Urban sprawl as a matter of public policy

• Main Author: Megalos, Sophie
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/4289

Current land use patterns in North America are not strictly the result of the operation of a free market or explicit consumer choice. Direct and indirect public policies, operating over many decades have made low density living an appealing alternative for consumers, the providers of housing, and those who support the finance of infrastructure. At the local level, the public sector administers an intricate system of land use regulations which implicitly encourage low density development and provides the essential capital and public infrastructure that is necessary to support new development. At the senior level, long-term government policies favouring homeownership, single-family homes and the automobile have facilitated continued sprawl and a reliance on the automobile. The extent of the aggregate impact of public policies on urban development patterns is significant. The continuing dispersion of growth in most urban areas is creating severe environmental stress, unprecedented traffic congestion, and potentially unsurmountable fiscal pressures. As society confronts the significant social, economic and environmental costs associated with dispersed land uses, there is a growing consensus that public sector policies which continue to subsidize unsustainable patterns of development are no longer affordable. In light of the above, a critical re-evaluation of public policies and practices is imperative by both senior and local governments. === Applied Science, Faculty of === Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of === Graduate