Sprawl
Basics
Seattle and Minneapolis: A Tale of Two Upzones
Dense, walkable cities mean more families can afford to stay, and public transport gets a boost. They’re also greener than suburbs, with their large homes and car-dependent multitudes. But changing zoning rules that break the car culture isn’t easy. A long read from our friends at Grist.
May 21, 2019
Connecticut Says ‘No’ To Transit-Oriented Development
“Putting a [transit-oriented development] next to an active rail yard has never worked successfully," says Connecticut's transportation commissioner. Yes, that's what he said.
May 20, 2019
Study: Commutes are Longer When Cities Fail on Transit
Want to know why so few cities invest in transit? Because the vast majority of their residents — drivers — have much shorter commute times in their cars. A cautionary tale....
May 6, 2019
Minneapolis Moves to Eliminate Mandatory Parking
The end of single-family zoning rule has gotten all the attention. But Minneapolis's new plan is groundbreaking on transportation as well.
December 12, 2018
Highway Boondoggles: US 101 Expansion in San Mateo, California
Caltrans has widened U.S. 101 seven times since 1996 and hasn't cured congestion. But it's not going to try a new approach.
June 28, 2018
What’s Driving Hospital Sprawl?
The trend toward private rooms has hospitals heading for the cornfields.
January 11, 2018
How Structural Racism at Regional Planning Agencies Hurts Cities
Your regional planning agency is probably set up to favor the suburbs.
January 5, 2018
Why the Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction Has Got to Go
The mortgage interest deduction costs the federal government more than all rental subsidies combined. All that money promotes sprawl by encouraging people to buy more house, while transferring wealth to the upper tiers of the income ladder.
April 17, 2017
Reversing Sun Belt Growth Model, Memphis Looks to Shrink Its Footprint
Like many Sun Belt cities, Memphis owes its population growth over the last several decades to outward expansion. Since 1998 alone, the city has overseen 15 annexations, occupying a larger footprint than Chicago. But now the city believes that some of its farthest flung territory is more liability than asset.
February 13, 2017
Sprawl Is a Global Problem
Sprawl isn't just a problem in car-centric America. Even cities with the world's best transit systems are surrounded by suburbs with poor transit access, according to a new report by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. As billions of people migrate from rural to metropolitan areas in the next few decades, these growth patterns threaten to maroon people without good access to employment while overwhelming the climate with increased greenhouse gas emissions.
October 11, 2016