Sprawl

How the Built Environment Became a Leading Cause of Death in the 21st Century

Writing for the Well blog, Jane Brody traces the direct link between 20th century development patterns and the leading causes of disease and death. Put simply, public health is the biggest challenge facing planners today.

1 February 2012 - 10:00am

The New York Times

Denver Debates Closing the Beltway

The 102-mile circle that would become the Denver beltway sees no sign of completion as one city--one of Colorado's oldest--vociferously opposes it. But, at a regional level, it may be too late to curb decentralization and sprawl.

17 January 2012 - 2:00pm

The New York Times

Maryland Governor Outmaneuver Foes To Adopt New Master Plan

Over "vehement objections from Republicans", Maryland's Governor uses a 37-year-old law to implement the state's master plan. Called Plan Maryland, the plan is focused on controlling the state's rapid growth.

2 January 2012 - 9:00am

Maryland governor signs land-use order

The Metabolism of the Urban Web

Regular Planetizen contributors Nikos Salingaros and Michael Mehaffy get deep into the importance of network connectivity in cities and the reasons why sprawl is incredibly ineffective.

19 December 2011 - 12:00pm

Metropolis

Diagnosing Sprawl...in 1959

A prophetic film from 1959 offers a diagnosis of the causes and emerging challenges associated with what came to be known as urban sprawl.

16 December 2011 - 1:00pm

ULI via You Tube

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1 comment

Readers Respond To Leinberger's 'Death of Fringe Suburb'

The Times published three responses to op-eds by Leinberger and anti-sprawl contributor, Louise A. Mozingo. Univ. of IL urban planning professor and author Robert Bruegmann and Carnegie Endowment director Shin-Pei Tsay present contrasting viewpoints.

12 December 2011 - 6:00am

The New York Times - Letters To Editor

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2 comments

Walmart Talks Sustainability, But Keeps Sprawling

Walmart talks big about climate action, but its land-use strategy is anything but climate-friendly: It builds massive new stores on virgin land in sprawling areas, then abandons them in favor of still newer, still bigger stores, says Stacy Mitchell.

2 December 2011 - 7:00am

Grist

From Sprawl to Complete Communities

Galina Tachieva's new Sprawl Repair Manual creates a narrative and visual process for making suburbs more sustainable. The book's first chapter is available now online.

11 October 2011 - 8:00am

Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built & Natural Environments

Sprawl is Holding the Recovery Back

A new report from Strong Towns Initiative argues that sprawl-friendly policies and overbuilt infrastructure are keeping the economy from properly recovering.

9 October 2011 - 1:00pm

New Urban Network

The Rise and Fall of the Cul-de-Sac

In the 1930s, The Federal Housing Authority embraced the trend towards cul-de-sacs, decrying the standard street grid as monotonous and unsafe. Norman Garrick and Wesley Marshall have proven otherwise.

19 September 2011 - 11:00am

The Atlantic Cities

Maryland Lays Out Plan to Combat Sprawl

A large chunk of the state's developed land is designated as low to very low single-family residential, which explains an exceptionally high percentage of workers who commute to work alone. PlanMaryland seeks to change this unsustainable trend.

16 September 2011 - 9:00am

The Atlantic

Michael Lewyn

The false hope of comprehensive planning

Thu, 09/15/2011 - 08:53

It is conventional wisdom in some circles that “comprehensive planning” and sprawl are polar opposites- that planning is the enemy of sprawl.

But in fact, a comprehensive plan is almost as likely as a zoning code to be pro-sprawl. Many of the land use policies that make suburbs automobile-dependent (such as wide roads, long blocks, low density, single-use zoning, etc.) can just as easily be found in a comprehensive plan.

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Homes in Snohomish Suburbs and Exurbs Suffer

Mark Hinshaw writes that back in 2006, developers were snatching up any bit of undeveloped land in Snohomish County, WA. Today, those far-flung projects have suffered much more than inner-city developments.

8 September 2011 - 8:00am

Crosscut

Tom Low's Vision for De-Sprawling Charlotte

With foreclosure rates high and car-dependent development spreading, Charlotte might want to start listening to new urbanist Tom Low, according to this article.

27 July 2011 - 10:00am

Charlotte Magazine

Quality Housing Stands the Test of Time

Patrick Kennedy stresses the importance of quality over quantity in residential housing by comparing houses in McKinney, North Texas, with those on Swiss Avenue near Downtown Dallas.

22 July 2011 - 10:00am

D Magazine

If High-Speed Rail is Made, Will Riders Come?

Dan Leavitt, California High-Speed Rail Authority’s deputy director, says Calif. can either be at the whim of 'market-driven sprawl,' or high-speed rail can revolutionize the state. Yet, arguments for getting people to ride rail are contentious.

21 July 2011 - 1:00pm

The New York Times

Subsidizing Sprawl Through Relocation Tax Breaks

A new study from the nonprofit research center Good Jobs First looks into how relocation tax breaks for businesses have encouraged sprawl in the Cleveland and Cincinnati metropolitan areas.

9 July 2011 - 11:00am

Crain's Cleveland Business

California Law Doesn't Stop Sprawl

A draft report from San Diego reveals that California's SB 375 law, which passed in 2008, was ineffective in reducing sprawl in the long term, Ethan Elkind writes for the UCLA UC Berkeley Legal Planet blog.

7 July 2011 - 9:00am

Legal Planet

Shrinkage Moving Too Slowly in Rust Belt Town

Rust Belt poster child Youngstown, Ohio made waves almost a decade ago with its revolutionary plan for "controlled shrinkage." But progress has been slow in a political system still wired for growth.

5 July 2011 - 2:00pm

Streetsblog Capitol Hill

Dwindling Sprawl: The End is Near for Suburbia

As mobile technology is fast becoming more mainstream, Urban Land Institute's CEO Patrick Phillips envisages more mixed-use developments in the next decade.

20 June 2011 - 8:00am

The Wall Street Journal