Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Sprawl

Sprawl Madness: Two Houses Share Backyard, Separated by 7 Miles of Roads

By Angie Schmitt | Feb 28, 2013 | 70 Comments

Just how absurd have American development patterns become over the past few decades? Behold: Two houses with adjoining backyards in suburban Orlando. If you want to travel the streets from point A on Anna Catherine Drive to point B on Summer Rain Drive, which are only 50 feet apart, you’ll have to go a minimum of […]

In Philly, Housing in Walkable Places Held Up Better Than Suburban Housing

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 9, 2012 | No Comments

It’s been a bad few years for homeowners around the country, and those in greater Philadelphia are no different. But people who owned houses in Philadelphia’s center city or suburban areas near a walkable town center fared better than others. According to a new report from the Congress for the New Urbanism, the homes in greater […]

Scandalous Video: Obama Talks Sense About Road Building

By Tanya Snyder | Oct 3, 2012 | 5 Comments

You all excited to watch the presidential debate tonight? Here’s a glimpse back to 2007, when the old Barack Obama was getting us all hyped up on a sugar rush of hope and change. Check out this video, care of the conservative Daily Caller, which is making a lot of hay about some racially-charged remarks Obama […]

The Economist: Don’t Expect Driving Rates to Rise Again

By Tanya Snyder | Sep 25, 2012 | 12 Comments

This whole “peak car” may be more than just a sustainability nut’s fantasy. We’ve seen time after time that young people are souring on car culture and finding other ways to get around and connect with friends. We know that the suburban sprawl that fueled the rise of the automobile is in decline. And now […]

Housing Market Collapse Leaves Detroit Exurbs Underwater

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 20, 2012 | 1 Comment

Late last year, Strong Towns writer Charles Marohn asserted that suburban development “operates like a classic Ponzi scheme, with ever-increasing rates of growth necessary to sustain long-term liabilities.” The folks in the farthest-flung suburbs of Detroit can vouch for that. Following the collapse of the housing market, exurban communities throughout southeast Michigan are struggling under […]

Are Dense Urban Neighborhoods More Resilient During Natural Disasters?

By Tanya Snyder | Aug 28, 2012 | 2 Comments

As the country watches Hurricane Isaac’s massive spiral head straight for the Gulf Coast, we are all experiencing post-traumatic symptoms of Katrina, which, seven years ago today, was heading for the same target. But I’m also remembering a severe weather event that hit closer to home (for me) somewhat more recently: Snowpocalypse, followed by Snowmageddon, […]

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