Urban sprawl, Las Vegas
DownloaD Graphic 2
Las Vegas, the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States, Satellite imagery of Las Vegas provides a dramatic illustration of the
exemplifies the problems of rampant urban sprawl. As the gaming spatial patterns and rates of change resulting from the city’s urban sprawl.
and tourism industry blossomed, so has the city’s population. In 1985, The city covers the mainly green and grey areas in the centre of these
Las Vegas was home to 557 000 people, and was the 66th largest images recorded in 1973 and 2000. Note the proliferation of roads
metropolitan area in the United States. In 2004, the Las Vegas-Paradise and other infrastructure (the rectangular pattern of black lines) and the
area was ranked 32nd in size, with a permanent population nearing dramatic increase in irrigated areas.
1.7 million. According to one estimate, it may double by 2015.
Population growth has put a strain on water supplies.
Source: UNEP 2005b
Credit: UNEP 2005b
However, consumption patterns in developing
Number of passenger cars, by region
DownloaD Graphic 2
regions are also changing with the emergence
thousands
275 000
of new economies and powers such as China,
Africa
India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico. For
250 000
Asia and the Pacific
Europe
example, vehicle ownership patterns illustrate the
225 000
Latin America and Caribbean
impact of changing consumption patterns. People 200 000 North America
put a high preference on car ownership as they
West Asia
175 000
become more affluent. Moreover, there has been
a shift to heavier cars, equipped with an increas-
150 000
ing number of energy demanding features, such
125 000
as air conditioning and power windows, which 100 000
a
add to a greater than expected growth in the l
,
75 000 ta
use of energy by the transport sector. The grow-
ing trend in vehicle ownership affects urban air
50 000
quality, which has clear consequences for human
25 000
health. 0
2 0
1980 198 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 200 2002 2004
Source: GEO Data Por compiled from UNSD 2007
58 VITAL GEO GRAPHICS RESOURCE EFFICIENCY