University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2014-07-17 Is the Sprawling Urban Form Sustainable? : An Investigation of the Ecological Impacts of Low-density Fringe Development Abobo, Ansbert Monah Abobo, A. M. (2014). Is the Sprawling Urban Form Sustainable? : An Investigation of the Ecological Impacts of Low-density Fringe Development (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26684 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/1639 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Is the Sprawling Urban Form Sustainable? : An Investigation of the Ecological Impacts of Low- density Fringe Development by Ansbert Monah Abobo A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN CALGARY, ALBERTA JULY, 2014 © Ansbert Monah Abobo 2014 Abstract The traditional postwar city has been characterized by extensive low-density residential growth coupled with an over-reliance on the private automobile for mobility in the city. As human activities seem to be the defining determinants of the unsustainable urban fabric, it is essential to understand the long-term impacts of the contemporary urban lifestyle and how it detrimentally relates to the planet. In this research, two urban development concepts were investigated to determine the type of urban form suitable for structuring a more sustainable city. By comparing low-density suburban communities to core area communities using an environmental impact assessment tool supported with empirical observations and theory, the differences between these two urban concepts were obtained. Using the ecological footprint methodology, footprint estimations were done for suburban communities (N = 8) and core area communities (N = 4) in Calgary to find out their disparities. The research used neighborhood household income/consumption as a proxy for estimating the ecological footprint values and footprints obtained ranged between 11.35 Gha/cap and 6.77 Gha/cap. All the data used in this research are secondary data obtained from Statistics Canada, The City of Calgary, and a Canadian national footprint study by Mackenzie et al (2008). The research suggests that drawing growth to core areas is a salient part of reducing ecological footprint but it needs to be complemented with novel ways of urban fringe development to maximize the outcomes of ecological footprint interventions. Since the highest ecological footprint values were found in high-income suburban neighborhoods, it is relevant to approach the problem by utilizing income as an integrator in making the urban form less suburban and also changing the structure of the few indispensable suburban communities. ii Acknowledgements I would like to express my appreciation to the God of all knowledge for seeing me through my academic endeavor. In plying this stony road, faith has been the principal element guiding me through. My supervisor, Dr. Noel Keough, has been helpful all the way from the beginning of this thesis to where it is now. I thank him for introducing me to a new methodology and assisting me to merge it with my research interests. I also appreciate all the materials he offered me and his critiques and inputs that have made my thesis a success. Also, I would like to thank Mr. Les Kuzyk, planning analyst at the City of Calgary, for his assistance with the methodology part of this thesis. My profound gratitude goes to Ms. Jennifer Taillefer of the Faculty of Environmental Design for her patience and constant support when I was applying for graduate studies. I also appreciate the efforts of all the professors in EVDS who helped me in diverse ways: Dr. Bev Sandalack, Dr. Cormack Gates, Mr. Sunisa Tomic, Dr. Barry Wylant, and Dr. Graham Livesey. I thank my colleagues, Leanne Junnila, Barbara Dupuis, Sharif Islam and Artan Zandian, for introducing me to the ‘Canadian condition’ through academic and informal discussions. And my thanks also go to the staff at the Spatial and Numeric Data Services (SANDS) of the University of Calgary for helping me in accessing the data I needed for this research. I thank my family for being there for me all the way through, and for their support and encouragement. My gratitude also goes to Dr. Isaac Luginaah (University of Western Ontario), Randy Wanye, and the Tuurosongs; they have really shown the essence of family throughout my stay in Canada. And to the proactive friends who inspired me in their own special ways, Emmanuel Owusu (Faculty of Law, UoC), Mariama Zaami (Department of Sociology, UoC), and Douglas Yeboah (School of Engineering, UoC). Thank you all. iii Dedication To all mothers including Earth iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents .................................................................................................................v List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii List of Plates ........................................................................................................................x List of Abbreviations ......................................................................................................... xi Epigraph ........................................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER ONE: PAVING THE WAY ..........................................................................1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................1 1.2 Vulnerable urban fringes ...........................................................................................4 1.3 Sustainable development ...........................................................................................7 1.4 Purpose and research questions .................................................................................9 1.5 Scope of the thesis .....................................................................................................9 1.6 Structure of the thesis ..............................................................................................10 1.7 Relevance of the research ........................................................................................10 CHAPTER TWO: SUSTAINABILITY IN THE URBAN CONTEXT ......................12 2.1 Urban dynamics .......................................................................................................12 2.1.1 The past and present ........................................................................................12 2.1.2 Urbanization and sprawl ..................................................................................20 2.1.3 Urban sprawl ...................................................................................................23 2.1.4 Sustainable spatial strategies ...........................................................................31 2.2 Natural capital and sustainability .............................................................................37 2.2.1 Natural capital is a finite resource ...................................................................37 2.2.2 Entropy as an indicator of sustainability .........................................................41 2.2.3 Ecological footprint and biocapacity ...............................................................43 CHAPTER THREE: CALGARY STUDY ....................................................................52 3.1 Spatial growth in Calgary ........................................................................................52 3.2 Growth control strategies .........................................................................................57 3.3 Response to growth strategies ..................................................................................64 CHAPTER FOUR: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................70 4.1 Formulating the framework .....................................................................................70 4.2 Review of methodologies ........................................................................................76 4.2.1 The methodology by Wackernagel and Rees (1996) ......................................78 4.2.2 Work in Greater Oslo and Førde (Holden, 2004) ............................................80 4.2.3 Work in Oakville, Ontario (Wilson et al, 2013) ..............................................82