Whenever people talk about social problems and how to fix them, you will undoubtedly here someone ask whether the problem is truly a problem or just a symptom of a deeper societal ill. I contend that urban sprawl in the Lower Mainland is not only the problem, but is also the cause of several other social ills facing the people of Vancouver and the suburbs. Pollution from automobiles, high costs of living, environmental degradation, poor diets and homelessness are among others can all be at least partially attributed to urban sprawl.
I decided that thinking about some of these other issues might be a good way to gain greater understanding of this problem. By looking at potential solutions implemented to solve these other “problems” and deciding whether they could have any effect on limiting urban sprawl, I hope to find new ways of looking at the main cause of agricultural land destruction.
A Change in our Eating Habits
The first attempted solution I chose to look at was originally targeted at reducing pollution from transportation and improving the diets, and consequentially the health, of people. Through locally based diets like the 100 mile diet (http://100milediet.org/), people are encouraged to only eat food produced/grown within 100 miles of their home.
Now, how can this solution help reduce urban sprawl. As I have talked about earlier, one of the main causes of urban sprawl is the comparatively low value of agricultural real estate. This low value is a result of the death of the local agricultural industry at the hands of cheap imported produce. This change in consumption and spending habits of the majority of the population has significantly harmed the market for local food producers. I believe that this type of diet, if widely adopted could have a significant mitigating effect on urban sprawl. This is where we run into problems. Plain-and-simple, this type of solution cannot be sustainable and significant in its effects if it is not practiced by a majority of the population.
Now, let’s look a little deeper into whether a systematic adaption of this diet is likely or even possible. There is no doubt that there is an opportunity for this solution to catch-on. People are aware that the processed food they eat is bad for them and that the food found in grocery stores travels thousands of miles to get to them. There is also the pro-local sentiment that typically radiates through society. People are typically more willing to help out a local business than they are a foreign corporation. The problem is, that this solution lacks the people and capital needed to make it a success. The failing agricultural industry has be left without any advocacy funds and big business are the ones that are benefiting. These type of widespread adoptions of new lifestyles typically take a lot of money and a lot of people advocating, neither of which are at the disposal of the parties involved.
While the current and future expected adoption of this diet may allow the survival of select niche agricultural producers, I believe it is highly unlikely that this type of solution will result in significant portions of the provinces agricultural land becoming sustainable.
A New Way of Living
……………… Stay tuned for the next possible solution………….
Are you comfortable eating a 3000 mile caesar salad? Would you prefer to eat locally produced fruits and vegetables it they were readily available? Would you pay extra to avoid this food commute?
Kind of a catch 22 eh? Agricultural land is worth far less than industrial or residential because of the low profit in the agricultural sector. Yet, we can afford to buy lettuce that is fresh off atruck from California. Sounds a change in agricultural policy is needed.
