
This brings to mind the National Land Use Act (NLUA), a proposed bill that aims
to promote and enforce sustainable practices to protect the country’s natural
environment. Passing this would provide further safeguards to biodiversity and
clearer guidelines for infrastructure development.

It is important to finally establish NLUA; President Rodrigo Duterte himself has

been pushing for this necessity.
The National Land Use Act is not a new issue 

It seems as if the passing of the NLAU requires more than the urging from a chief
executive. The proposed bill has been going around in the Philippine Senate for
years. Former President Benigno Aquino III also called for its enactment. This
was back in February 1, 2013, when he certified the matter as urgent. It was
previously known as Senate Bill No. 3091 in the 15th Congress and was awaiting
its Third Reading in the Senate. Prior to this, however, the NLAU has had
numerous appearances in the previous Philippine Congresses, possibly going
back two decades.

At the time of President Duterte’s 2017 SONA, the NLAU was introduced under

the First Session of the 17th Congress by Senator Loren Legarda on June 30,
2016. Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri then reintroduced it in the Second Session of
the 17th Congress on July 26, 2017 as Senate Bill No. 1522. This was just a few
days after the SONA. It has been read on its First Reading and passed on to
appropriate Senate Committees.

Only time will tell when it will eventually become law. For now, it seems
legislators need all the support they can get to help their Filipino countrymen
benefit from its passage.

Why it is necessary

The unchecked use of land makes the Philippines even more susceptible to
natural disasters. It is a tropical country that has been historically prone to harsh
weather conditions and calamities. The 2016 World Risk Index report even
ranked it 3rd among 171 countries most vulnerable to natural hazards. It has
since improved its ranking for 2018 by coming in 69th over 173 countries. The
main aspects analyzed in the study are exposure, susceptibility, coping capacity,
and adaptive capacity.

When speaking of exposure, the study looks into the degree of threat
that earthquakes, cyclones or typhoons, floods, droughts, and sea level rise have
on the population. Balancing these dangers out are some competencies in public
infrastructure (susceptibility), government and disaster preparedness (coping
capacity), and ecosystem protection (adaptive capacity).