University of Adelaide Research Proposal: Urban Sprawl Effects

This research proposal examines the effects of urban sprawl on Adelaide, Australia. The study aims to understand the social, political, and environmental impacts of urban expansion. It begins with an introduction outlining the background and rationale for the research, highlighting Adelaide's urban growth and its implications. The proposal sets out specific aims and objectives, along with research questions addressing the negative impacts and the ways in which urban sprawl affects Adelaide and Australia. A literature review explores existing research on urban sprawl, its causes, and its consequences, particularly focusing on environmental concerns, health impacts, and political considerations. The methodology section outlines the research philosophy (positivism) and data collection methods (quantitative surveys and secondary data analysis). The proposal also includes a research timeline, discusses ethical considerations, and provides a list of references. The study intends to contribute to the understanding of urban sprawl in Adelaide, offering insights into the challenges and potential solutions for sustainable urban planning. The research is expected to be completed within 24 weeks and will use quantitative research methods to analyze the data and address the research questions. The proposal concludes by emphasizing the study's significance in addressing the challenges faced by Adelaide due to urban sprawl.

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Effects of urban sprawling on the Adelaide city
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Background of the study........................................................................................................2
Rationale of the study.............................................................................................................3
Aims and objectives...............................................................................................................3
Research questions.................................................................................................................3
Literature review........................................................................................................................4
Methods and methodology.........................................................................................................6
Research philosophy..............................................................................................................6
Data collection method..........................................................................................................7
Data analysis method.............................................................................................................7
Limitations of the study........................................................................................................8
Ethical considerations............................................................................................................8
Research timeline.....................................................................................................................10
Reference..................................................................................................................................11

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Abstract
The aim of this paper is to develop the proposal on the issue of effects of the urban sprawling
on the city of Adelaide. This study is significant due to the fact that urban sprawling is one of
the most crucial aspects of the new urban planning. It is also significant due to the fact that
Adelaide is one of the cities with the higher rate of growth of the outgoing population. It has
been observed that the city of Adelaide has been the centre of discussion due to the growth of
the “greater Adelaide”. This growth of urban sprawling has led to the process of loss of
biodiversity and other social and political issues. The aim of this study will be focusing on
the issue of the challenges faced due to the problem of urban sprawling in the context of the
city of Adelaide. This study will be helpful in deriving the knowledge about the present
literature on the issue of such concern and the existing gaps in the them. This will be
developing the new body of knowledge in the context of Adelaide which is expected to be
completed within the period of 24 weeks. This study will be completed within the due time
following the quantitative research method.

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Introduction
Background of the study
The aim of the paper is to prepare the proposal for the purpose understanding the issue of
effects of urban sprawl on the Adelaide city. Urban sprawl is defined as the expansion of the
urban city and become more and more chaotic. One of the negative impacts of the process of
urban sprawling is high land use due to low population density (Amirinejad et al. 2018).
There are number of social, political and environmental impacts on the urban and suburban
areas due to the unplanned expansion of the city to different parts of the outskirts of the
main city. What is important here is that the expansion of the city does not necessarily mean
it is growing; instead it is the process of transient form the modern city to the new sprawling
city(Hsu et al. 2015). The negative impacts of the sprawling city have been previously
discussed in the journal of Environment and management. According to the previous study,
the issue of urban sprawling is the extension of the city to the outskirts of the city in an
unplanned and non-systematic manner and it is the geographical separation of the commercial
places of the city. One of the environmental impacts of then urban sprawling is the high
dependence on the impervious service areas in watershed zones(Jiao et al. 2015). It is also
important to note in case of Australia, the impact of the same has been negatively impacting
the environment to a great extent. It has been argued people inability to afford the standards
housing in the main cities and areas have been acting as a force to push them to the edge of
the city (McGuirk et al. 2016). However what has been crucial in this regard is the fact that
environmental concerns are the only major issues impacting the Australia, it is also the
political issue of people who want to sprawl and those who do not want to. Hence it is
important to highlight the issue of urban sprawling in the contest of the Adelaide city in
order to understand the different dimensions of the its impact on the issue.

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Rationale of the study
The rationale of the study is to look into the issue of the impact of urban sprawling in the
context of Adelaide city since it is important to understand the issue form the point of view of
fact that Adelaide has been on the rank of the most liveable cities of the world and the issue
of urban sprawling in this context has pushed the suburban boundaries from the north to the
south. Hence it has been observed that there is a growing concern for the city to look into the
issues of vibrant and densely populated city with the population of 1.43 million people and
one of the most slowest growing cities and it is significant to understand the underlying
factors of the same(Molinari 2016). This study will be looking into the issue of urban
sprawling within the context of Australia and in reference to the city of Adelaide.
Aims and objectives
The aim of the study is to look into the issue of impact of urban sprawling in the context of
the Adelaide city. This study will include the following objectives:
 To understand the current impact of urban sprawling in terms of their social, political
and environmental impacts
 To analyse the issue from the point of view of their positive and negative impacts
 To recommend the ways in which such impacts are to be reduced from impacting in
the city of Adelaide.
Research questions
RQ1. What are the negative impacts of urban sprawling in the city of Adelaide?

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RQ2. How and in what ways the issue of urban sprawling is impacting Adelaide in particular
and Australia in general.
Literature review
The idea of the expansion of the city and the suburbs has been one of the most challenging
issues of the new century. It is the process of people moving out of the cities and the towns to
the low density based land of the outskirts. It is also the process of moving out of the city in
order to find out a better place to stay. One of the reasons for the overcrowding of the suburb
areas of the main city has been the problem of urban sprawl(Amirinejad et al. 2018). Some of
the reasons of urban sprawl are : lower land rate in the areas of suburbs. It has been observed
that some of the parts of the cities under the urban development have left people with very
less option for the purpose of settling in the city , in such cases people move out of the cities
in order to find cheaper rates land and settle there(New 2018). Second important factor in
this regard has been improved infrastructure of the urban areas which is one of the important
factors which create values for the outskirts or the suburbs of the city. However what has
drawn the attention of the people towards this issue is the lack of urban planning. This has
acted as the boon for the development of the new sprawling city (O'Hanlon 2018). It has also
been noted that the less traffic and more calm advantages of the city has been one of the
issues of huge population. Moreover lower taxes are another issue of large number of
population attracting towards the new development of the extended city (Wadduwage et al.
2017). However what is important here is to note are the negative impacts that urban
sprawling has created in terms of the environmental factors. In case of the environmental
factors impacting the city are;

6RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Loss of wildlife habitat: there are areas with large diversity of wildlife resources which are
impacted by the rapid development of the city outside the main areas of the same. This has
led the loss of the rich variety of resources for the areas surrounding Adelaide. Moreover it is
also important to note the impacts of the extended city is not just environmental, it is equally
impacting the health of the suburbs(Amirinejad et al. 2018). For example, people in the
suburbs are largely dependent on the vehicles for transportation which is associated with the
lower physical activity and higher risk of obesity. It has been previously observed that
people living in the suburbs are more likely to have to have health related risks than the
people living in the main city(Kelobonye et al. 2019). It is due to the factor of high
dependence on the automobiles even for the short trips. In case of the political consequences
of the same, it is crucial to understand that the beyond the control of the main city there are
number less chances of voicing the opinion of the people who moved out and city will
remain more concentrated for the majorities at power. In this case, it is also important here to
consider the fact increased public expenditure is one of the factors likely to impact the
government of the city since building the required infrastructure becomes difficult at this
juncture. It is also important to consider the fact that the pressure on the government is one
such issues that requires the government to undertake extra measure to be undertaken.
In terms of the health issues, it is important to note that there is large impact in their social
lives since people they are moving out at a faster rate and any form of development of the
social ties are becoming one of the most challenging issues for the people who are moving
out (Amirinejad et al. 2018). There are also higher chances of facing isolation and loneliness.
In this context, it is crucial to understand the same in the context of the city of Adelaide. This
particular site is important to consider the fact that Adelaide is one of the fastest growing
household beyond the central area of the city. Moreover the city is growing into what is
known as the “greater Adelaide”. One of the characteristics of this expansion is the growth of

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population and the acceptance of the refugees seeking refuge in the outskirts of the city.
Hence it is one of the concerns for the city to cater to the needs of the people who are
adopting the process of urban sprawling.
Methods and methodology
Research philosophy
For the purpose of study, it is essential to undertake on of the theoretical framework to
systematically conduct the same. There are three predominant frameworks of every research
study namely realism, interpretivism and the positivism. This research study will be
undertaking the positivism framework due to the following reasons. The positivism approach
it helps us to conduct the research undertaking a systematic method. This study is also
important for the purpose of having a logical structure that allows the study to be in-depth at

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the same time(Panneerselvam 2014). The other two frameworks will be rejected due to the
fact that positivism is based on a scientific approach to then study while in case of the
interpretivism method , it is more of understanding the issue from a scientific perspective.
Hence undertaking the positivist framework, this study will be focusing on the issue of urban
sprawling in the context of the city of Adelaide.
Data collection method
For the purpose of the research, this study will be based on the quantitative research method
of data collection. The quantitative method of the use of numbers in order to identify the
desired results. For the quantitative data collection, surveys, observations and secondary data
collection is considered. In order to find out impact of urban sprawling, the quantitative
survey method will be taken into consideration which has the advantage of having large
sample size(Mackey et al. 2015). The survey would be based on the survey based question of
the population of the suburban city of Adelaide. Along with the quantitative data collection
of the chosen population, this paper will be developing the secondary data collection from the
books and peer-reviewed journals for the purpose of substantiating the primary data
collected(Simonsohn et al. 2017). This literature review is helpful in understanding of the
viewpoints of the other authors on the issues of urban sprawling. For the above mentioned
data collection, questionnaire would be based on formulating close ended questions and with
number of options in order to understand the viewpoints of the respondents.
Data analysis method
Data analysis is one of the most significant parts of the research method. It is significant to
undertaken the most suitable method of data analysis. For the purpose of the quantitative data
analysis, there are number of statistical method of analysing the same along with the

9RESEARCH PROPOSAL
statistical tools of analysis, cluster analysis is also undertaken(Smith 2015). The aim of the
cluster analyses would be to look into the identifying the relationship between the number of
variables and subjects of the study. This process is essential for formulation of hypothesis
which is required to be tested in order to understand the genuineness of the findings. The aim
of these data collections is to result from the quantifiable data set.
Limitations of the study
Irrespective of being well deigned, there are number of limitations for every research. Firstly
it is important to consider the fact that the issue of time constraints can restrict the scope of
the study. Due to the less availability of time, it might become difficult to find the results in
the given time. it is also significant to understand the that availability of the primary data
can become more difficult within the given time since the respondents might not respond
according to the expectation or the withdraw in between. In case of the secondary data
collection, some of the sources may not be collected or unavailable for the time being which
is restrictive of the scope of the study.
Ethical considerations
There are certain ethical issues of every research studies like honesty and integrity. It is also
essential to ensure that confidentiality is maintained throughout the research since
respondents might not find it right to reveal their identity(Smith 2015). Hence their identity
would be made strictly confidential for the purpose since the nature of the study is strictly
academic. It is also important for the purpose of the study to ensure that the respondents are
not forced for their opinion or to participate in the survey process. Moreover in order to
maintain integrity through the study, it is essential to take the required permission for the
purpose form the respective authority in order to avoid any breach of law. It is also essential

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to understand the fact that secondary research finding will be referenced in order to avoid
the issue of plagiarism(Smith 2015). Lastly the survey will be completed considering the
legality of every step undertaken.

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Research timeline
Activities 1st
to 3rd
Week
4th
to 10th
week
11t
h to
13th
Week
14t
h to
17th
Week
18th
to 21st
Week
22
nd to
23rd
Week
24th
Week
Selection of the topic 
Data collection from
secondary sources
 
Creating layout 
Literature review   
Analysis and
interpretation of
collected data
  
Findings of the data  
Conclusion of the
study

Formation of draft  
Submission of final
work

Gantt chart
Created by the author

12RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Reference
Amirinejad, G., Donehue, P. and Baker, D., 2018. Ambiguity at the peri-urban interface in
Australia. Land use policy, 78, pp.472-480.
Hsu, K.C., Lai, T.Y. and Li, C.N., 2015. Why is there an urban pattern toward sprawling
development?. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Urban Design and
Planning, 169(4), pp.200-208.
Jiao, L., 2015. Urban land density function: A new method to characterize urban
expansion. Landscape and Urban Planning, 139, pp.26-39.
Kelobonye, K., Xia, J.C., Swapan, M.S.H., McCarney, G. and Zhou, H., 2019. Drivers of
Change in Urban Growth Patterns: A Transport Perspective from Perth, Western
Australia. Urban Science, 3(2), p.40.
Mackey, A. and Gass, S.M., 2015. Second language research: Methodology and design.
Routledge.
McGuirk, P.M., Bulkeley, H. and Dowling, R., 2016. Configuring urban carbon governance:
insights from Sydney, Australia. Annals of the American association of geographers, 106(1),
pp.145-166.
Molinari, A., 2016. Urban sprawl in Australia: an analysis of Sydney urban plans and related
debate.
New, T.R., 2018. Promoting and developing insect conservation in Australia's urban
environments. Austral Entomology, 57(2), pp.182-193.
O'Hanlon, S., 2018. City Life: The New Urban Australia. NewSouth.

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Panneerselvam, R., 2014. Research methodology. PHI Learning Pvt.Ltd..
Simonsohn, U., Nelson, L. and Simmons, J., 2017. Research Methodology, Design, and
Analysis. Annual Review of Psychology, 69(1).
Smith, J.A. ed., 2015. Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. Sage.
Vaioleti, T.M., 2016. Talanoa research methodology: A developing position on Pacific
research. Waikato Journal of Education, 12(1).
Wadduwage, S., Millington, A., Crossman, N.D. and Sandhu, H., 2017. Agricultural land
fragmentation at urban fringes: an application of urban-to-rural gradient analysis in
Adelaide. Land, 6(2), p.28.