Mapping for Urban Development

This Module aligns with:

• APHG Unit 7: Industrial development patterns
• Industrialization drives economic expansion, attracts businesses, and encourages infrastructure development, resulting in urban development.

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• APHG Unit 2: population and migration patterns
• Increased economic opportunity leads to migration into urban area, which creates strain on public services & often results in “urban sprawl”.

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• Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Pledges make cities and human settlement inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Urban development seeks to improve the living conditions in cities and towns.

Despite their image as economic hubs, urban regions often experience significant social disparities, including accentuated poverty, due to inadequate access to basic facilities and opportunities.

A high housing cost, limited education access, and strained infrastructure are some of the key factors hindering residents' ability to get access to job markets and comparable essential services.

What is Urban Development?

Promoting equitable infrastructure investment, enhancing access to public services, fostering inclusive economic growth and ultimately creating resilient cities for all residents to thrive, especially for vulnerable groups, is the best and most effective Urban Development Policy. We can conclude that if urban development is a key challenge in every country, it is much more pronounced in developing countries.

What is Urban Development?

In Developed Countries

• Aging Infrastructure
• Traffic Congestion
• Housing Affordability
• Environmental Sustainability
• Smart City Integration

The World’s Major Urban Development Challenges

In Developing Countries

• Rapid Urbanization
• Informal Settlements
• Limited Financial Resources
• Poor Governance and Planning
• Unemployment and Poverty
• Public Health and Sanitation

In Both Developed and Developing Countries

• Urban Sprawl
• Transportation Issues
• Environmental Degradation
• Social Inequality
• Sustainable Development

For Developed Countries

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• Upgrade aging infrastructures using eco-friendly materials, efficient design and investing in renewable energies.
• Develop policies to grant affordable accomodation for the majority, and especially the most vulnerable.
• Improve data-driven solutions for traffic management and public service through Artificial Intelligence.

Urban Development Focus Areas

For Developing Countries

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• Expand the access to potable clean and water, appropriate sanitation and reliable energy by investing in local infrastructure projects and clean energy.
• Build efficient and affordable transit systems to reduce congestion and pollution
• Improve governance system, by accelerating inclusion, accountability and transparency in management and decision making processes.

October’s Project

October’s Project: Amarillo TX

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Currently, the Southwest region of the United States is home to several of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country. Typically, people move to the Southwest to take advantage of lifestyle benefits such as proximity to natural resources and relatively lower costs of living compared to other large cities. Large corporations follow suit to to follow growing populations and access cheaper land. This combination of increased residents and economic opportunity fuels urbanization. Sometimes this urbanization can result in something we refer to as "Urban Sprawl"

October’s Project: Amarillo, TX

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Urban Sprawl is the rapid expansion of the geographic extent of cities and towns, often characterized by low-density residential housing, single-use zoning, and increased reliance on the private automobile for transportation. Urban sprawl has been correlated with increased energy use, pollution, and traffic congestion and a decline in community distinctiveness and cohesiveness.

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Today, we will be mapping urban sprawl around Amarillo, Texas. Mapping this region helps city planners gain perspective on the needs of a growing city and identify areas where improvements to infrastructure may be necessary.

October’s Project: Amarillo, TX

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Map only buildings

Use Bing Imagery

Mapping the Task

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• Go to tasks.teachosm.org/
• Click on “Explore Projects”
• Search for Project #: 1675

For this project, we will only be mapping buildings.

Saving Your Edits

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Every 10-15 edits, save your work!

Saving Your Edits

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Leave a short comment stating what you did. For example: “Added Buildings”

Add hashtags: #TeenMaptivists and your school hashtag

School hashtag format: #TM_SchoolInitials

Check this box to allow someone to review your edits!

Submitting Your Edits

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Have you mapped every building in the mapping cell? If yes, select ‘Yes.’ If not, select ‘No.’

Leave a short comment describing the edits you made.

Submit your task.

When you’re done mapping, don’t forget to save your edits. Follow the steps below to ensure you are saving properly.

How to be a Good Mapper: Tips & Tricks

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Let’s Get Mapping!