Maryland, over the last 200 years. The U.S.
Geological Survey used historical records as
well as Landsat satellite data to create this
sequence.
There are lot of elements that are affected by sprawl – unchecked and unplanned gowth. I would have thought that more solutions would be made apparent as funding filled cities coffers from tax revenues. Here are a collection of relatively random thoughts about urban sprawl and how it impacts housing:
* The environment — Sprawl impacts the environment by _fragmenting and destroying wildlife habitat, for example, and discharging polluted runoff water into streams and lakes._ [NASA is working on ways to delivery satellite information to city planners [NASA]](http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/11oct_sprawl.htm)
* Affordable housing —Sprawl, along with gentrification, pushes affordable housing away from the city center. Placing [a moratorium on open market development appears short-sighted [SF Guardian]](http://www.sfbg.com/40/23/x_oped.html)because the tax revenues generated by open market housing helps fund it. [Further restrictions make open market housing more limited in supply [Chattanoogan]](http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_82804.asp) and associated support services more expensive. Supply and demand still apply to sprawl.
* Transportation —As workers in city centers expand their search for cheaper housing, transportation needs also increase. Commuting times are expanding. [Outlying areas are developing new identities as the commuters take residence. [WP]](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/26/AR2006032601175.html?nav=rss_realestate)
In an unusually large planned [suburb that will take 50 years to build [boxtank]](http://www.theboxtank.com/walmartbox/2006/04/cnn_features_a_.html) in near the Great Salt Lake…
>which will stretch over 20 miles and accomodate 162,800 homes and 500,000 people in a string of walkable communities that will take over 50 years to build. The development lies on the largest privately owned tract of land (144 square miles) in the United States that is near a major metropolis. The owner of the land, Kennecott Utah Copper Corp., created Kennecott Land to oversee the development of the surplus mining land it owned along the Oquirrh mountains into a string of communities emphasizing sustainable development practices.
See the [full CNN story](http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/07/new.town.ap/index.html)
Managing sprawl is difficult as multiple municipalities are impacted. Leadership and an agreeable strategy for all sides are seldom clear. In fact, with all the discussion about sprawl, I find straightforward solutions rare because each situation is unique and it takes immense planning, vision and funding.
Now that the housing boom is essentially over (unprecedented growth in housing development and prices), I think urban planning advocates missed a great opportunity.
_Previous related posts_[Thomas Jefferson: The Founding Father Of Sprawl? [Matrix]](http://matrix.millersamuelv2.wpenginepowered.com/?p=425)[Sprawled In The Suburbs, There Is Hope For The New-Urbanist [Matrix]](http://matrix.millersamuelv2.wpenginepowered.com/?p=381)[Creative Brain Drain Weakens Long Term Urban Revitalization [Matrix]](http://matrix.millersamuelv2.wpenginepowered.com/?p=286)[Development Is Goin’ Down…town [Matrix]](http://matrix.millersamuelv2.wpenginepowered.com/?p=235)
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You raise some great points about how populations are moving away from city centers. Another thought is that builders have created a “demand” for housing by developing whole communities in the suburbs that appear more attractive to people who spent their lives living in the city. Now there seems to be a growth in luxury apartment construction as available land has become scarce and costs have increased. Apartment living appears to be drawing back young professionals to the city.
Let’s hope that the growth of sprawl is really going down.