Monday’s Headlines Question Sprawl

Do Americans really want to live in car-centric suburbs, or are they forced to because that's where most of the housing is built?

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on February 3, 2025

Photo: Inhabitat|

Low-density sprawl is a result of a failure to create transit-oriented development.

Conventional wisdom says that U.S. cities are so sprawling because people want to live in the suburbs. But what if single-family zoning were distorting the real estate market? Polls show that the majority of Americans want to live in a walkable neighborhood — a preference that's also reflected in high demand and high home prices in denser areas. (Yale Climate Connections)
Grist explores whether an urban or rural lifestyle is more sustainable.
The Trump administration's since-rescinded funding freeze memo (that the administration might still be implementing anyway?) could have paralyzed local and state governments, which rely on the feds for big chunks of their budgets. (Governing)
Cities need to get a handle on sidewalk delivery robots before they become a bigger problem for pedestrians, cyclists and people with disabilities. (Policy Options)
The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a memo ordering the agency to prioritize grants for communities with high marriage and birth rates. (HuffPost, Streetsblog)
President Trump is still considering trying to halt congestion pricing in New York City. (NY Times)
Just before Joe Biden left office, the Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into whether Uber and Lyft colluded to keep drivers' pay low in New York City. (NY Post)
Baltimore is contracting with a Canadian firm to start a bikeshare with 500 bikes at 50 locations. (WBAL)
At a recent summit, Detroit transit advocates urged the city to double funding for transportation. (Bridge Detroit)
A draft of a bill in the Texas legislature would cut funding for Dallas transit by 25 percent as several cities in the metro area seek to contribute less funding to the regional agency. (KERA)
Raleigh is launching a program called Safe Streets for All that aims to halt traffic deaths by 2045. (News & Observer)
The Strong Towns podcast "The Bottom-Up Revolution" interviews a San Antonio mom and biking advocate.
Oklahoma City bus and streetcar riders are largely satisfied with transit service, according to a survey. (Mass Transit)
The Netherlands taxes heavy cars and uses the revenue to keep its roads in tip-top shape. (Telegraph)
In Hyderadad, India, doctors transported a heart for a transplant operation between two hospitals in just 13 minutes using light rail. (Railway Gazette)
Copenhagen offers tourists incentives like free museum admission if they do something to help the environment, such as take transit rather than drive. (Harvard International Review)