Urban Politics

Regionalization

Overview

• Sprawl– Definition– Issues/Problems

• New Regionalism• Smart Growth• New Urbanism

Sprawl

• Sprawl:– EPA definition:

• residential density of 3 dwellings or less per acre (about 208.7 feet per side of a square; football field is 1.3 acres)

Issues/Problems

• Lower population density– loss of land for agricultural or “green field” use– suburban growth outpaced urban population

increase• New York: 5% increase in population (1964-1989)

61% increase in developed land

– Reasons for?

Issues/Problems

• Traffic– Decrease in roads/vehicle

• 1970s: 61 yards of roadway/vehicle• 1986: 39 yards of roadway/vehicle

– Increase in number of licensed drivers• up 65% from 1970 to 1997

– Increase in registered vehicles• up 87% from 1970 to 1997

Issues/Problems

• Traffic– Increase in “cross”

commute (i.e., suburb to suburb) and “reverse commute (city to suburb)

– Difficulty of coordinating mass transit solution

Issues/Problems

• From 1987 to 1995, traffic congrestion grew 235% (average flow rate below 35 m.p.h.)

• Upshot: Increase in Travel time in car– average commute time has increased

Issues/Problems

• Impact on gasoline prices

• In sum, big increase in cost of commute in terms of time and money

• Psychological costs

Issues/Problems

• Expansion fueled further expansion as advantages of suburbia dwindled with expanding suburbia

• Aesthetics of strip malls, hiways, and traffic

Solutions

• New Regionalism• Smart Growth• New Urbanism