Population Increase and Sustainability Issues

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Recommended: Literature review on causes and impacts of traffic congestion

Sustainability issues go hand in hand with increases in population, “urban sprawl”. Phoenix continues to see an increase in population growth and thus a sustainability issue that has arisen from such growth is traffic congestion. Having too many cars on the road, cars traveling at lower speeds, and having longer trip times then in previous years causes traffic congestion (Frias, 2007). Traffic congestion in Phoenix is observed from a local spatial scale as Phoenix is composed of many suburbs. It is important to look at the history of this problem, as it seems to go hand in hand with urban sprawl. The more spread out Phoenix has become; the more traffic congestion seems to prevail (Frias, 2007). From 1982 to 1999 traffic congestion nearly doubled in all metropolitan areas (Downs 2005). The evolution of traffic congestion has also grown with the dependency on the automobile as being the primary source of transportation (Downs, 2005). Temporally the issue of traffic congestion will be examined over the last two decades. Traffic congestion is a wicked problem; it meets each of the six characteristics to be considered such.

Characteristic 1: Vague Problem Definition
Any one who has to commute would be considered a primary stakeholder as traffic congestion plays a part in their daily routine, taking time out of their lives, adding to their stress levels, or the increasing their chance of being involved in an automobile accident due to more vehicles being on the road (Downs, 2005). Public officials are another stakeholder group as they determine what funds and resources have to be allocated to transportation issues (Cox, 2000). Residents of Phoenix and its suburbs are stakeholders because public health is at risk due to the...

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... seen businesses go under during the construction of the light rail and the very community change as more and more developments are constructed. This is a problem that needs to be solved because it has effects in so many areas. People should care because if they live in Phoenix traffic congestion has a direct effect on their health, their economy, and their lives. No one wants to spend more time in a car then necessary, no one wants to breathe in more pollution then necessary, and no one wants to pay increasing gas prices. More questions remain as far as solutions to this problem. What is the perfect combination of solutions to solve this wicked problem? How can dependency on the automobile be reduced when society is so accustomed to using their cars? It gets so hot in Phoenix that temperature must also be a factor when considering transportation alternatives.

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