Loss of Farmland and Natural Greenbelts

LOSS OF FARMLAND AND NATURAL GREENBELTS

Credit: VerticalCity.org

The growing human population and its migration into urban centers and newly industrialized rural areas has resulted in unplanned development. Such haphazard expansion invariably occurs at the expense of arable or unspoiled lands in peripheral areas.The loss from development is equally devastating in natural wooded areas and grasslands on the outskirts of cities where fauna and flora, through years of evolution, have achieved a balanced sustainability that is mutually beneficial to urbanites. Such buffer zones collectively help to protect water and soil from contamination and erosion, break down and absorb pollution, and store and recycle precious nutrients. They further contribute to climate stability, mitigate global warming, and provide habitats for a great many species of wildlife.Urbanization at the expense of farmland and natural greenbelts puts pressure on the environment to a point that is not sustainable. If we continue our development in this direction, there will be irreversible changes in our environment that will drastically affect our health and well-being.

Such unhealthy urbanization is facing the need of a sustainable ‘Smart Growth’ with an approach that protects and maximizes open space and farmland by emphasizing development with high density and rich diversity within a smaller footprint.

大规模的人口繁殖以及人类向城市及工业化地区的大型人口迁移，是导致杂乱无章的城市化发展的巨大因素。如此城市扩张不仅给可耕地带来巨大破坏，也给众多人类尚未触及的地区带来潜在威胁。不仅如此，盲目的城市化发展对栖息繁衍于城市周边天然林木及草场的动植物都具有毁灭性作用。这些生态圈经过长期进化，已经形成了成熟的发展周期和规律。它们的存在及健康发展对于我们城市人是有极大益处的：它们具有保护水资源和土壤的作用，防止它们被城市污染所破坏；同时，也帮助大自然进行营养物质的储存和循环。城市周边生态对于气候稳定，减缓全球变暖，以及为各种野生动物提供生存环境等方面都有极大的现实意义。城市化进程对于可耕地以及城市周边绿色地带造成的压力是巨大的，它破坏了生态环境自身的可持续性。如果我们仍不对如此粗放的城市化发展方式采取措施，其所带来的负面影响将是不可逆转的。

要想扭转这一现状，我们需要一种可持续的“智能发展”方式。这种方式不仅将保护我们现有的绿色空地和可耕种地，还可对其利用最大化。为了达到这一目标，我们需要探求在有限地块内建造高密度，多样性的城市建设方案。