Myth and Reality About European Sprawl

Some commentators argue that sprawl is an inevitable result of affluence, based on European development patterns. These pundits tell a simple story: European urban cores are losing population and becoming more automobile-dependent - just like American cities. So if Europe can’t beat sprawl, neither can America.

2 minute read

May 13, 2008, 7:07 AM PDT

By Michael Lewyn @mlewyn


Some commentators argue that sprawl is an inevitable result of affluence, based on European development patterns. These pundits tell a simple story: European urban cores are losing population and becoming more automobile-dependent - just like American cities. So if Europe can't beat sprawl, neither can America.

But in fact, this theory is based on questionable factual assumptions. To be sure, many European cores did lose population in the late 20th century. But in recent years, European cores have rebounded. Between 1991 and 2004, 15 of 27 European national capitals gained population. (1) Among the eleven European cities with over 1 million people, six (Vienna, London, Paris, Hamburg, Munich, and Madrid) gained population.(2)

Moreover, European transit ridership is in fact growing. In all five of the largest Western European nations (Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the U.K.) kilometer-miles of bus and train travel grew between 1995 and 2003- in four cases (all but Germany) by between 12 and 33 percent.(3) By contrast, population in these countries increased by 6 percent or less. (4) Even if one measures automobile dependence by market share, the results are more ambiguous than pro-sprawl pundits suggest: in the fifteen nations originally comprising the European Union, the automobile's market share has fluctuated between 84.3 and 85 percent every year since 1994- hardly a rapid increase in car dependency. (5) And in France and the United Kingdom, the "automobile market share" actually declined.

Admittedly, these trends differ from the more sprawling trends of the late 20th century. But to the extent Europe did sprawl, those results may have been a result not of the free market or affluence, but a result of pro-sprawl government policies. European highway networks expanded enormously in the late 20th century; for example, Spain's road network expanded from 387 miles to 11,432 miles between 1970 and 2005.(6) In the short run, highways make driving easier and may shift development to places with minimal transit service. In the absence of such pro-sprawl policies, Europe might have sprawled less.

But today, the tide of European sprawl is ebbing- thus indicating that sprawl is not as inevitable as some think.

(1) EUROPEAN COMMISSION, EUROSTAT REGIONAL YEARBOOK 2007 at 77.

(2) For detailed statistics go to www.citypopulation.de

(3) See Eurostat, Transport Tables, available at http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page?_pageid=1996,45323734&_dad… (click on links for "Rail transport of passengers" and "Bus transport of passengers, and add links together")

(4) See U.S. Census Bureau, 2004-05 Statistical Abstract at 841-43.

(5) See Eurostat Transport Tables, supra note 3 (click on link for "Car share of inland passenger transport").

(6) European Union, Statistical Pocketbook 2007, Part 3.5.1, available at http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/energy_transport/figures/pocketbook/doc/2007/2007_transport_en.pdf (visited March 11, 2008).


Michael Lewyn

Michael Lewyn is a professor at Touro University, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, in Long Island. His scholarship can be found at http://works.bepress.com/lewyn.

portrait of professional woman

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

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Street with parking protected bike lane and parked cars in downtown Portland, Oregon.

Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance

The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.

July 8 - Willamette Week

Aerial view of Spokane, Washington with river in foreground.

Spokane Mayor Introduces Housing Reforms Package

Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposals include deferring or waiving some development fees to encourage more affordable housing development.

July 8 - The Spokesman-Review

Close-up on black and white "Bike Lane Ends" sign with bike logo.

Houston Mayor Kills Another Bike Lane

The mayor rejected a proposed bike lane in the Montrose district in keeping with his pledge to maintain car lanes.

July 8 - Houston Public Media

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA

Write for Planetizen