As development continues on the urban fringes, one person's sprawl becomes another person's backyard.
Sprawl from the perspective of the economist is the focus of two reportsissued by the California Senate Office of Research. "An Economist'sPerspective on Urban Sprawl, Part I: Defining Excessive Urbanization inCalifornia and Other Western States," develops a method for quantifying thedegree of sprawl in metropolitan areas. Researchers found data suggestingthat California sprawl is no better or worse than in other western statescan be misleading. Sprawl varies widely among regions in California, and bysome measures occurred in the majority of the state's 25 metropolitan areasduring the '80s and '90s. "An Economist's Perspective on Urban Sprawl, PartII: Influences of the 'Fiscalization of Land Use' and Urban-GrowthBoundaries" finds that fiscal considerations are driving many local land-usedecisions. Data show that local governments' quest for sales-tax revenuedrives urban sprawl and costs cities billions of dollars in retail business.Fringe areas are doing more business than their population growth, incomelevels and other economic factors would warrant.
Thanks to Dateline APA
FULL STORY: Defining Excessive Urbanization in California and Other Western States

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

Why Should We Subsidize Public Transportation?
Many public transit agencies face financial stress due to rising costs, declining fare revenue, and declining subsidies. Transit advocates must provide a strong business case for increasing public transit funding.

Understanding Road Diets
An explainer from Momentum highlights the advantages of reducing vehicle lanes in favor of more bike, transit, and pedestrian infrastructure.

New California Law Regulates Warehouse Pollution
A new law tightens building and emissions regulations for large distribution warehouses to mitigate air pollution and traffic in surrounding communities.

Phoenix Announces Opening Date for Light Rail Extension
The South Central extension will connect South Phoenix to downtown and other major hubs starting on June 7.
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