Causes And Consequences Of Sprawl

Well-intentioned government policies have created economic incentives for urban sprawl. Now we are paying the price.

1 minute read

June 7, 2004, 5:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"The 1972 Clean Water Act provided hundreds of billions of dollars in federal subsidies for sewage conveyance around American cities, making it even less expensive to build in a suburban location. The methods for financing new infrastructure by local government eliminated any hope that central cities could compete on equal footing with the deeply subsidized suburbs... American suburbs have the largest number of roads, sewers, water and gas lines per capita on the planet. It costs the government hundreds of dollars more per year per household to maintain this infrastructure than if densities were modestly higher."

Thanks to NACDUrban Listserv

Sunday, June 6, 2004 in The Sacramento Bee

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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. Mary G., Urban Planner

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.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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