Multiple Impacts of Tourism Activity

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Source: K. Godfrey and J. Clarke, The Tourism Development Handbook (London: Thompson Learning, 2000), p. 31.

This chart here taken from “Global Trends in Coastal Tourism” prepared by the Center for Eco-Tourism and Sustainable development shows in detail many of the most prominent effects of tourism on an area. Road development is not specifically mentioned but facilitates all of these by providing access to the tourist. The outcomes all tend to be negative such as “acid rain, or vandalism” and give the impression that tourism is essentially bad for everything in a region except for the economy.

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Tourism Western Australia site suggests that road infrastructure is crucial to the spread of tourism beyond major gateways. According to a study done by Tourism Research Australia, driving holidays make up 77-93 percent of domestic overnight trips taken in Australia. Below is a tourism map that indicates the highways, major state roads, and other roads and tracks in Australia.

Highways, major state roads, and other roads and tracks. Photo credit: http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Travel/australia-tourism-map.html

While many main roads already exist, Tourism Western Australia suggests an investment into road construction and improvements. Increased infrastructure has the potential to increase tourism; however, are consequences such as environmental impacts being taken into consideration?

Machu Picchu Railway

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Since its discovery in the early 1900’s the ancient Inca site of Machu Picchu has been studied extensively by archaeologists and eventually has become one of Peru’ popular tourist destinations bringing in thousands of tourists from around the world each year. While the tourism industry surrounding Machu Picchu in Peru has been very successful and helped local economies, the environmental impacts of tourism in the area are unmistakable.  In 2008 Machu Picchu was listed among the top 100 most endangered sites due to environmental degradation. One of the sources of this environmental degradation has been the construction of a railway to bring tourists and their luggage into Machu Picchu. This has increased the number of people walking around the site and has led to serious environmental degradation of the area. This site compares some of the costs and benefits of the railway and the map above shows the path that the railway takes. Do you think that the construction of this railroad was a worthwhile Endeavour? Why or why not?

Cities of tomorrow

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Check out the two links above. The first stresses the need for cities to grow upwards rather than out; the second provides a neat article about urban farming. While these links do not talk in depth about transportation and urban roads, implementing the changes put forth would have drastic effects. The need for roads would be greatly reduced without the need to ship food into cities and commuters would not need roads in order to get to work if they lived an worked in the same building.

NYC High Line Inspires Other Cities to Follow Suit

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This Curbed NY collection chronicles some of the many proposed NYC High Line “copycats” currently in the review process. While the tone of the write ups indicates a bias that suggests nothing con compete with the High Line, the amount of spin off projects shows how the success of one green reclamation project can inspire others to pursue the same goals in lieu of further development. Jersey City, for example, wants to convert its Harsimus Stem Embankment into a public park instead of allowing the current owner to destroy the structure and build homes.

Seeing Savannah in Eco-friendly Style

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Savannah, Georgia and many other cities around America have seen the introduction of a multi-person pedal-powered street cruiser. This strange looking traveling table is essentially a 15-person bicycle that hits incredible speeds of 5 mph!

Pedalin' Party

Environmentally friendly with it’s lack of exhaust fumes and a good workout, Savannah Slow Ride is a great way to tour the city with a guilt-free conscience. Isn’t it so much healthier to park the car and enjoy the fresh air and conversation with some friends on a pleasant Savannah evening?

The following link takes you to a video about this funky bike-mobile and adds in the bonus of another fun and environmentally friendly way to get around the city: Segways.

2 ways 2 tour Savannah

World Bank Project: Urban Transportation in Colombia

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In this youtube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOUFd6mqioI

we learn about a World Bank project to develop a mass urban transportation system in major cities of Colombia. The project is supposed to bring a number of social and economic benefits to the people of Colombia. There is also an environmental component to the project, as trees will be planted to promote green spaces in urban areas.

Impacts of Development on Watershed Areas

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This website, created by the Oregon Environmental Council, is designed to educate people about the impacts that development can have on local watersheds. It illustrates the impact that even a small, one family home can have on a local ecosystem. The construction of a single family home can create impervious surfaces on anywhere from 25 to 60% of the property. The amount of impervious surface needed to cause a significant amount of damage to an ecosystem is often less than 10%. This figure is only for a single family home. When we talk about the impact of urban developments that can have close to 100% impervious surface cover the damage to the ecosystem is unavoidable. It is important to realize the widespread effects that development can have on local watersheds and the surrounding ecosystems. Take a look at this website to look at some of the other ways that ecosystems can be damaged by urban development.

How Do You Get to Work?

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It’s Monday morning and you step out of your house to head to work for the day. What’s your mode of transportation? Do you hop in your car and drive alone? Do you walk to the nearest subway station and head into the city that way? Using www.city-data.com, I found pie charts displaying the different types of transportation people use to get to work every morning in US cities.  Below is a comparison between Richmond, VA and New York City, NY.

 

Over the years, I believe people in most US cities, including Richmond and New York, will cut back on driving a car alone to work. Cities could then use large parking lots and other cement areas as places for parks with trees, plants, and wildlife. The benefits of creating more green spaces within cities should outweigh the costs of using alternative transportation modes instead of a car. What are your thoughts on the issue?

Transforming urban space as energy sources

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Solar panels line the parking lot outside of Dell Headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. (Photo credit: Envision Solar)

This New York Times article, “The Parking Lot as ‘Solar Grove’”, proposes a fascinating idea for urban development. An architect with Envision Solar sought to transform parking lots into more than just open, wasted space for vehicles. The idea was to build solar panels over parking spaces, which makes sense as a means to generate electricity for nearby urban infrastructure, especially with an enhanced smart grid system that could regulate power during peak demand hours. A major criticism of electric-powered cars, the article explains, is that manufacturers will create a huge demand for more energy — which would likely be powered by fossil fuel burning. Solar expansion over parking lots is a step in the right direction, adding the ability for drivers to charge their cars while shopping or at work. Panels can be implemented in other ways too. I think we need to begin thinking how smart developments like this can propose new ways of turning the traditional “concrete jungle” into useful, environmental spaces.