Deck 25: Sustainable Cities

Question 1

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

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which city experiences "fecal snow"? 

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

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which statement most accurately characterizes urban centres? 

A) Children in cities have little access to education. 
B) Globally, cities consume three-fourths 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.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

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 two packs of cigarettes each day. 
C) It is like smoking three packs of cigarettes each day. 
D) It is like smoking six packs of cigarettes each day.

Question 5

How many megacities exist in the world today? 

A) 9 
B) 18 
C) 28 
D) 39

Question 6

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 7

What motivates most people who migrate to cities? 

A) better access to education, innovation, and culture 
B) concern about sustainable living 
C) more chances to shop 
D) more housing choices

Question 8

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 9

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 54% in 2014. 
B) It increased from 10% in 1850 to 64% in 2014. 
C) It increased from 20% in 1850 to 54% in 2014. 
D) It increased from 40% in 1850 to 74% in 2014.

Question 10

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

Question 11

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 12

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 13

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 14

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 15

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.

Question 16

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 17

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 18

Which statement is NOT true in terms of floods in cities? 

A) Cities tend to flood more than towns, partly because cities may have expanded onto flood plains or may have been built along shorelines of oceans and large lakes. 
B) Cities are extra vulnerable to flooding because so much of the area is paved or covered in buildings that runoff from heavy rains can overwhelm the drainage systems. 
C) The wetlands near cities have often been filled and developed so they cannot act as "natural sponges" to absorb a potential flood as it develops. 
D) Cities actually flood less than towns, but the damage is more expensive in a city, and floods in cities create greater headlines.

Question 19

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

A) people do not have transportation solutions for travelling in this large area 
B) lack of efficient highway systems 
C) too little prime farmland is being developed, due to transportation issues 
D) urban sprawl is spreading out rapidly

Question 20

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 21

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 22

The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe calls for all but one of the following.Which point is NOT supported by the plan? 

A) higher-density mixed-use neighbourhoods 
B) the development of more mass transit 
C) communities in which work, shopping, and recreation are all in close proximity 
D) the development of a super-highway system

Question 23

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

A) about a quarter of the world's cars 
B) about a third of the world's cars 
C) about a half of the world's cars 
D) about two thirds of the world's cars

Question 24

By the year 2020,the City of Ottawa plans to have some important new features in place to deal with the problem of urban sprawl.Which item does NOT belong in this list? 

A) a single large fully modernized airport placed well beyond the city limits 
B) a boundary around the city within which all city development will occur 
C) well-developed mass transit and rapid transit facilities 
D) mixed use neighbourhoods with nearby greenbelts

Question 25

What produces the loudest sound? 

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

Question 26

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 27

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 28

What is one advantage that a train might have over a bus in terms of mass transportation trade-offs.

A) Train systems cost less to develop and maintain than bus systems. 
B) Train schedules and routes tend to be more flexible than those of buses. 
C) Trains are relatively immune to rush-hour traffic problems. 
D) Trains are easier to reroute should route-blockage occur through accidents or construction.

Question 29

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

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

Question 30

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 31

What occurs as cities expand? 

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

Question 32

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 33

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 34

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

A) 10% 
B) 30% 
C) 60% 
D) 90%

Question 35

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 36

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 37

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

A) a cool pocket 
B) a heat island 
C) a dust bowl 
D) a biodiversity oasis

Question 38

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

A) 98% 
B) 88% 
C) 78% 
D) 68%

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT true of city life compared to rural life? In a city: 

A) infectious disease is less likely to spread. 
B) air pollution is likely to exist at higher levels. 
C) noise and light pollution are likely to be greater. 
D) water pollution is likely to be more concentrated and more dangerous.

Question 40

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 41

The attractive and commercially successful waterfront park in North Bay,Ontario,was reclaimed by rehabilitating a lakeside expanse of contaminated rail land.

Question 42

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

Question 43

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

Question 44

Urban sprawl often displaces prime farmland.

Question 45

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 46

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

Question 47

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 48

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 49

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

Question 50

Mass transit helps to create urban sprawl.

Question 51

What is one of the principles of new urbanism? 

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

Question 52

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

Question 53

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

Question 54

Most urban dwellers are subjected to noise pollution.

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

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 57

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

Question 58

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

Question 59

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

Question 60

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 61

IN/OUT

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

Question 62

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

Question 63

____________________ are the most widely used form of mass transit.

Question 64

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

Question 65

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 66

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

Question 67

A large unlit area that is set aside so that so that people such as astronomers,star gazers and nature lovers can clearly see the night sky is called a _________________________ preserve.

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

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

Question 70

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

Question 71

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

Question 72

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

Question 73

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

Question 74

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

Question 75

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

Question 76

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

Question 77

As cities grow and spread,separate urban areas can merge to form a(n)________________________.

Question 78

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

Question 79

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 80

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