S+-+Urban+Sprawl

**Rural-urban fringe** - this is the boundary between urban and rural areas. There is no clear definitive line but rather the boundary is blurred and the rural and urban areas mix into together. **Urban sprawl** - this is the spread of urban areas into the rural-urban fringe. It can take many forms such as: The disadvantages of urban sprawl: **Solutions to urban sprawl**: Designate areas as Green Belts - they are areas of green and open land on the margins of towns and cities perhaps 10km wide, in which urban development is limited. Regenerate old industrial areas in cities called Brownfield site. The old factories can be cleared and new modern apartments or shops can be built instead. This relieves the pressure on Green Belt land. Final problem - Hobby farming - people take up farming as a hobby and grow some vegetables or rear a small selection of animals. They have small pieces of land which are often in the green belt. As more and more people get into hobby farming more land in the green belt is used. This leads to the loss of the countryside.
 * building by-passes and motorways
 * out of town shopping centres
 * golf courses
 * new housing estates - usually for bussines exceutives
 * loss of agricultural land
 * loss of public space
 * increase in pollution
 * damage to the environment and loss of wildlife