Review of Sprawl: A Compact History

"Mr. Bruegmann, a professor of urban planning and art history at the University of Illinois, takes every assumption about "sprawl" -- a pejorative to be sure -- and turns it on its head. Many of the characteristics associated with sprawl -- such as low-density development and lack of regional or public-use planning -- he argues, have been present in prosperous cities since the beginning of urban history. They are the natural effects of a city's gaining economic maturity -- not the recent consequence of vulgar Americans insisting on living in monstrous, single-use homes, as many sprawl detractors purport. As Mr. Bruegmann persuasively demonstrates, people and businesses have always had good reasons for wanting to leave the city."

Thanks to Wendell Cox