Urban sprawl (original) (raw)

Development Patterns and Municipal Finances: An Analysis of Sprawl and Spending in 82 U.S. Cities

Sprawl has long been lamented in urban planning circles for its detrimental environmental, social, and financial impacts. However, most of the widely cited literature use theoretical models to measure the financial impacts and inefficiencies of sprawling development. This paper examines the relationship between sprawl and municipal finances empirically, by analyzing 23 separate financial categories in 82 of the largest cities in the United States between the years 2000 and 2010. First, the concept of sprawl is defined and a brief overview of existing literature on the impacts of sprawl is presented. Then, 23 separate multivariate regression models are created and analyzed using a sprawl index calculated by Hamidi and Ewing (2014) to predict each of the financial categories, including various expenditure categories, debt outstanding, and capital outlay. In line with existing literature, the research finds that there is a significant and negative relationship between sprawl and capita...

The Connection between Local Government Finance and the Generation of Urban Sprawl in California

This report introduces, analyzes, and summarizes for policymakers an extensive and diverse economics literature on the effects of public K–12 education spending on local, regional, and state economies. The effects of education spending appear in indicators ranging from economic development to employment rates, small business starts, personal income, and housing values. The report offers real-world evidence that providing a quality K–12 public education for all is one of the best investments that governments can make. Therefore, policymakers should engage in serious thought and analysis before taking cost-saving steps that reduce the quality of public education

Urban sprawl and the financial standing of municipalities

Optimum. Economic Studies, 2020

Purpose – Without undertaking a comprehensive assessment of the costs and benefits of the urban sprawl, this article attempts to analyse the impact of this phenomenon on the financial standing of municipalities. Research method – We have primarily used difference-in-differences (DiD) regression analysis with refe-rence to the treatment group (suburban municipalities) and the control group (other municipalities excluding cities with county status). The research was undertaken during the years 2004-2018 and used financial data from the Ministry of Finance. Results – Urban sprawl is a beneficial phenomenon, at least in the short and medium term from the perspective of the financial standing of municipalities (which experience an inflow of new residents). It is clearly evidenced in the revenues of the budgets of suburban municipalities, i.e. an increase in both total and per capita revenues in relation to the control group. The effect of suburbanisation is also visible on the spending s...

Managing the Fiscal Metropolis: The Financial Policies, Practices, and Health of Suburban Municipalitiesby Rebecca M. Hendrick

International Public Management Journal, 2013

ReNew Town: Adaptive Urbanism and the Low Carbon Community (New York: Routledge, 2012). ReNew Town reinforces the idea that unique local-scale, place-based, sustainable development when implemented collectively, can become catalyst for transitioning a place towards a more sustainable future. The book documents the process of retrofitting an existing suburban community, Tama New Town on the outskirts of Tokyo, and offers a case study with practical applications and lessons derived from this transformation. Andrew Scott and Eran Ben-Joseph contend that by face-lifting these crumbling suburbs we leave more land in its natural ecological state. This is preferable to the current practice of clearing lands for the development of new eco-cities, which fail to address globally pervasive, large, outdated suburban spaces. ReNew Town is divided into three sections, sustainable initiatives, concepts, and applied prototypes, and has eleven chapters. The book is the result of the collaborative efforts of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Sekisui House Japan. There are more than sixty contributors to the work, spanning a variety of disciplinary, cultural, and professional backgrounds. ReNew Town reflects these diverse perspectives, offering plentiful solutions to urban environmental problems, specifically issues relating to water consumption, energy use, housing, transportation options, waste management, and food production. Tama New Town originally housed many young families and was prosperous; however, the city is now shrinking, has an aging population, derailed commerce, and poor housing and services to meet these new demographics needs. The town was built in a steep topographical area, which led to a steep-terraced, physically divided, and a non-pedestrian-oriented community-one that promoted car use over more sustainable methods of transport. ReNew Town succeeds in providing an eco-urban primer, introducing many broad ecological concepts in such a way that nonspecialists and specialists alike can understand and apply the knowledge and skills. For example, in the housing sector, architects and designers created multiple housing plans for low, medium, and high densities. The housing plans were explained with the ecological factors that drove the thought process behind the designs. This tactic of synergistically presenting the ecological problem and showing solutions to address the ecological problem helps the reader to follow the thought process and learn the sequential steps and methods used to bridge the gap between environmental theory and design. Another project in the book that further illustrates this "theory to practice" technique is an innovative time series modeling piece. This graphically illustrates the evolution of Tama New Town from pre-intervention, to current times and then to a predicted future post-intervention. In general, the solutions based on this case study are relevant globally. As we transition into an increasingly urban society augmenting consumption, energy needs, and environmental degradation, the environmental lessons identified in this case study can be used anywhere. The problems of restoring crumbling infrastructure, planning for the needs of an aging demographic,

An approach to metropolitan governance and finance

Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 2007

Innovation is the key to prosperity, and most innovation occurs in large cities. The concentration of people and firms increases social and economic interaction and results in greater exchange of ideas among people working in different fields in the same location. Large metropolitan areas can achieve the critical mass required to attract and support high degrees of specialization in labour, knowledge, businesses, services, infrastructure, institutions, and media. To be globally competitive, cities need to provide a wide range of services: transportation, water, sewers, garbage collection and disposal, police and fire protection, parks, recreation and culture, affordable housing, and social assistance. Cities must also provide services to attract and retain highly trained human capital. The`knowledge workers' who increasingly hold the key to economic success are attracted by such quality of life factors as diversity, tolerance, a lively arts scene, recreational opportunities, high-quality public schools, strong neighbourhoods, and safety from crime .