for buying a home, companies moving and/or expanding where there is more
land available with workers following, perception of better schools and lower
crime, and aesthetics (more green lawns and less blight). Characteristics of urban
sprawl include:
- JOB SPRAWL—Job sprawl is characterized by low-density, geographically
spread-out patterns of employment, where the majority of jobs in a given
metropolitan area are located outside of the main city’s central business
district and increasingly in the suburban periphery. - LAND USE CONVERSION—Land for urban sprawl is often taken from
agricultural lands, which are/were often located immediately surrounding
cities. The extent of modern sprawl has consumed a large amount of the
most productive agricultural land as well as forest, and other wilderness,
areas. - LEAP FROG DEVELOPMENT—Developments are typically separated by large
greenbelts (i.e., tracts of undeveloped land), resulting in even lower
population densities. - LOW-DENSITY HOUSING—Most housing consists of single-family homes
built on large lots characterized by having fewer stories than homes found
in the city, spaced farther apart, and separated by lawns, landscaping,
and/or roads. - SINGLE-USE DEVELOPMENT—Commercial, residential, institutional, and
industrial areas are separated from one another. As a result, the places
where people live, work, shop, and seek recreation are far from one
another and generally require a car.
Environmental consequences of urban sprawl may include:
■ More surface flooding because of more impervious, paved surfaces
■ An increase in air temperatures because of the “heat island” effect
■ Decreases in natural areas and forests
■ Water pollution increases because of urban runoff and rainwater picking
up gasoline, motor oil, heavy metals, and other pollutants in runoff from
parking lots and roads.Smart Growth
Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation plan designed to slow
urban sprawl and concentrate growth in compact, walkable, “urban villages.” It