Urban SprawlIn the United States of America

What is Urban SprawlUrban Sprawl is the unchecked spreading and growth of a city or its suburbs.

Urban Sprawl in the USA

Urban Sprawl in the cities: San JoseLook at the sprawl…

Urban Sprawl in the cities:Boston

Portland and the limiting of Urban Sprawl

Portland put a boundary line to urban sprawl. There could be no urban development beyond it.

Economic Impacts of Urban SprawlUrban Sprawl is not always checked and systematic. This isn’t very helpful for the economy.

Economic impact:The auto dependent development causes a lot of disadvantages including inefficient street layouts, car dependency and inadequate facilities.

Low density land useThis means that the housing built in sprawls are low density: one house- one family.

Increased infrastructure costs

Living in larger, more spread out spaces generally makes public services more expensive.

Environmental impacts

Urban sprawl can cause automobile dependency.

Increased Pollution and reliance on fossil fuel On average, suburban residents generate more per capita pollution and carbon emissions than their urban counterparts because of their increased driving.

Decrease in social capitalUrban sprawl may be partly responsible for the decline in social capital in the United States

Social Impact of Urban Sprawl

The term urban sprawl is usually used as a negative connotation because people in sprawling nations tend to drive more.

But there are positives..Many support the community structure of a suburb as opposed to a city as the pace of life is typically slower and space is not at such a premium.

Political ImpactsThere are groups against it.Some people say that urban sprawls are against the ‘American Dream’.

The Clinton AdministrationThe Clinton Administration and environmentalists warn that urban sprawl, or unregulated suburban development, undermines our quality of life.

However

Urban sprawl is a major part of America’s development and supports people who cannot find a place to live inside the metropolitan center.

SuggestionsI think this issue is a very delicate one.

Limit the sprawlIf you want the city to be healthy, there has to be a limit to its population and its growth.

Continued…

By doing this, the city can manage its expenses easily and can also be more efficient during keeping track of taxes. There will be good population control and more room for open space and agriculture, which every city requires.

Counter SolutionNot every city has to limit its urban sprawl.

Bibliography

1. "What Is Urban Sprawl?" WiseGEEK: Clear Answers for Common Questions. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-urban-sprawl.htm>.

2. "Metro: Urban Growth Boundary." Metro: Welcome to Metro. Web. 24 Jan. 2011. <http://www.metro-region.org/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=277>.

3. "Urban Sprawl: the Big Picture." NASA Science. Web. 25 Jan. 2011. <http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2002/11oct_sprawl/>.

4. Sprawl Guide: Problems with Sprawl (Environmental Impacts)." Planning Commissioners Journal. Web. 26 Jan. 2011.

5. <http://www.plannersweb.com/sprawl/prob_env.html>.

"Urban Sprawl." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_sprawl#Health_and_environmental_impact>.

6. "National Policy Analysis #239: The Campaign Against Urban Sprawl: Declaring War on the American Dream - April 1999." National Center for Public Policy Research - A Conservative Organization. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA239.html>.

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