Comparing Sprawl In U.S. And Canadian Cities

A comparison of American and Canadian cities demonstrates that sprawl in has less to do with the American Dream than with the influence the highway, oil and auto lobby has on US transportation policy.

October 4, 2004, 7am PDT | Chris Steins | @urbaninsight

Patrick Condon compares American and Canadian cities and find that investment in highways makes the difference in the level of sprawl: "In our analysis of the difference between the [US and Canada] it appears that the answer is far simpler. As James Carvelle might say: it's the highways stupid! ... The cross border comparison allows us to separate the influence of highway construction from that of race, home financing, and tax laws. Finally, we believe that our analysis, while preliminary, suggests that sprawl in the US has less to do with the American Dream than with the influence the highway, oil and auto lobby has on US transportation policy."

Thanks to Chris Steins

Full Story:

Canadian Cities, American Cities; the Highway makes the Difference

Published on Sunday, October 3, 2004 in Planetizen