Location, location, location! Analyzing residential development in environmentally-fragile areas

Abstract

Since the World War II era, residential construction in environmentally-fragile areas has caused significant groundwater pollution, destruction of wildlife habitat, and soil erosion in communities throughout the USA. Despite clear environmental concerns and risk of natural disasters, residential construction continues unabated in many environmentally-fragile areas due to desirable urban proximity, community status, and amenities like vistas and waterfronts. The goal of the learning activity described in this chapter is for students to gain a better understanding of the environmental considerations of residential development siting, planning, and construction. Students engage in an inquiry-based group exercise in which they use personal electronic devices to research and assess the risks of residential development in preselected environmentally-fragile areas. After completing this activity, students should be able to (1) discuss the environmental implications of siting, planning, and building a house or residential subdivision/neighborhood; (2) identify environmental characteristics that make certain locations ill-suited for residential development; and (3) hypothesize about how to encourage and/or require better land-use planning and residential construction practices in environmentally-fragile areas.