I still think the suburbs are a great place to live, but the
information I learned about them gave me a new perspective. The main reason why
I did not understand why the suburbs were so detrimental to the environment is
because most of the issues are widespread and the consequences are not
immediate. The suburbs as a whole consume larger quantities of land, energy,
and material resources. The high consumption of land results in a decline in
forests and habitat to a wide variety of species. Other problems associated
with suburban development include the following: daily needs are not within
walking distance, public transport is either weak or nonexistent, and energy and
resources used for daily chores are double that for the same activities in
urban areas. Furthermore, curvy streets and cul-de-sacs are not gas-efficient,
especially for larger service trucks, such as snow plows. Despite the harmful
effects most suburbs have on the environment, there are many aspects that make
them appealing. For instance, there is less crime and congestion than urban
settings.
The ethical issues surrounding the suburbs are most relevant
to the social justice and ecofeminism approaches. The social justice approach
would see suburban development as unethical. This is because the social and
economic burdens and benefits are not distributed equally between all people
living in urban, suburban, and rural areas. In addition, ecofeminists may also
point to the male-dominated, patriarchal structure of the 1940s and 50s as the
catalyst of suburban development. It was that structure that led to the idea of
women being responsible for performing domestic duties.
Here are some pictures of deer in a neighborhood near my house. They demonstrate how suburban development encroaches on their natural habitat.
I really like the pictures of the deer you included in your post. I live right in the middle of Sartell, near the schools, and we have had a deer wander into our yard a couple of times even though there aren't any green spaces near us other than people's back yards. I think it really does show that as we spread out we really are encroaching into more of the natural habitat that wildlife depends on, until they have nowhere else to go.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked how you included pictures to demonstrate the effects of the outward moving developments and how they affect wildlife. I live in a housing development that was once a forested area and is still adjacent to a small forest area. We too have wildlife in our yard and in our neighbor's yards. I always used to think it was really cool to see a deer or a fox but now I will probably have a different perspective about them, one in which I am conscious of how they might be affected by my decisions.
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