Analys angående användning av Environmental Impact Assessments i kommunal detaljplanering för att motverka effekterna av Urban Sprawl

Sammanfattning

Large-scale developments undergo a process known as Environmental ImpactAssessment (EIA) in order to assess the environmental effects that the constructionmight incur, carried out by the municipal office. Only projects of a large area coverage such as highways and railroads are covered by this procedure. However, the effects of urban sprawl tend to be of significantly greater size than individual large-scale projects. This is handled via the principal of zoning, planning the area usage of city developments. To lend a greater understanding and awareness of the environmental effects of urban sprawl, and how to minimise these, the application of EIAs to the zoning work may prove viable. This investigation is conducted via a qualitative research methodology employing literary review, surveys and interviews to garner data on current opinion and knowledge to provide possibility for development. The data collected points to a disparate view of the application of EIAs in municipal work, based on reliance on external consultants and varying degrees of locally founded methods of application, as well as a lack of proper follow up to performed EIAs. In order to combat these issues and grant an increased efficacy of EIA appliance within environmental issues, and namely urban development, a potential for legal reclassification is advised, to require some form of relevant follow up, describe a more foundational groundwork in legal documentation. The potential for EIAs to counter the effects of urban sprawl are inherently boosted by these actions, but an attempt to directly apply this would be an increase in intensity for EIA appliance during regional zoning, to prevent overreliance on detailed zoning plans on each other.