Sprawl

Curing Ills in Suburban Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia, has its own brand of suburban sprawl: suburbia without the space. A new comprehensive plan aims to address the woes of suburban Melbourne, but some say it doesn't go far enough.

12 May 2008 - 7:00am

The Age

Candidates Sit Idly While Sprawl Thrives and Cities Die

This piece from The Cleveland Free Times argues that policy can and does encourage sprawl, and none of the candidates running for president will do anything to combat these policies. Meanwhile, American cities will continue to die off.

9 May 2008 - 9:00am

The Cleveland Free Times

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2 comments

Orange County, China

The extent of China's embrace of American-style suburbanization is best illustrated by one of its newest gated communities, which is actually called Orange County.

7 May 2008 - 11:00am

Good

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2 comments

Planning System Needs to Look at the 'Big Picture'

Officials in Melbourne, Australia, are so frustrated with the city's lackluster planning process that they are pushing for the creation of a new planning authority -- one they hope will look at the "big picture".

6 May 2008 - 1:00pm

The Age

Debating L.A.'s Growth, Traffic and Transit

The Transit Coalition's Bart Reed and USC planning Professor Peter Gordon debate transit and traffic in L.A. in this five-part point-counterpoint series.

6 May 2008 - 5:00am

The Los Angeles Times

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10 comments

Michael Lewyn

Two kinds of sprawl

Mon, 05/05/2008 - 07:33

Once every few semesters, I teach a seminar on "Sprawl and the Law." On the first day of the seminar, I ask students what "sprawl" is. After getting a variety of answers, I reveal the truth: most definitions of sprawl involve one of two separate definitions:

"Where we grow"- Sprawl as movement from the core to the fringe of a region.

"How we grow"- Sprawl as development oriented towards drivers as opposed to nondrivers.

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older posts

Despite The Best Intentions, Sprawl Continues In Oregon

Though the state is considered a model for smart planning, Oregon's sprawling landscape shows that the state has much the same problems as the rest of the country.

1 May 2008 - 2:00pm

The Oregonian

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6 comments

Economic Woes May Cut Down Sprawl

The downturn in the economy could bring about major changes to the pattern of suburban sprawl development.

30 April 2008 - 10:00am

Marketplace

Earth To Houston: Wake Up And Smell The Greenhouse Gas Emissions

While the American Dream Coalition celebrates the 'freedom and affordability' of Houston -- Robert Steuteville wonders why the group ignores the environmental and financial consequences of such an auto-dependent city.

29 April 2008 - 8:00am

New Urban News

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3 comments

Housing Prices Drop Lower as Commute Distances Rise

Homes farther out from the central city and with longer commutes are being hit harder by the downturn in the housing market. Those located close to city cores and transit are faring better, according to this report from NPR.

24 April 2008 - 7:00am

NPR

Michael Lewyn

The Real Meaning Of The "American Dream"

Wed, 04/23/2008 - 18:41

Both supporters and opponents of the sprawl status quo often refer to suburbia as “The American Dream.” One sprawl-defending organization even calls itself “The American Dream Coalition”. Sprawl critics use similar language; for example, in 1998, the Sierra Club issued a report titled “Sprawl: The Dark Side of the American Dream.” (www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/report98/)

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You Can't Escape Sprawl

With sprawl proceeding largely unchecked in North California, residents who fled the city for more rural areas now find that urbanization has encroached their once sleepy communities.

18 April 2008 - 12:00pm

The San Francisco Chronicle

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1 comment

'Fully Contained Communities' Spark Comprehensive Plan Debate

Officials and residents in Snohomish County, Washington, are grappling over proposed changes to their comprehensive plan. A major point of contention is whether "fully contained communities" should be allowed.

17 April 2008 - 9:00am

The Seattle Times

The Explosive Growth of Homestead, Florida

Perhaps named as a self-fulfilling prophecy, the last seven years have brought unprecedented residential growth to Homestead, Florida. Commercial development is just trying to keep up.

15 April 2008 - 11:00am

The Miami Herald

Tightening the Belt

A new report praises Ontario's greenbelt - 11 times the size of Toronto - as a model for urban growth control.

14 April 2008 - 9:00am

The Globe & Mail

Suburbia Isn't To Blame For Obesity

New research suggests that urban sprawl doesn't cause weight gain in residents, though it does attract people who are inclined to be heavy and prefer to move around by car.

3 April 2008 - 1:00pm

Reuters

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3 comments

Sprawl Not an Option for Rural Chicago Suburb

Th small town of Golf, Illinois, is likely to stay that way because of barriers at its borders. Its residents couldn't be happier.

3 April 2008 - 8:00am

The Chicago Tribune

Sprawl Slows Down in California

New census figures show that suburban growth is slowing down in the Sunbelt cities of California, Nevada and Arizona.

26 March 2008 - 8:00am

The Los Angeles Times

Oh No, Not Another L.A.

Although Tucson has only about 6 percent of the population of metropolitan Los Angeles, residents of the Arizona city fear California-style sprawl and water problems. So where are Tucson residents looking for answers? That's right, California.

20 March 2008 - 2:00pm

California Planning & Development Report