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Definition of Suburban Sprawl

Suburban sprawl, sometimes called urban sprawl or "white flight," is the outward growth of cities and their surrounding suburbs into rural, low-population areas. Some characteristics of suburban sprawl include single-use zoning of residential neighborhoods, residents with higher incomes, fewer minority residents and poor transportation infrastructure. The suburban sprawl trend is highly controversial as more and more cities are trying to find more ways to grow and progress.

  1. Single-Land Use

    • Suburban sprawl usually happens when several land use patterns occur at the same time. This means large parcels of land are developed for specialized zoning. There often will be zoning for residential, commercial and industrial areas. These large parcels often are separated from each other and have poorly connected streets.

    Sprawl Opponents

    • Because everything is so spread out, residents must rely on automobiles to reach where they work, shop and spend leisure time. According to some environmental groups, such as the Sierra Club, the dependence on automobiles in suburban sprawl areas creates excessive pollution and increased obesity rates. According to a RAND Corporation study, researchers found that people in those areas with increased suburban sprawl report more chronic health problems such as high blood pressure, arthritis, headaches and breathing difficulties.

    Sprawl Advocates

    • According to Wendell Cox, owner of Wendell Cox Consultancy/Demographia, the anti-sprawl movement is missing the big picture. Limiting geographical growth would increase housing prices, and commuter travel times would increase. Higher-density areas increase traffic congestion. Per-capita travel by automobile may decline some as densities increase, but it's not enough to keep traffic congestion from getting worse.

    Environment

    • Although the Environmental Protection Agency supports "smart growth," EPA research shows that when traffic speed is slower, air pollution emissions are higher, and emissions are higher where there is more stop-and-go traffic. Urban areas with higher densities have more traffic congestion and more stop-and-go traveling. This leads to higher air pollution emissions.

    "Smart Growth"

    • According to the EPA, "smart growth" is based on some basic principles such as mixed-land use, the creation of varied housing opportunities, using compact building design and making neighborhoods walkable. The goal of "smart growth" is to create communities that preserve land and environmental areas, protect the quality of water and air and reuse already-developed land. Conservation of resources is achieved by reinvesting in existing infrastructure.

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