Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Sprawl

Brookings: Inadequate Transit and Sprawl Cut Off Workers From Jobs

By Tanya Snyder | Jul 11, 2012 | No Comments

If there’s a problem connecting workers with workplaces, it stands to reason that there’s a problem connecting workplaces with workers. A new report from the Brookings Institution has teased out the subtleties of this side of the transit/jobs equation. Last year, Brookings found that, on average, 70 percent of jobs in a metropolitan region are […]

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Study Predicts “Resilient Walkable” Places Will Lead the Housing Recovery

By Tanya Snyder | May 18, 2012 | No Comments

This morning, a Minnesota Public Radio host asked me if the exurbs, whose growth rate flattened when the recession hit, are going to come back. Lots of people from far-distant suburbs like Blaine and Farmington called in, saying they like the way of life out there – they like having acres of trees buffering them […]

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The Greenwashing of Sprawl

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 11, 2012 | No Comments

Twenty-eight miles southeast of Cleveland, there is a development that bills itself as “Ohio’s FIRST Green Certified Residential Community.” According to the developer, The Lakes of Orange “offers a rare, one-of-kind opportunity to build and live in a green and sustainable environment.” “Reserve your place in eco-history today,” its website implores. “We are accepting lot […]

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Anti-Sprawl Doctor to Host PBS Series on Urban Design and Public Health

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 27, 2012 | No Comments

“A leading voice for better urban design for the sake of good health.” “A public health/social justice hero.” Dr. Richard Jackson, chair of environmental health at UCLA, is a leading voice for transportation reform whose work has linked America’s sprawl to the nation’s high rates of obesity. The former director of the Center for Disease […]

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Mixed-Use Development Delivers Huge Public Returns Compared to Sprawl

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 24, 2012 | No Comments

Walkable development pays — that’s the conclusion of a study recently outlined in Planetizen. For cities and towns facing tight budgets — just about everywhere in the United States right now — the smart way to boost tax revenue is to encourage mixed-use, walkable development, as the above graphic amply illustrates. The for-profit development company […]

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When “Old and Blighted” Development Beats “Shiny and New” Suburbanism

By Ben Goldman | Jan 3, 2012 | No Comments

There are plenty of hidden costs to auto-oriented development: increased levels of air and water pollution, safety risks posed to pedestrians and cyclists. But as Strong Towns Blog points out, some costs are hardly hidden at all. The authors of the comprehensive plan for Brainerd, Minnesota (pop: 13,590) probably thought they had a great idea: […]

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