Colorado Stimulus Projects Steer Clear of Sprawl

Despite some states using stimulus money to fund sprawl-inducing projects, Colorado seems to be avoiding projects that encourage exurban growth, according to this review.

1 minute read

March 31, 2009, 8:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"In Houston, a large chunk of the federal money will go toward cutting a four-lane highway into the prairie surrounding the city, setting the stage for even more subdivision housing and even longer commutes - should the housing markets ever rebound, that is, and should Houstonians of the future decide they want to buy those kind of homes and live the even greater sprawl life, which may be doubtful."

"Colorado seems to have a done a pretty good job at posting most of the projects online so residents can make their own assessments."

"A first look suggests those responsible for allocating funds in Denver have done of good job of not using the money to increase sprawl, using it instead to fund maintenance projects like repaving highways, firming up bridges and creating interchanges. I don't see any new bazillion-dollar outer-band beltway roads to middle-of-nowhere owned by "friends of lawmakers" that's just "prime" for development . But maybe I missed something."

Monday, March 30, 2009 in The Colorado Independent

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