Redirecting Sprawl

"A policy issue is often helped by being framed in direct language. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell contributed to the cause of smart growth earlier this month when he told developers (as reported in The Philadelphia Bulletin), 'What you have to do is redirect sprawl.'"

"Speaking at a brownfields forum sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers, Mr. Rendell said that instead of paving large swaths of undeveloped fields and farms, as has happened for decades in his state and ours, developers should redirect development to sites that have closed factories or other defunct businesses on them."

"Advocates for smart growth often cite the need for 'infill development.' But 'redirect sprawl' gets the message across better. One of the aspects of smart growth that is sometimes forgotten is — growth. To redirect sprawl is emphatically to keep growing, but in places that don't waste energy, add to traffic congestion or ruin the view."