Growth Issues
& Sprawl
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NOTE TO USERS: Most of the sites
provided in the planning topic pages are either from government, non-profit,
or educational agencies; however, some of the sites are commercial and are
included because of the array of materials provided in the site. The planning
topic pages are provided as a public service and are not meant to endorse
one site over another nor to endorse any commercial enterprise. Site suggestions
are welcome, although all suggestions will go through a screening process.
In order to suggest a site for inclusion, email the Planning Department.
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Perhaps more than any other topic, sprawl and growth issues dominate planning
research and discussions. In the United States, the growth of suburbia, stems,
originally, from two disparate sources: a tangible housing shortage following
World War II and untangible racism. The materials on this page explore the range
of issues and ideas which have contributed to the creation and perpetuation
of sprawl in urban areas.
WHERE DID SUBURBIA COME FROM?
SPRAWL
- SPRAWL WATCH CLEARINGHOUSE.
A comprehensive collection of materials, including demographic trends; bibliographies;
current news; policies, ordinances, and laws; state by state smart growth initiatives;
and best practices.
- PLANNERS WEB SPRAWL
GUIDE. A comprehensive collection of resources, articles, books, best
practices and solutions, etc.
- "MEMPHIS'S
UNRULY SUBURBS." Phil Campbell. Article from Metropolis (December
1997/Januray 1998). Campbell's article examines what happens when there is a clash
between a growing urban area and affluent suburbs.
- "AND
JUSTICE FOR ALL." Alyssa Katz. Article from Metropolis (February/March
1998). Examines Maryland's "smart growth" laws and their impact on suburban
sprawl.
- STOPPING SPRAWL: 1999
SIERRA CLUB SPRAWL REPORT. Includes state ratings.
- "THE
USES OF SPRAWL." A review of Suburban Nation: The Rise of
Sprawl (Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk), in which Christopher
Caldwell argues that the political language of sprawl masks the policies which
may well have created the sprawl in the first place. (Atlantic Unbound,
April 6, 2000). See New Urbanism for additional
information.
- HOME
FROM NOWHERE. James Howard Kunstler. 1996. Article published in The
Atlantic Online. The impact of zoning laws on sprawl and the consequences.
- SPRAWL CITY. Looks at the impact
of consumption and population growth on urban sprawl in U.S. Cities.
URBAN VILLAGES
- URBAN VILLAGES. A
Collection of new urbanism and urban village sites. The site defines urban villages
as walkable neighborhoods, using compact designs, and stressing mixed-use.
- "HOW
BUSINESS IS RESHAPING AMERICA." The authors argue that rather than
being the root of all evil, sprawl is, infact, helping to create a new development
phenomenon--urban villages. It should be noted that the article, published in
the October, 1986 Atlantic Monthly, is outdated and subsequent research
in the area of urban growth issues suggest that sprawl is one of the foremost
growth issues in planning and urban studies.
  
©Montgomery County Department of Planning
Last Updated: 23 January, 2008
Comments and suggestions should be sent to the Planning Department
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