Suburban Sprawl

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Lore & Background

The history of this development pattern traces back to the public discourse surrounding post-war expansion in the mid-20th century. Although earlier correspondence between Lewis Mumford and Frederic J. Osborn discussed suburban issues, the specific term 'urban sprawl' did not gain widespread traction until a pivotal article published by *The Times* (London) in 1955, which used the phrase as a negative comment on the state of London's outskirts. Contrary to popular belief, there is no single authoritative consensus on the definition of urban sprawl; while researchers like Michael Batty (2004) have contributed significantly by describing it as "uncoordinated growth: the expansion of community without concern for its consequences," planning literature remains divided on a singular definition rather than agreeing on one established standard. Historically, medieval suburbs existed outside city walls which were primarily demolished in the 19th century to accommodate urban expansion and modernization, rather than being lost to industrial warfare; these fortifications had largely become obsolete centuries prior due to changing military technology and the need for space. Modern sprawl instead brings distinct disadvantages: increased travel time, transport costs, pollution, and countryside destruction. In the US, revenue for maintaining this infrastructure comes mostly through property and sales taxes, even as most jobs shift to these suburban areas.

In Their Own Story

In the United States between 1982 and 2017, approximately 44 million acres of land were developed, with the National Resources Inventory classifying an area roughly the size of Kentucky more as developed than the Census Bureau does. The consequences are visible in cities like Detroit, which expanded geographically even while losing population, a trend also seen between 1970 and 1990 in Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, and Zürich. Yet, Metropolitan Los Angeles challenges simple definitions; it remains the densest major urban area in the US despite its sprawl, built at more uniform low to moderate density compared to the compact cores of New York or San Francisco surrounded by low-density peripheries. Even massive regions like Greater Mexico City, Delhi National Capital Region Beijing, and the Greater Tokyo Area are often regarded as sprawling despite being relatively dense and mixed-use. The term remains highly politicized with almost always negative connotations, criticized for causing environmental degradation and intensifying segregation.

Reader's Guide

To identify urban sprawl accurately, researchers like Reid Ewing suggest using indicators rather than just characteristics, proposing "accessibility" and a "lack of functional open space" as flexible measures. Sprawl typically exhibits low-density or single-use development, strip development, scattered development, or leapfrog development where areas of construction are interspersed with vacant land. Single-use development separates commercial, residential, and industrial areas by barriers, making walking or transit impractical and requiring cars for all activities. This leads to "job sprawl," where the majority of jobs in a metropolitan area locate outside the central business district (CBD) in low-density suburban peripheries due to urban disinvestment and corporate desires for affordable expansion space. This creates spatial mismatch, leaving poor, predominantly minority citizens without easy access to entry-level jobs due to limited transportation options. While some argue that China's high-rise superblocks constitute "high-density sprawl" due to single-use separation by giant arterial roads, the definition remains subjective and a matter of degree.

Did You Know?

• The term 'urban sprawl' is widely accepted to have gained popular traction following a specific critique in *The Times* (London) in 1955, rather than being established by earlier critics prior to that decade.
• Between 1982 and 2017, approximately 44 million acres of land in the United States were developed.
• New York City holds the title for the densest major urban area in the US, contrasting sharply with the low-density nature often associated with sprawling metropolitan regions like Los Angeles.
• From 1970 to 1990, cities like Amsterdam and Brussels experienced population losses while their sprawl expanded.
• Scholars continue to debate the precise definition of sprawl, with no single consensus established in planning literature despite contributions from experts like Michael Batty.