Urban Sprawl

Urban sprawl refers to a number of related characteristics of suburban development, such as extremely low density for residential development, unique dependence on the car for transportation and street malls and shopping malls as exclusive forms of retail. Critics have charged urban sprawl with a variety of social ills, such as increased pollution, social isolation, destruction of natural resources and even increased obesity. Supporters of suburbanization have challenged these accusations and argued that low density development, with good schools and high levels of safety, is what the vast majority of households desires.