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Urban Problems

Urban Problems. Geg309 Urban Geography. Instructor: Jun Yan Geography Department SUNY at Buffalo. Last Class. Air Pollution in Cities Air pollutants and their effects Heat-Island Effect Acid rain Green House Effect Case study: Asthma in Buffalo. Outline.

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Urban Problems

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  1. Urban Problems Geg309 Urban Geography Instructor: Jun Yan Geography Department SUNY at Buffalo

  2. Last Class • Air Pollution in Cities • Air pollutants and their effects • Heat-Island Effect • Acid rain • Green House Effect • Case study: Asthma in Buffalo

  3. Outline • Downgrading of public urban infrastructure

  4. Urban Public Infrastructures • Facilities or services that support the functioning of urban communities: • including: roads, highways, sewages, water supply, school, parks, library, fire stations, court, prisons … • These are special types of commodity • Public goods: where consumption has to be decided by the community as a whole rather than by each individual.  how to set the price? • Non-excludable: Who should be the beneficiaries?

  5. Urban Public Infrastructures • Facilities or services that support the functioning of urban communities: • Natural monopolies: where one provider is able to meet total market demand at a lower unit cost than two or more providers • Government needs to involve the supply of public infrastructures: market failure, externality … • This does not mean public infrastructures to be delivered by the public sectors alone:public-private partnership in US (Chp 12)

  6. Urban Public Infrastructures • Facilities or services that support the functioning of urban communities: • The issue of equity: some services, primarily social infrastructure services (education, health and welfare), are provided to all citizens as a matter of right, irrespective of their capacity to pay to cost of provision • The issue of efficiency: “Getting the most for a given input”; competitive market does better than bureaucracy … • Again, public-private partnership in US (Chp 12)

  7. Urban Public Infrastructures • Major funding sources: • Tax: property tax, sales tax … • Government debts: bonds (long term) … • Subsidies from federal government: corporate tax, income tax … • User chargers: fares paid to the usage of facilities, e.g. tolls, bus fares

  8. Downgrading Urban Public Infrastructures • Decreased spending in public infrastructures • Situation is much worse in central cities: • Aging of infrastructures: about a century ago … • Declining capital investment: • Industrial/commercial decentralization & suburbanization  less tax; • New Federalism after 1970s’  less federal subsidies • Lack of confidence in prosperities of central city  less government debts

  9. Blackout!

  10. Blackout! • One possible reason: • Outdated energy infrastructure: aging electrical grid and heavily loaded systems. When a problem starts in one system, it spreads quickly through the rest of the system,

  11. Traffic Congestion Suburb Central city CBD • Traffic congestion: most visible; “rush-hour” • Increased travel time, fuel consumption, air pollution • The changing urban commuting patterns

  12. Shortage of Roads? • Shortage of roads?

  13. Traffic Congestion: Solutions • Three possible solutions: • Build more roads? • Alternative system? • Better use of current system?

  14. Build More Roads? • Build more roads? • 10-20% of urban land • Huge investment • Political issues • Not feasible

  15. Alternative Systems? • Alternative system: • e.g. rapid transit system • Sparse population unable to generate enough market in suburbs • “Automobile Gridlock” • Hard sell in US

  16. Better Use of Current Systems? • Make best use of the current systems: • Much of the congestion we are facing very day are caused by certain even: accidents, construction, weather, special events … • Smart systems: right on !!! • Intelligent Transportation systems (ITS): “applications of information and communication technologies in managing transportation systems and traffic”

  17. Intelligent Transportation System • Examples: • Traffic control & surveillances • Electronic tolls • Adaptive signal control • Traveler information • Intelligent vehicles: e.g. “On-Star” • …

  18. May Not Too Smart

  19. Resources • Office of Electric Transmission and Distribution: http://www.electricity.doe.gov/ • USDOT: http://www.dot.gov/ • USDOT ITS: http://www.its.dot.gov/ • ITS online: http://www.nawgits.com/icdn.html • Intelligent Transportation Society of America: http://www.itsa.org/

  20. Next Class • Foundations of Urban Governance and Politics • Reading: chp 12. pp 329~336

  21. Equity vs Efficiency • Are they contradictory? • If not, why efficiency is relatively easy and equity is so hard to achieve in our society? • Rich vs poor, Black vs White, central city vs suburbs, home-owner vs homeless … • Politician must believe in Equity!!!

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