Deck 25: Sustainable Cities

Question 1

Which direction is the Canadian population shifting?

A)from south to north
B)from north and south
C)from east to west
D)from west to east

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What is a problem in Canada, as well as in other countries with lots of room for expansion?

A)people do not have enough access to transportation
B)lack of an efficient highway system connecting all the new developments
C)too little prime farmland being developed
D)urban sprawl

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which statement best characterizes the squatter settlement populations of most cities in developing countries?

A)They are declining in number.
B)They have lower incomes than do the rural poor.
C)They are people who don't pay taxes or own the houses they live in.
D)They consist of homeless people living in makeshift shelters.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which city experiences "fecal snow"?

A)Calcutta
B)Rio de Janeiro
C)Sao Paulo
D)Mexico City

Question 5

What promotes urban sprawl?

A)tax laws discouraging home ownership
B)zoning laws requiring small lots
C)ample land available
D)high-cost gasoline

Question 6

What is one of the two ways in which urban areas grow?

A)by immigration
B)low incidence of disease
C)by unnatural increase
D)low death rates

Question 7

Which statement most accurately represents the use of resources by urban populations around the world?

A)Urban populations occupy about 2% of the planet's area and consume 75% of the resources
B)Urban populations occupy about 8% of the planet's area and consume 70% of the resources.
C)Urban populations occupy about 10% of the planet's area and consume 88% of the resources.
D)Urban populations occupy about 20% of the planet's area and consume 33% of the resources.

Question 8

Which statement best describes large floodplains?

A)They are considered poor land for development.
B)They are hard to develop.
C)They are inaccessible.
D)They are often sites of urbanization.

Question 9

Which strategy has been implemented to reduce Mexico City's air pollution?

A)planting 25 million trees
B)requiring the removal of catalytic converters from cars
C)requiring all cars to use biofuels
D)tax incentives to improve energy efficiency

Question 10

How does vegetation affect the quality of life in urban areas?

A)by warming the air
B)by producing carbon dioxide
C)by providing habitat for wildlife
D)by reducing oxygen

Question 11

What motivates most people who migrate to cities?

A)access to education, innovation, and culture
B)sustainable living
C)close shopping
D)more housing choices

Question 12

Which statement most accurately characterizes urban centres?

A)Children in cities have little access to education.
B)Globally, cities consume 75% of all resources.
C)Politicians give more services to the poor in cities than those in rural areas.
D)Parents who live in cities tend to have more children than those who live in rural areas.

Question 13

Why is Curitiba, Brazil an ecocity?

A)Cars are allowed downtown only during certain hours.
B)The city puts a focus on mass transit.
C)It is expensive to live there.
D)The city limits the number of people allowed to live there.

Question 14

How many megacities exist in the world today?

A)9
B)18
C)29
D)39

Question 15

What is the general population trend for the Maritime provinces?

A)a south-to-north movement of population
B)a west-to-east movement of population
C)a decreasing population
D)an increasing population

Question 16

Which statement is analogous to breathing the air of Mexico City?

A)It is like smoking one pack of cigarettes each day.
B)It is like smoking three packs of cigarettes each day.
C)It is like smoking six packs of cigarettes each day.
D)It is like smoking ten packs of cigarettes each day.

Question 17

By what percentage did the urban population increase between 1850 and 2009 due to the global urban revolution?

A)It increased from 2% in 1850 to 50% in 2009.
B)It increased from 10% in 1850 to 65% in 2009.
C)It increased from 20% in 1850 to 50% in 2009.
D)It increased from 40% in 1850 to 65% in 2009.

Question 18

What is the most recent shift seen in North American internal human populations?

A)a shift from urban areas to rural areas
B)a shift from north and east to south and west
C)a shift from agricultural areas to cities
D)a shift from large central cities to suburbs

Question 19

Which of the following is an environmental benefit of urbanization?

A)Birth rates are higher.
B)Concentrating people creates biodiversity.
C)Recycling is more economically feasible.
D)Cities are self-sustaining.

Question 20

Which statement best represents the current situation with urban growth in developing countries?

A)It is helping to eliminate urban poverty.
B)It is generally offset by migration to rural areas.
C)It is caused by both migration and natural increase.
D)It is generally declining over the few decades.

Question 21

What percentage of travel in the world occurs by foot, bicycle, motor scooter, and bus?

A)10%
B)30%
C)60%
D)90%

Question 22

How much louder is a sound registering 50 dbA compared to one registering 30 dbA?

A)50 dbA is 12 times louder
B)50 dbA is 30 times louder
C)50 dbA is 100 times louder
D)50 dbA is 1 000 times louder

Question 23

What is the term for a scenario in which the construction of roads leads to the sale of more cars, which in turn leads to the construction of even more roads?

A)a synergistic interaction
B)a positive feedback loop
C)negative feedback loop
D)an antagonistic interaction

Question 24

What can impede ecologically sound development?

A)establishing land trusts
B)taxing land on the basis of the economically highest potential use
C)requiring environmental impact analyses for private projects
D)implementing conservation easements

Question 25

What percentage of all transportation in North America is undertaken by car?

A)98%
B)88%
C)78%
D)68%

Question 26

Which statement is the most accurate comparison of buses versus rail systems?

A)Buses require less capital investment than heavy rail systems.
B)Bus systems offer a more comfortable and quiet ride than heavy rail systems.
C)Bus systems offer less flexibility in transportation routes than heavy rail systems.
D)Bus systems cost more to operate than heavy rail systems.

Question 27

What produces the loudest sound?

A)a military rifle
B)a jackhammer
C)a chain saw
D)a rock concert

Question 28

What is one way that the heat island effect can be counteracted?

A)by subsidizing gasoline
B)by mixing light-coloured sand with asphalt
C)by using darker paints and building materials
D)by removing trees

Question 29

What percentage of the world's cars are in North America?

A)about 25% of the world's cars
B)about 33% of the world's cars
C)about 50% of the world's cars
D)66% of the world's cars

Question 30

What has been an impediment to the development of mass transit systems in North America?

A)the expansion of trolley systems
B)social stigma about using mass transit
C)expensive transit fairs
D)a tax system that provides benefits to car drivers

Question 31

At which level does sound become painful to the human ear?

A)120 decibels
B)100 decibels
C)80 decibels
D)60 decibels

Question 32

What occurs as cities expand?

A)increased ozone depletion
B)increased biodiversity
C)wildlife habitats degrade
D)more recreational opportunities

Question 33

What can smooth uncontrolled growth and move toward more ecologically sound growth?

A)discouraging mixed use zoning
B)taxing buildings rather than land
C)promoting high-density clusters
D)issuing free building permits

Question 34

At what loudness level do humans experience definite hearing damage?

A)at about 75 dbA
B)at about 95 dbA
C)at about 115 dbA
D)at about 135 dbA

Question 35

Which one of the following characterizes a city area compare to the rural area?

A)by a cool pocket
B)by a heat island
C)by a dust bowl
D)by increased wind speed

Question 36

What is one feature of the city of Curitiba, Brazil?

A)advanced underground transit
B)advanced high-speed bullet train
C)a sophisticated bus system
D)high speed ferry transit system

Question 37

What is one disadvantage of bus systems?

A)Buses are unreliable.
B)Buses produce more air pollution per capita than cars.
C)Buses require high capital investment and have operating costs.
D)Buses are noisy and uncomfortable.

Question 38

What is the impact of artificial light in urban areas?

A)It benefits turtles that lay eggs on beaches.
B)It helps people see the stars at night.
C)It causes birds to collide with large buildings.
D)It encourages nightly zooplankton feeding.

Question 39

What is the source of 90% of the funds used to support government services (schools, roads, policing, fire protection, welfare, etc.)?

A)income tax
B)sales tax
C)fees and licenses
D)property tax

Question 40

Which strategy would result in a corrective positive feedback loop, increasing the demand for roads?

A)building more roads
B)pollution emission fees
C)toll charges on roads
D)higher parking fees

Question 41

Rapid population decline is catastrophic for cities and countries.

Question 42

Urban sprawl often leads to a decline in downtown business districts and a loss of tax base in the central city.

Question 43

In Canada, many people migrated from the eastern part of the country to the west.

Question 44

Low-cost gasoline and government-funded highways did NOT contribute to urban sprawl.

Question 45

Megacities have improved significantly over the last decade due to better public water supplies and sanitation.

Question 46

Mass transit helps to create urban sprawl.

Question 47

Although services are often easier to provide to urban residents than to rural ones, urban areas foster more people and, consequently, more poverty.

Question 48

Which of the following is an appropriate method of land-use control?

A)subsidizing of farmers who use marginal land that is highly susceptible to erosion
B)providing tax breaks for owners to develop open space
C)developing existing open space
D)implementing conservation easements

Question 49

What is one of the principles of new urbanism?

A)profitability
B)single-use
C)rapid development
D)quality urban design

Question 50

What is one means of creating urban open space?

A)increasing renewable energy technologies
B)banning all cars from an urban area
C)increasing urban sprawl
D)instituting greenbelts

Question 51

Women who live in rural areas have a lower total fertility rate than those who live in urban areas.

Question 52

What is cluster housing?

A)It is densely-packed temporary housing often found in developing countries.
B)It is a high-density housing unit with common, shared open space.
C)It is an energy-efficient design of a home.
D)It is used to house urban migrants coming from rural areas.

Question 53

The declining economic health of cities often leads to reductions in services-i.e., water, electricity, open spaces, timely garbage collection, etc.-to their residents.

Question 54

Urban sprawl often displaces prime farmland.

Question 55

By what means can local governments control land use?

A)by implementing zoning
B)by taxing buildings rather than land
C)by providing increased municipal services
D)by increasing tax breaks

Question 56

Large urban areas across the globe are attracting more and more residents, partly because people hope to obtain employment.

Question 57

One of the causes of urban sprawl is the fact that numerous political jurisdictions may have influence over one area, but with little effective management.

Question 58

Tax laws that encourage home ownership do NOT contribute to urban sprawl.

Question 59

Most urban dwellers are subjected to noise pollution.

Question 60

A country's degree of urbanization is the percentage of its population living in an urban area.

Question 61

Walking to work and using solar energy are two concepts pertinent to a(n) ____________________.

Question 62

There is an increasing use of the concept of _________________________, or new urbanism, which encourages more environmentally sustainable development with less dependence on cars.

Question 63

According to the diagram, which outputs are causing the greatest problems for people and the environment?

Question 64

_________________________ are the world's largest source of air pollutants.

Question 65

Each year, the total distance driven by North Americans is equal to the distance travelled by all the other world's drivers combined.

Question 66

The _________________________ of people will be generally be lower in urban areas with poor sanitation and numerous health risks.

Question 67

Three-fourths of North Americans live in _________________________, or cities and towns with populations of at least 50 000 people.

Question 68

Growth of low-density development at the edge of cities and towns that causes a decrease in farmland or forests is referred to as _________________________.

Question 69

Whereas many city centres have stagnated, ____________________ has the fastest growing downtown core in North America.

Question 70

____________________ pollution can affect various plant and animal species, such as sea turtles.

Question 71

Historically, ____________________ has been closely connected with industrialization because the associated increase in human productivity led to larger populations in cities.

Question 72

Land availability determines whether a city grows vertically or spreads out horizontally, and whether it relies on mass transportation or the automobile.

Question 73

Urban areas grow in two ways: by natural increase, and by ____________________.

Question 74

In recent years, land developers have increasingly used a pattern known as ____________________ development, in which high-density housing units are constructed on one portion of a parcel of land, with the rest of the land used for common open space.

Question 75

A city that emphasizes pollution prevention, waste reduction, and effective use of resources is called a(n) _________________________.

Question 76

____________________ are the most widely used form of mass transit.

Question 77

________________________________________ is the development of urban growth to minimize environmental impact.

Question 78

A high population density in urban areas can increase the spread of ______________________________ if the infrastructure is inadequate and fails to provide sufficient drinking water and sewage treatment.

Question 79

The migration of populations from an urban area to a rural area promotes a(n) _________________________ in the urban area which in turn boosts poverty.

Question 80

Many of the world's poor live in crowded, central city slums.