Sustainable Urban Planning

land-use patterns, defining the location of the ‘quasi-urban quasi-
rural’ problematic – the diseconomies and inconveniences of
sprawl, the erosion of tourism attraction, resource degradations,
and a loss of rural productiveness.
Dividing the urban-rural area into two parts, Bryant, Russ-
wurm and McLellan (1992) define an ‘inner fringe’ which
includes land of rural appearance which has been zoned in for
eventual urban purposes, and against which arguments for the
retention of rural character is futile, and an ‘outer fringe’ of rural
land into which the infiltration of urban components is in com-
petition with agricultural, recreational and tourism needs. In rela-
tion to both parts of the quasi-urban estate the initial infiltration
includes hobby-farm, lifestyle (broad acre) and semi-self-
sufficient occupation by urban-focused occupiers. Desires for
privacy, the exercise of choice, extensive land proprietorship, easy
access from blacktop roads, and the wish to be identified as
residing in rural Arcadia, leads to the creation of urban-rural ‘res-
idential’ environments. There are also the more legitimate yet
awkward bulk acreage demands, at low-acreage cost, for animal
kennelling, rubbish recycling, auto wrecking, garden sales,
lumber sales, and horse-training.
Policies and plans for urban containment abound; yet quasi-urban extensions,
driven by market demand against the trend of most planning recommendations,
also abound. As a consequence most urban containment endeavours for both met-
ropolitan and non-metropolitan cities are characterized by regulation entangle-
ment and failure. Because of this, a clear ‘rural-urban landmark’ identity is
underscored as the centrepiece to successful urban-rural pattern management.

Growth Pattern Management 157

Figure 4.3 Periphery-to-centre city montage

An authoritative

examination of the

struggle to manage

urban-rural patterning,

together with a review

of push-pull factors, and

concluding with growth

management practice

options, is given by Tom

DanielsWhen City and

Country Collide (1999).

Here is Tom Daniels on

sprawl into the urban

fringe: ‘Communities face

a long run death-by-

halves. The first twenty-

year comprehensive plan

envisions the

development of only half

of the [rural into urban]

area, and the zoning

ordinance then carries

out that scenario. Twenty

years later....’