Last Friday, I was in two different suburban environments in Atlanta. Both are sprawl by any normal definition of the term - car-oriented environments where residential streets are separated from commerce, sidewalks are rare, and densities are low. But the two places are as different as sprawl and new urbanism.
Sprawl
ARB Climate Change Plan Criticized By Both Sides
The CA Air Resources Board unveiled its final ‘scoping plan’ to meet the climate change targets set in the landmark 2006 law, AB 32. Business groups condemned it for its costs while land use planners criticized it for not doing more to curb sprawl.
San Francisco Chronicle
Alps Endangered as Swiss Sprawl Spreads
Over the last 70 years, sprawl has rapidly taken over much of Switzerland, not just in suburban areas around cities, but also in the country's famous Alps.
SwissInfo
Three Perspectives on CA's 'Smart Growth' Bill
The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Sacramento Bee editorialize on the signing of SB 375, California's new landmark law that is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing vehicle miles traveled through better land use.
The New York Times
Rule-Bending Keeps Fresno Sprawling
Despite a 2002 General Plan update aimed at curbing sprawl in the Central California city of Fresno, repeated zoning amendments have allowed hundreds of developments to push the city's edge farther out into the fringe.
Fresno Bee
Military Sprawl in Afghanistan
The military presence in Afghanistan is expanding at a rapid pace, creating a military sprawl.
The National Post
Plan Approved to Un-Sprawl Tysons Corner
In an effort to recreate sprawling Tysons Corner into a dense urban environment, county supervisors have unanimously approved a plan to build higher, denser, more transit oriented and more walkable.
The Washington Post
Toronto's High-Rise Boom Could Mean End of Sprawl
Toronto is swimming in high-rise construction, with the second highest rate in the world. Some say this shift to the urban core spells the end of sprawl in Toronto.
Globe and Mail
Sprawl and Sewers
Sewage issues in Ottawa are bringing attention to the significant infrastructure problems associated with sprawl.
The Ottawa Citizen
Sprawlfighting in San Jose
San José, California, after decades of sprawl that left the region one of the least-dense cities in the state, is on track to densify their underused areas. As one planner put it, "The decision was, let's not build out anymore, let's build up."
The San Francisco Chronicle
Home Economics
Philip Langdon comments on the the economy of oil and its effects on urban design in the July/August issue of New Urban News.
New Urban News
Who fights for suburbia?
Tue, 07/22/2008 - 13:45
This morning, one of my listservs was aflutter with discussion of a new article by Joel Kotkin, attacking an alleged "war against the suburbs." According to Kotkin, this "war" consisted of Jerry Brown’s efforts to "compel residents to move to city centers." After reading Kotkin’s article, I couldn’t really figure out exactly what Brown was trying to do- and since I don’t live in California, it really isn’t that important to me.
However, it is important to realize that "smart growth" need not be the enemy of suburbs. Here’s why:
Oil Prices Aren't the Only Reason Sprawl is Dying
In this column, Richard Florida argues the decline in the popularity of suburbs is not just a product of rising oil prices, but a result of a new "spatial fix" that is reorganizing how and where people live their lives.
The Globe and Mail
EPA Criticizes Oregon Bridge Planners for Ignoring Sprawl
Federal regulators have criticized planners of a bridge expansion for not considering how the new bridge would induce sprawl and increase pollution.
The Oregonian
Sprawl to Blame for Disappearing Grass
A recent study by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources says sprawl is to blame for declining natural resources in Chesapeake Bay.
Delmarva Now
Bridge Expansion Plans Ignore Effects of Growth
Plans to build a new bridge over the Columbia River in Portland ignored projections that said the newer, bigger bridge would contribute to outward expansion of development from the metropolitan core.
The Oregonian
CA's Climate Change Mandate Will Drive Smart Growth
In what may be the silver lining of the current economic climate, high fuel costs and carbon restrained economies may spell the end for unsustainable planning and development patterns in California, according to Rick Cole, City Manager of Ventura.
The Planning Report
Is Urbanism to Blame For Social Alienation?
This commentary from ArchNewsNow wonders whether urbanism is really the cause of social alienation, not the cure.
ArchNewsNow
Are Churches Causing Sprawl?
By moving out to areas where planning approvals are faster, rapidly-expanding churches are creating suburban sprawl, according to a recent study from researchers at Ryerson University.
The Toronto Star
'Alarming' Increases In Shopping Center Vacancies
Empty retail space increased dramatically over the last six months, according to data compiled by commercial real estate brokers and investment advisors.
Home Town Advantage Bulletin
