AP Human Geography Flashcards: Challenges of Urban Sustainability
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
List six key challenges to urban sustainability.
Major challenges include suburban sprawl, sanitation, climate change, air and water quality, the large ecological footprint of cities, and energy use.
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List six key challenges to urban sustainability.
Major challenges include suburban sprawl, sanitation, climate change, air and water quality, the large ecological footprint of cities, and energy use.
What is the goal of regional planning efforts in promoting urban sustainability?
Regional planning efforts aim to coordinate policies across different municipalities to manage challenges like suburban sprawl and protect shared environmental resources.
How do farmland protection policies attempt to address urban sustainability?
Farmland protection policies address sustainability by limiting development on agricultural lands, which helps to contain suburban sprawl and preserve open space.
What is the purpose of an urban growth boundary (UGB)?
An urban growth boundary is a planning tool used to curb suburban sprawl by setting a line beyond which urban development is not permitted.
Identify four specific responses or planning efforts used to address urban sustainability challenges.
Responses include regional planning efforts, remediation and redevelopment of brownfields, establishment of urban growth boundaries, and farmland protection policies.
What is suburban sprawl?
Suburban sprawl is the expansion of low-density development outward from urban centers, which is a significant challenge to urban sustainability.
In the context of urban sustainability, what are sanitation and water quality challenges?
These are challenges related to managing waste, providing clean drinking water, and preventing pollution in urban waterways, which become more difficult with dense populations.
What are brownfields?
Brownfields are previously developed lands, such as former industrial sites, that are not currently in use. Their remediation and redevelopment is a strategy to promote urban sustainability.
Why is a city's large ecological footprint a challenge to sustainability?
A large ecological footprint is a challenge because it signifies high consumption of energy, water, and other resources that exceeds the capacity of the city's local environment.
A city converts an abandoned, contaminated rail yard into a new mixed-use development with parks. What urban sustainability strategy does this exemplify?
This action exemplifies the remediation and redevelopment of brownfields, a key response to urban sustainability challenges.