Issue: Pressures created by human settlements on the environment - Urban form
This is an issue under the Human settlements theme of the Data Reporting System.
Why we need to know about this issue
Human settlements exert pressure on the environment by extracting resources from it and by generating wastes and emissions. As population grows and human settlements expand the demands for resources as well as the amount of wastes generated increase. The form and pattern of a settlement also influence its environmental performance and thereby determine the amount of pressure exerted by the settlement on the environment.
Indicators
- LD-15 Area and proportion of land surface occupied by human settlements, structures and activities that support human settlement
The amount of urbanised area and changes in this area over time is an indicator of the level and rate of use of land by human settlements. - CO-30 Length and area of coastal and estuarine foreshore altered for human purposes
The impact of human settlements on coastal habitats and ecosystems depends considerably on the form of that urban development.
Related issues
- Coasts and Oceans - Direct pressure of human activities on coasts and oceans- Direct pressure of coastal activities (other than shipping and fishing)
- Land - Contributions of land to human life- Space occupied by human activities
Key
Links to another web site
Links to data in the DRS
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