Study: Sprawl Costs Local Governments More

Even when fewer people live in sprawling suburban communities than dense urban communities, one of these settlement types has the benefit of being much cheaper to serve.

1 minute read

October 23, 2019, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Boise, Idaho

Jeramey Jannene / Flickr

New research by Christopher Goodman details the costs of sprawl—in terms of its effect on the bottom line of local governments.

Goodman studied 30 years of public spending at the county level to reveal that compact development is less costly to local governments. Sprawling, spread out development "drives up the cost of providing services, despite fewer being needed to service a relatively smaller population."

An article by Goodman details more of the findings from the study, "The Fiscal Impacts of Urban Sprawl: Evidence From U.S. County Areas," published by the Public Budgeting and Finance journal. 

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