Young Author Writes About Human Impact of Sprawl

Gina Olszowski's first book focuses on the personal stories of rural residents impacted by sprawl.

1 minute read

May 30, 2008, 7:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


"Olszowski packed a bag, drove out to rural areas (all of them within an hour's drive of her apartment), snapped photographs of what she saw. Then she found people from all walks of life, and talked to them about their lives. In the book, the photos -- all of them in stark black-and-white -- are juxtaposed with snippets of interviews with farmers, suburban homeowners, mayors, and, near the end, experts in regional planning.

"It was difficult at first," she said. "A lot of people were confused about what I was trying to do. People think when you start talking about sprawl that you have something to profess, like some legislation."

But eventually she earned the trust of the 12 characters that make up her narrative. Olszowski said she wasn't looking to write a typical book about the technical details of urban sprawl -- those books already exist, she said, and the average person just doesn't read them. Her plan was to create something more human, something that captured the motions and emotions of daily life."

Wednesday, May 28, 2008 in The Beacon News

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

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 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight