RASHEDUL H DEEPON
THE EFFECT OF SPRAWL ON SOCIAL BONDS AND SENSE OF BELONGING
Description:
The topic of discussion for this paper is the effect Suburban Sprawl has on the ‘social bonds and sense of belonging’ in a metropolitan area. The area selected for this paper is North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.
North Carolina has historically been a rural state, with most of the population living on farms or in small towns. However, over the last 30 years the North Carolina has undergone rapid urbanization, and today most of North Carolina's residents live in urban and suburban areas, as is the case in most of the United States.
The area consists mostly of residential housing, and to exemplifies the conditions of sprawl development. Some salient features include a cluster of low-density housing situated at great distances from each other. Lack of accessible facilities and amenities within walking distance. The commute from house to work is sometimes very long even if a person owns a car. Despite these inconveniences, people still prefer living in the suburbs and sprawled urban landscape city.
The paper aims to argue that this lifestyle is creating numerous negative impacts in the area, especially when it comes to building social ties and developing a ‘sense of belonging.’