Suburban Sprawl
Arizona Tapping Groundwater to Fuel Suburban Growth
Critics say Arizona’s growth patterns are unsustainable and dangerous, given the depleted Colorado River and the state’s deepening reliance on groundwater.
What Is Sprawl?
Sprawl is one of the most common terms used to describe built environments in the United States and the world. It can be applied to urban, suburban, and exurban settings, and it's almost never a compliment.
How to Fix Racist Housing Policies: Sue the Suburbs
Strengthening U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's civil rights enforcement could send a powerful signal to communities resistant to changing discriminatory housing rules.
CNU Report Outlines Incremental Steps for More Walkable Suburbs
Transforming suburban sprawl is a massive undertaking, but these small steps can help communities understand their needs and assets and develop clear, actionable goals for the future.
The Problems With Suburbs Are Numerous. Is a Change of Course Possible?
American suburbs are growing, and understanding the evolution of suburban sprawl is a useful guide for the future.
Maintaining Walkability as Autonomous Vehicles Become a Reality
Integrating autonomous vehicles into cities will require effectively managing city streets and suburban sprawl.
Trolley System Thrives in Houston Suburb
As ridership soars, the "urban circulator" in the Woodlands Township is getting longer routes and more frequent service.
Census Data: Growth Trends Favor Sunbelt Cities
Although city growth continues to outpace the suburbs, the nation's three largest cities are experiencing a growth slowdown. Sunbelt cities like Austin and Orlando are picking up the slack.
Renzo Piano on the Potential of Suburbs
In an interview, architect Renzo Piano says European suburbs are not desolate. He argues they shouldn't be treated as such in the quest for cohesive cities.
Denver's Building Boom Happening on the Fringes
According to a Denver Post article, the Denver metropolitan area has 31,000 homes in the development pipeline. All but 2,600 of those homes would be built in suburban counties surrounding Denver.
MARTA to Expand into Suburban Clayton County
After a ballot measure approved the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority's (MARTA) expansion into a suburban county outside of Atlanta, the transit agency could set precedent on how to effectively adapt to sprawling suburbs.
How Cities Save Nature
According to Kaid Benfield of the Natural Resource Defense Council, the best way to save our natural wonders is by living and investing in cities.
California Urbanists Grappling with Infrastructure Post-Redevelopment
An overview of how urbanists in California have shifted their thinking about repairing urban cores. The article is by Howard Blackson III, an urban designer.
How Does Social Status Drive Transit Opposition?
A new book explains how suburban dwellers have built "zoning rules, housing covenants and other mechanisms" to protect "their privileged place in the residential pecking order."
Why Suburban Sprawl is the Worst Idea America Has Ever Had
In a recent "TED Talk", Jeff Speck makes the case for creating a more walkable America based not on design arguments, but rather on the potential to create a more economically resilient, healthier, and environmentally sustainable country.
Is Sprawl Dead or Just Hibernating?
If the small city of Otsego, located 30 miles from Minneapolis, is a guide, sprawl may be poised to make a comeback as the housing market roars back to life. But larger indicators point to a withdrawal from sprawl.
It May Be Choking Our Environment and Economy, but Sprawl Sure is Pretty
German photographer Christoph Gielen has trained his artistic eye on America's suburbs, capturing aerial images of sprawl "in all its geometric glory" in order to "startle the viewers," reports Ariel Schwartz.
Is Density Inherently Desirable?
Kaid Benfield wades into the density debate by pointing out that density and sprawl can go hand in hand.
The Housing Market Revolution
Haya El Nasser describes the housing market's fundamental structural changes as the housing industry rethinks what type of housing to build and where to build it.
America Chooses More Urban and Less Suburban
Haya El Nasser and Paul Overberg report on how current trends could cause the extinction of suburban sprawl.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
