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What is Sprawl?
Sprawl is low-density development beyond the edge of service
and employment, which separates where people live from where they shop, work, recreate,
and educate - thus requiring cars to move between zones.
The consequences of sprawl:
- Traffic congestion.
- Longer commutes that steal time from family and work.
- Worsening air and water pollution.
- Loss of farmland, open fields, forests and wetlands.
- Increased flooding.
- Raised taxes to pay for services - police and fire departments - and infrastructure -
new schools, roads, water, and sewer structure.
How does sprawl hurt cities?
Sprawl erodes the city's tax base as people flock to the suburbs, forcing cities to raise taxes on remaining taxpayers to pay for city services.
Sprawl destroys downtown commerce
by pulling shoppers from once-thriving locally owned stores and restaurants to large regional malls.
Sprawl increases unemployment and concentrates poverty in urban centers.
Sprawl undercuts property values and investment opportunities.
Sprawl robs cities of character as abandoned factories, boarded-up homes and decaying retail centers dominate the landscape.
Read the Report | Clickable Sprawl Map | Sprawl-Threatened Cities
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