Wildlife-unfriendly suburbia
The 70-kilometre-long agricultural irrigation channel is a wildlife graveyard.

"Birds, kangaroos, wallabies, possums, you name it. Various animals [are] getting trapped in the channel... More and more native animals are being hit on our roads...It's because our areas are growing and our government hasn't considered how we can build the infrastructure that we need while also considering the needs of native animals and how we can protect them."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-14/drowning-kangaroos-open-water-channel-wildlife-rescue-coliban/105289548
#housing #sprawl #wildlife #habitat #irrigation #infrastructure #cars #traps #biodiversity #WildlifeUnfriendly #Australia

Cassowary banishment from tropical forests
Urban sprawl and wildlife translocation

"Only around 4,000 southern cassowaries are thought to remain in Australia, and the species is threatened by habitat destruction, vehicle strikes, dog attacks and climate change."

An "endangered southern cassowary was discovered underweight and with a belly full of tomato seeds and fruits scavenged from compost bins. Several reports indicated the bird had been wandering along roads close to cane fields and was in danger of being hit by a car or truck."
>>
https://au.news.yahoo.com/tense-moment-rare-35kg-creature-lowered-into-remote-aussie-forest-022020386.html
#Birds #SouthernCassowary #wildlife #biodiversity #conservation #tropics #ecosystems #Wildlife #habitat #translocation #Banishment #Sprawl #cars #dogs #DogsAttacks #roads #plantations #monocultures

"We're a biodiversity hotspot, but we won't be if we cover the whole of it in suburbia."

"If you're putting roads through koala habitat, you see more car strikes.

If you're building houses in there, you get more dog attacks,

and ultimately also the more koalas are compressed, you see higher stress in the population, and that results in less resilience and greater disease."

"The science is clear. We need to [be building] up, not out. The most important thing councils can do is protect the habitat that's there and be involved in restoring areas."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-12/drone-survey-researching-koala-populations-endangered-animals/105279284
#biodiversity #koalas #EndangeredSpecies #RemnantVegetation #NativeForests #sprawl #roads #dogs #BellingenShire #suburbia #SettlerSociety

Groundwater Pumping Is Contributing To The Subsidence Of Major U.S. Cities
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https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/08/climate/sinking-cities-us-causes-groundwater.html <-- shared media article
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-025-00240-y <-- shared paper
--
#water #groundwater #subsidence #city #cities #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #engineeringgeology #engineering #risk #hazard #pumping #overpumping #waterresources #USA #America #sinking #infrastructure #damage #cost #economics #repais #mitigation #sealevelrise #flood #flooding #foundations #urban #remotesensing #earthobservation #satellite #elevation #measurement #change #vertical #movement #geology #soils #model #modeling #prediction #waterresources #farming #agriculture #watersupply #industry #well #riskassessment #landuse #monitoring #management #utilities #growth #population #demographics #construction #sprawl

Coastal erosion and human intervention
A rapidly escalating volume of traffic on ocean beaches

"In the absence of the Bribie buffer and without the dune system on the surf coast, they would suddenly be exposed to storm surge and inundation."

"Morton says the previous government long ignored the erosion under the assumption this was “mother nature” at work. But the new MP says the review will consider the impacts of human intervention, from dredging and wake from the offshore shipping channel to widespread coastal development."

"Bribie Island resident, retired engineer and environmental volunteer John Oxenford agrees human intervention has fuelled the erosion – but he points to the 2007 opening of the beach to four-wheel drives as “opening a real Pandora’s box”."

"The pressure of tens of thousands of vehicles and associated foot traffic since had prevented the natural regrowth of dunes during the winter period, and further exposed them to erosion during the summer months, he says.“Year over year over year, we’ve seen rapidly escalating volume of traffic on the ocean beach,” he says. “The end result of that is erosion.” "
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/07/sunshine-coast-residents-fear-storm-surges-bribie-island-buffer
#erosion #coast #beach #coastaldevelopment #traffic #DIY #Gold Coast #wildlife #SUVs #cars #FossilFuels #CarsOnBeaches #sprawl #Caloundra #BribieIsland

This author gets it. A #colorado-specific look at the #sprawl that is killing our state and what we can change to become a welcoming place with space for everyone who wants to live here.
https://yellowscene.com/2025/04/27/colorados-25-year-housing-gamble/

More wildlife hospitals and care
for native animals having to exist in fragmented marginal habitats

More native animals are being brought into vet clinics and wildlife shelters than ever before.,, Wildlife carers and volunteers "do incredible work in helping to respond, rehabilitate and care for our sick, injured and orphaned wildlife".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-22/wildlife-carers-funding-needed-increasing-injured-animals/104881812
#wildlife #care #AnimalWelfare #WildlifeCarers #volunteers #biodiversity #sprawl #cars #pets

#Sprawl isn’t just expensive—it’s unsustainable for our communities and our planet. Read our op-ed on why compact #urbanism is key:

https://www.gchic.org/post/more-sprawl-not-the-solution

The Sydney surburban sprawl that’s a death zone for koalas
video >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-13/the-sydney-surburban-sprawl-that%E2%80%99s-a-death-zone/105169238
#koalas #Biodiversity #sprawl #roads #trauma #cars #RoadTrauma #Sydney #NSW #extinction #ExtinctionCrisis #SettlerSociety #thylacines

The Sydney surburban sprawl that’s a death zone for koalas
video >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-13/the-sydney-surburban-sprawl-that%E2%80%99s-a-death-zone/105169238
#koalas #Biodiversity #sprawl #roads #trauma #cars #RoadTrauma #Sydney #NSW #extinction #ExtinctionCrisis #SettlerSociety #thylacines

Australia is in an extinction crisis – why isn’t it an issue at this election?

"Over the past decade, more than 550 Australian species have been either newly recognised as at risk of extinction or moved a step closer to being erased from the planet."

"Analysis shows 1,964,200 hectares of koala habitat was cleared between 2012 and 2021 – 81% of that in Queensland."

"Australia tops global rankings for mammal extinction – at least 33 species have died out since European invasion and colonisation – and is number two behind Indonesia for loss of biodiversity. The challenge is not only to stop the loss of habitat but to restore the environment in places it has been lost in 250 years of European-driven clearing."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/07/australia-is-in-an-extinction-crisis-why-isnt-it-an-issue-at-this-election
#biodiversity #ecosystems #loss #nature #wildlife #koalas #care #biosphere #laws #deforestation #extractivism #SettlerSociety #destruction #extinction #pollution #sprawl #housing #governance #ExtinctionCrisis #FossilFuels

Koala habitat

"A lone koala walking through a three-lane tunnel, right in the path of a semi-trailer. The image is a grim sign of the times as Australia’s koala habitat continues to be destroyed. "

"We're moving into their habitat and their corridors, and they're being forced into suburbia... A lot of them are being hit by cars and there are a lot of dog attacks."

"Koalas are listed as endangered across NSW, ACT and Queensland."
>>
https://au.news.yahoo.com/grim-reality-behind-image-of-lost-koala-the-saddest-photo-ive-seen-in-a-long-time-051430371.html
#biodiversity #koalas #habitat #destruction #suburbia #sprawl #roads #cars #dogs #extinction

A suburb of Phoenix is not where one might expect to see a residential development based on emancipation from the dominion of the car.

Reducing car dependency in Arizona matters beyond the borders of the state. All too often those working for more human and environmentally sound planning and transit policies in the USA are met with a simplistic and thought stopping cry of "It might work in Europe, but our geography makes it impossible!"

https://youtu.be/ljdg11X8YBg?si=Ch4BNepoLbPpiDl3

From water pollution to blue gold

Water "“blighted by mats of algae, mountains of foam, scum, and dead fish floating on the surface. Pollution from water companies and agricultural runoff are driving the contamination, which affects all parts of the country, causing toxic algal blooms, mass die-offs of fish, and risks to human health."

"A country that once let raw sewage and industrial wastewater flow directly into its water. Today, it is 98%, and the country has a reputation for pristine swimming waters, sometimes referred to as its “blue gold” – and it’s all thanks to a complex network of sewage plants."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/17/from-sewage-and-scum-to-swimming-in-blue-gold-how-switzerland-transformed-its-waterways-aoe
#water #pollution #micropollutants #ecosystem #health #swimming #Australia #sewage #floods #runoff #ImperviousSurfaces #roads #MassMortalities #SepticTanks #sprawl #biodiversity #rivers #civilisation

Sprawl is one of the reasons I dislike living in the USA.

What does Maga-land look like? Let me show you America’s unbeautiful suburban sprawl | Alexander Hurst | The Guardian

#Sprawl #LandUse #USCulture #USPolitics #Aesthetics

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/19/maga-america-suburban-donald-trump

The human carnage on the roads - "accidents" and road violence

"In Australia, a country with a terrible occurrence and societal acceptance of violent road deaths (would we, for example, be so lackadaisical about the death “toll” were we measuring killings, accidental and otherwise, involving knives or dogs or lawnmowers?), we are culturally imbued with notions of our “rights” rather than our “privileges” when it comes to motor vehicle driving. Something to do with our vast expanses and wide-open roads perhaps."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/18/when-dad-couldnt-drive-any-more-it-was-devastating-but-he-was-just-too-old
#RoadViolence #cars #SUVs #roads #violence #accident #RoadTrauma #RoadTrafficFatalities #roadkill #sprawl #Australia #MobilityDesign

YES! VICTORY! Public pushback makes a difference!

#MaineTurnpikeAuthority drops controversial #GorhamConnector project

by WGME Staff Thu, March 6th 2025 at 7:56 PM

GORHAM (WGME) – "The Maine Turnpike Authority is now dropping its controversial Gorham connector project.

"The project would have built a new highway from South Portland to Gorham, with the goal of easing heavy road congestion.

"The MTA paused the project last year after receiving backlash from local residents.

"The project would have required the demolition of nearly a dozen homes and confiscation of #farmland."

"'There was a lot of concern, and people wondered if it's the right-sized tool for the job, a lot of people have concerns that, building another highway, there's concerns that it will just fill up,' MTA Director of Communications Erin Courtney said.

The MTA says it's heading back to the drawing board to re-examine traffic conditions and review past mobility studies to find better ways to ease congestion in the area." [Like #LightRail, #RapidTransitBusLines and more #BikeLanes!]

https://wgme.com/news/local/maine-turnpike-authority-drops-controversial-gorham-connector-project-south-portland
#Maine #SaveSmilingHillFarm #SmilingHillFarm #InducedSprawl #GorhamConnector #MainersForSmarterTransportation #Maine #MaineNews #GorhamBypass #GorhamSpur #Maine #RapidTransit #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #ProtectTheWetlands #BrookTrout #SaveTheForest #Wildlife #HuskyLine #RapidBusTransit

Australian farmers push for "right to farm" legislation in a bid to push back against suburban sprawl: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2025-03-03/qld-right-to-farm-push-as-urban-growth-extends-to-farm-areas/104998330 #auspol #farming #urbanism #UrbanPlanning #sprawl

Highway expansions and road widening
How America (Australia) Can Break Its Highway Addiction

"After a century of rampant roadbuilding, the U.S. highway network is ubiquitous, dominating the American landscape in bucolic rural settings as well as dense urban ones. Rather than being a tool for mobility, it has become a monument to an auto-centric lifestyle that fouls the air and depletes the public coffers. Neither the country nor the planet can afford to keep expanding it."

"At the federal level, even asking questions about the collective climate impact of highway building appears verboten."
>>
https://slate.com/business/2024/08/construction-traffic-cars-driving-transportation-highway.html
#Sprawl #roads #highways #expansion #cars #automobility #industry #asphalt #Motordom #MobilityDesign #ClimateBreakdown #pollution #NSW #CoffsHarbour #bellingen #GlenifferRoad