Urban Sprawl Versus Compact Development

The terms urban sprawl and compact development refer to opposite ways of using space to develop built environments. Urban sprawl refers to the way that cities expand even into rural areas, creating low-density communities taking up vast amounts of land. This also means that there is a relatively large amount of space between structures. Many see low-density development of land as wasteful, socially harmful, and, in the long run, more expensive.

The term suburban sprawl is sometimes used interchangeably with urban sprawl because it has often been suburbs that arose as a result of the spreading out. Urban sprawl is fueled by an automobile culture that enables people to drive long distances to get to their work spaces. This urban sprawl, fueled by the car, leads to congestion of the very roadways that brought people to less crowded spaces.

Compact development, on the other hand, conserves the use of land with a higher density of inhabitants, living in a variety of kinds of high-quality housing. Public transportation, an important partner of compact development, de-emphasizes the need for automobiles, thereby reducing the need for as much parking and reducing congestion of streets and roads.

The term smart growth has many of the same connotations as compact development. “New urbanism” is another movement that emphasizes, among other factors, compact development, neighborhoods independent of the automobile, and neighborhoods built with the pedestrian in mind. Urban sprawl is driven by a number of factors. The growing population of cities is one cause. An increase in demand for housing stock leads families and individuals to the market. Often land outside the city is cheaper and developers begin building subdivisions and individual homes not connected to subdivisions. As the [Page 1670]financial condition of families improves, they often want a home with more space and a bigger yard. They are driven outside the city by their desires.

An area of new housing developments encroaching on a farm in Dallas County, Iowa, near the city of Des Moines in 2000. The loss of farmland like this through development can have ripple effects, such as increased dependency on corporate agriculture.

There has also been a “back to nature” movement that causes some people to want to live closer to trees and wildlife. Some have experienced the negatives of the city and flee. Rising crime rates, poor urban school systems, and a decline in the quality of the urban housing stock are among the push factors that drive individuals from the city.