More and more people around the world live in cities, and the number of megacities is increasing. There are costs and benefits to living in cities, and in an effort to increase the benefits, there is a growing movement toward “greening” cities. Environmental and social scientists have published a number of studies documenting the effects of greener cities on environmental and human health.
Go to the website Smart Growth Canada Network (www.smartgrowth.ca). Read the introduction to the site.
Evaluate the website and work with the information to answer the following questions:
Is this a reliable information source? Does it have a clear and transparent agenda?
Who runs this website? Do the organization’s credentials make it reliable/unreliable? Explain.
Who are the authors? What are their credentials? Do they have the scientific background and expertise to lend credibility to the website?
On the menu bar, click on the “Useful Research” link. Then, choose one of the reports to examine.
What kind of information is provided in the report? Where is the information drawn from?
What are the major conclusions made in the report? Do you agree with them and how do these conclusions confirm or contrast with what is happening in your city?
Having read this report, do you feel that Smart Growth is the best model to use for urban development? Why or why not?
Do some online research to find out what critics of Smart Growth are saying about its effectiveness. What are the major criticisms of Smart Growth? Who are the main critics, and do you feel that they have the credentials to make these criticisms? Do you agree with these criticisms? Why or why not?