Sprawl

Study: Sprawl Costs Local Governments More
Even when fewer people live in sprawling suburban communities than dense urban communities, one of these settlement types has the benefit of being much cheaper to serve.

Freeway Project, Previously Named as a 'Boondoggle,' Defeated by Environmental Lawsuit
What could have been the first new freeway for Los Angeles County in decades might now only mark the end of an era.

Not Enough Housing, Or Too Much of the Wrong Kind
Permits for new housing continue to lag despite a long economic boom. For coastal metros, it's a familiar story of job growth outpacing new construction. In some Sun Belt cities, sprawl is the bigger concern.

A New City of 100,000-Plus People Rises in California's Central Valley
Numerous master planned communities are popping at a quick rate in the Central Valley outside the city of Fresno, but just across the line in Madera County. A new city is envisioned.

Exurban Sprawl Picking Up Where the Great Recession Left Off
Despite the environmental effects of exurban sprawl, Northern California's housing shortage is being alleviated on the extreme edges of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Clean Water Rule's Repeal Could Have Consequences for Sprawling Development in Arizona
A recent decision by the Trump administration regarding the Waters of the United States Rule is changing the legal calculus of a plan to add 28,000 homes in the city of Benson, located southwest of Tucson.

As Community's Colorado's Front Range Grows, Road Planning Follows
Transportation planners are creating extra road capacity to keep up with sprawling development in the I-25 corridor in Colorado's Northern Front Range.

Imported Water Needed to Fuel Colorado Sprawl
An old-fashioned story of wealthy developers coming for the water supply of low-income farming communities is being reprised in Colorado.

150 Acres of Undeveloped Land to Become 2,350 Homes Outside Denver
The church that owns a unique parcel of agricultural land in the middle of the Denver metropolitan area is prepared to sell to a developer that plans to build a mixed-use, master planned community.

28,000 Homes Planned for Desert Southeast of Tucson
A master planned community would add 70,000 new residents to a city of 5,000 located southeast of Tucson, Arizona. Local and regional environmental groups don't think the environmental risks of the development have been properly considered.

Grand Canyon-Adjacent Development Revises Plans to Pave Roads Through National Forest
Developers want to build roads through the Kaibab National Forest to serve a controversial development, including a resort and hundreds of homes, planned for a location just South of the Grand Canyon.

Land Use of 2,200-Acre Site Holds Up 'Livable Frederick' Plan in Western Maryland
City councilmembers are debating the future of a 2,200-acre former aluminum smelting plant in Frederick, Maryland. The debate centers on the viability of the parcel as transit-oriented development.

Coastal States Are Building in Flood Zones Faster Than Anywhere Else
Here's a trillion dollar real estate market on the coasts of the United States—and it's building itself into rising levels of risk.

The Star-Studded Discussion of the National Housing Debate
Residential zoning has long been considered a local issue, but some presidential candidates have started weighing in on zoning and housing. Journalists, pundits, and researchers have plenty of complexity to examine as the debate changes venue.

Planners Can Help Increase Opportunity and Fairness
Transportation and land use planning decisions affect economic opportunity and mobility—the chance that children become more economically successful than their parents. We can help create more equitable communities.

Advocates Press for Harder Questions While Pittsburgh Experiments With Self-Driving Cars
Five self-driving car companies are currently operating in Pittsburgh, without much critical rigor in asking about the consequences of the technology to the city.

Kentucky Planning a New Freeway Around Louisville, Raising Alarms
Local news sources are shedding light on planning for a new highway route that could pass through sensitive habitat of endangered that has yet to undertake a formal environmental or public input process.

Scrutiny for Houston Development Patterns After New Stormwater Regulations
Advocates and researchers say new development regulations, with more stringent flood protections, aren't doing enough to control the stormwater impacts of sprawl.

Climate Crisis, Housing Crisis on a Collision Course
Sprawl might relieve the housing crisis, but it would also exacerbate the climate crisis. Tough choices will be necessary in regions like San Diego, where the question of where to accommodate growth is very much in question.

Successful Metropolitan Areas Prioritize Proximity
Brookings buils on the findings of recent research about jobs densification in cities around the country to make a larger point about the benefits of proximity in urban design, as compared to sprawl.
Pagination
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