Sprawl
A Transect of sprawl
A development pattern this lifestyle-defining deserves its whole own classification system.
What the fall of earth's largest pre-industrial city can teach us about urban sprawl
Angkor was a low-density metropolis. It lasted six centuries, until it could no longer maintain its infrastructure in a changing climate. Today, it offers planners a sobering warning about the risks of dispersed urban living.
Nearly a third of US housing is in the wildland-urban interface — and at growing risk of wildfire
As suburbs increasingly mingle with undeveloped land, homes face a higher risk from destructive fires.
Congestion Costing Reality Check, Part 2: A congestion costing critique
There are good reasons to be skeptical of highway industry claims that traffic congestion is a growing problem. Their analysis is often incomplete and biased. Let’s pull back the curtain on some major congestion cost studies.
Asheville reconsiders parking minimums as surface parking eats up over a third of downtown real estate
Housing advocates say parking requirements are unnecessary and induce sprawl.
Report: Just 10% of US households live near 'frequent, reliable' transit
The analysis highlights how sprawl and a lack of transit investment perpetuate car dependency for most Americans.
Yes, another thing that car dependency makes worse: DUIs
In the land of the free (and the cars), design incites drinking and driving.
Cost of living too high? Planners to the rescue!
Excessive costs of living force many people to work more than optimal hours, leaving less time for family and fun. Local policies that favor affordable housing and transportation increase freedom, opportunity and happiness.
US workers spend nearly an hour a day commuting
High housing costs and return-to-office policies are forcing more American workers to live farther from work, pushing the average daily commute time to nearly an hour.
Planetizen’s Top Posts of 2025
The most-read articles on Planetizen in 2025.
Nearly Half a Million New Arizona Homes Halted Due to Water Crisis
The Arizona Department of Water Resources has put a moratorium on new water supply permits, making the future of planned residential developments uncertain.
Texas Could Have the Nation’s 3 Largest Cities by 2100. Are They Ready to Embrace Density?
Houston, Dallas, and Austin are growing fast. The old sprawl model is no longer sustainable.
The Nation’s 40 Fastest-Growing Suburbs
Projected population growth will be concentrated in suburban communities around major metropolitan areas, with the Sunbelt experiencing the fastest growth.
August Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
In suburban Houston, cities are scrambling to expand water infrastructure to serve new communities. But can sprawl be part of a workable solution to the housing crisis?
San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion
The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.
Boulder Eliminates Parking Minimums Citywide
Officials estimate the cost of building a single underground parking space at up to $100,000.
Orange County, Florida Adopts Largest US “Sprawl Repair” Code
The ‘Orange Code’ seeks to rectify decades of sprawl-inducing, car-oriented development.
The Natalist Case For Sprawl (And Why It Fails)
Some commentators defend anti-urban government policies such as exclusionary zoning on the basis that homeowning suburbanites have high birth rates. But this doesn't seem to be true in recent decades.
Density and Disorder: The Imaginary Link
A recent article tries to tie public transit and walkability to social disorder — but in fact, sprawling Sunbelt cities like Memphis are as likely to have high crime rates as transit-rich metropolises such as New York and San Francisco.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
