Carson Applies Occam's Razor To Sprawl

Richard Carson takes issue with the overlapping visions of the new urbanists and the environmentalists.

1 minute read

February 4, 2004, 5:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"In the post-war years of the late 1940s the buzzword was the 'fringe land.' In 1970s it was called 'leap frog' development. In the 1990s it is became 'sprawl.' But is there a common thread to our cultural and personal ambitions as Americans, and to our future?... I decided to use a philosophical method, called 'Occam's razor.'... The very same special interest groups who have vilified the 200-year American experience of 'sprawl' have just institutionalized it in the name of best available science and saving the planet for salmon."

Thanks to ArchNewsNow

Tuesday, February 3, 2004 in Planum: European Journal Of Planning

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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