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Urban sprawl (also called suburban sprawl) describes the growth of a metropolitan area, particularly the suburbs, over a large area. In examples of this phenomena, such as Los Angeles, California, new development is often low-density, where the metropolis grows outward instead of 'upward' as with higher densities. Environmentalists and an increasing number of urban planners deplore urban sprawl for several reasons.
In 1990, Atlanta,
Georgia was noted in the United States as the city with the largest sprawl area, with 701 mile˛ (1,815 km˛) of urban development. The Atlanta metropolitan area has a population of 3.8 million
persons. In contrast, Hong Kong fits a population of 7.3 million persons in 421
mile˛ (1,090 km˛).
Arguments for and against
By many measures, real estate development is taken as a measure of progress. When a city grows laterally, new
homes are built, transportation
projects are undertaken, and property values often are higher in the new areas of the metropolitan area. In addition, many Americans--especially
middle and upper class families--have shown preferences for the suburban lifestyle. Reasons cited include a preference towards
lower-density development, better schools, and lower crime rates (even though car-related fatalities often make it more dangerous
to live in the suburbs than in the city).
Yet after an explosion of sprawl in the later half of the 20th century in the United States, some drawbacks have emerged towards this growth pattern. When citizens live in a larger space,
often at a lower density, car usage often becomes endemic and public transport often becomes infeasible, forcing city planners to build
large highway and parking infrastructure. In addition, urban sprawl often consumes land that would other
be used for "natural" purposes, such as wildlife preserves, forests, and agriculture. Detractors of sprawl often
espouse smart growth and/or New Urbanism.
Examples in the United States
In the United States, about 2.2 million acres (8,900 km˛) of land are added to urban areas. But urban sprawl does not always
imply population growth or indicate an influx of immigration. For example,
between 1970 to 1990, the population of Detroit, Michigan
declined by 8% while its land area increased by 28%. Similar cases include the American cities of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, New York
City, Cleveland, Ohio, and Buffalo, New York. At the same time, the urban cores of these and other major cities experienced
the related phenomenon of white flight. However most believe that there
exists a correlation between the area of sprawl and population growth.
On the other hand, Portland, Oregon passed laws in 1973 limiting the area the city could occupy--essentially marking the largest possible area of the
city and suburbs. After the creation of this boundary, population density increased by 53%. However, the city still sprawled an
additional 39 miles (63 km) through the next decade, witnessing a population growth of 146,000.
See also
External links
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