BUTLER/CUNNINGHAM

This page introduces the Urban-Rural Interface. We suggest that you go to the 2003 Conference where many speakers discussed this issue. Look for the final report on that conference.

This site will change from time to time. Basic organization will remain constant.

click here to contact Mike Polioudakis, site developer

polioej@acesag.auburn.edu

Level 2

ENVIRONMENT FACTS:

URBAN-RURAL INTERFACE

Selection of Similar Pages

Alabama's population might not have grown as fast as the rest of the US but it has not diminished. Most of the population increase has been in cities, suburbs, and in mid-sized regional towns (although this type of growth is hard to demonstrate without using more charts and graphs than is appropriate here). Some of the growth has been in the form of planned neighborhoods composed of single-family housing units and/or apartment complexes. Much of the growth has not been well-planned. Even though the operation of family farms has diminshed, this population growth has impinged on the remaining rural land in Alabama. Often the most productive and profitable farms still in operation are located near expanding populations and are therefore the most hard hit. Even well-planned growth can cause problems at the interface between residence land and farms but unplanned growth quite often leads to problems.

Population concentrations produce sewage, garbage, and many chemicals such as petroleum products, lawn fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. While it is true that some farms can use similar chemicals, farms tend to use chemicals in ways that will not damage crops; yet the uncontrolled use of substances from nearby residential areas can damage crops, animals and soils considerably. Noises from residential vehicles and homes can disturb animals, interfering with their growth or productivity. Large clusters of people can divert or deplete water supplies on which local farms had previously relied for decades. Urban or suburban areas now cause significant erosion problems (see below) and these can adversely effect farms more than the urban areas themselves.

On the other hand, farms produce noise themselves and can produce odors that nearby suburban residents don't like. During particular times of the year, farms sometimes use chemicals heavily, and, while these chemicals do not necessarily present a threat to nearby suburban residents, they can make parents worry about their children. Some times during chemical use, people need to take temporary precautions and it is hard to coordinate such activities with the needs of nearby suburban residents.