The Connection Between Sprawl and Global Warming
Robert Steuteville comments on a California lawsuit and its connection to sprawl, the environment, and energy use.
"California has been a leader in state action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and now the Golden State is going after one of the most important and least recognized causes of global warming: suburban development patterns."
"In order to understand that connection, sprawl needs to be clearly defined. One of the most vigorous defenders of sprawl, Robert Bruegmann, a University of Illinois professor who has written a book titled Sprawl: A Compact History, defines it so broadly — essentially, any outward growth in a metropolis — that the term loses all meaning."
"It’s true that there has always been growth on the outskirts of settlements — and sometimes that growth has been relatively spread out at first. The peripheral growth may be suburban, but not necessarily sprawl. Historically, the outward growth was walkable and included a mixture of uses."
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Defining Urban Sprawl
I have often said that Brueggman uses a phony definition of sprawl to prove that it is inevitable, and that the term "urban sprawl" was actually invented in the 1950s by WH Whyte to describe the new form of settlement that became common in the US after World War II.
I am glad to see that this essay makes the same point:
Robert Bruegmann, a University of Illinois professor who has written a book titled Sprawl: A Compact History, defines it so broadly — essentially, any outward growth in a metropolis — that the term loses all meaning.
...
Sprawl is a particular form of outward development that began in the 20th Century and was designed to accommodate automobiles to the exclusion of other transportation modes. It is characterized by separated uses, disconnected street patterns, plenty of surface parking, and arterial roads with high design speeds. It also tends to be extremely low in density.
Charles Siegel