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Urban sprawl, Las Vegas

Las Vegas, the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States, exemplifies the problems of rampant urban sprawl. As the gaming and tourism industry blossomed, so has the city’s population. In 1985, Las Vegas was home to 557 000 people, and was the 66th largest metropolitan area in the United States. In 2004, the Las Vegas-Paradise area was ranked 32nd in size, with a permanent population nearing 1.7 million. According to one estimate, it may double by 2015. Population growth has put a strain on water supplies.

Satellite imagery of Las Vegas provides a dramatic illustration of the spatial patterns and rates of change resulting from the city’s urban sprawl. The city covers the mainly green and grey areas in the centre of these images recorded in 1973 and 2000. Note the proliferation of roads and other infrastructure (the rectangular pattern of black lines) and the dramatic increase in irrigated areas.

Source: UNEP 2005b

Credit: UNEP 2005b

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However, consumption patterns in developing regions are also changing with the emergence of new economies and powers such as China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico. For example, vehicle ownership patterns illustrate the impact of changing consumption patterns. People put a high preference on car ownership as they become more affluent. Moreover, there has been a shift to heavier cars, equipped with an increas- ing number of energy demanding features, such as air conditioning and power windows, which add to a greater than expected growth in the use of energy by the transport sector. The grow- ing trend in vehicle ownership affects urban air quality, which has clear consequences for human health.

Number of passenger cars, by region

275 000 thousands

Europe Latin America and Caribbean Asia and the Pacific Africa

250 000

225 000

North America

200 000

West Asia

175 000

150 000

125 000

100 000

75 000

50 000

25 000

0

1986

1984

1996

1982

2004

1994

1990

1998

2000

1988

1992

1980

2002

Source: GEO Data Portal,

compiled from UNSD 2007a

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