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Sprawling? Look Both Ways

By Kim Todd

We knew haphazard growth was hard on mountain lions, kit foxes, and pygmy owls, but a new study shows it’s bad for humans, too. The top ten most-sprawling areas have an annual average of 15 fatal car accidents per 100,000 residents, almost twice the average in the ten least-sprawling

regions, according to the report Measuring Sprawl and Its Impact from Smart Growth America. Riverside, California, the champion of sprawl, had a fatal accident rate almost four times greater than more-compact New York City’s. Those in sprawling areas tended to drive more (a likely factor in the rate of fatal accidents), walk less, and inhale more pollution.

To read the full study, go to www.smartgrowthamerica.com.