Your Field Guide To Sprawl

Frustrated by the lack of a vocabulary to describe types of growth, Dolores Hayden has delivered the definitive work on the subject.

1 minute read

July 14, 2004, 7:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"Planners had come up with various definitions of sprawl, but they were mainly statistical and hard for the average person to grasp. And so Hayden began combing through reference books, professional literature, and news accounts for the kind of lively slang definitions that could cut through the often foggy jargon of planners and bureaucrats.

The result is her 'Field Guide to Sprawl,' an eye-popping compendium of 51 'built conditions' and the memorable terms that describe them, from 'alligator' (a bad speculative investment that's gobbling up cash) to 'zoomburb.' "

[Editor's note: Be sure to look at the slideshow embedded in the article. Sprawl A-Z.]

Thanks to The Practice of New Urbanism

FULL STORY: From Alligator to Zoomburb

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 in The Boston Globe

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