Green Junction - The Urban Sprawl Effect

The 2008 Nobel prize winning economist and professor, Paul Krugman, posted a column titled “The Limits of Sprawl, Is Atlanta’s slowdown telling us something?” He is referring to urban sprawl, suburban housing developments that have required more driving, more highways, more time on the road (traffic). His column references a Wall Street Journal article that explains “metropolitan Atlanta has experienced rapid population growth ever since the introduction of air conditioning.” The recent decline in growth, according to the data, is related to lack of affordability and traffic. Professor Krugman calls it “the limits of sprawl.”

He explains that the flat areas of the US have experienced unsustainable urban sprawl. “When the demand for houses rises, Flatland metropolitan areas, which don't really have traditional downtowns, just sprawl some more.” He then compares Atlanta to New York City. “According to Consumer Affairs, Atlanta now has the fifth worst traffic in America, edging out New York — which is pretty amazing given that even now the New York metro area has more than three times Atlanta’s population.” The average commute time in both cities is similar at 31 minutes. Professor Krugman explains that trains (public transportation) and elevators (lots of vertical housing!) are the technologies that have made NYC more capable. “.. Atlanta can no longer easily add housing by just sprawling some more. Why? Because given bad traffic and the lack of alternatives to driving, more sprawling means locating so far out that you lose the advantages of living in a major metropolitan area.” In January of this year, New York City imposed a congestion fee to address and reduce traffic.

Urban sprawl, according to Yale University’s Seto research team, leads to numerous negative environmental consequences. “The conversion of Earth’s land surface to urban uses hastens the loss of highly productive farmland, affects energy demand, alters the climate, modifies hydrologic and biogeochemical cycles, fragments habitats, and reduces biodiversity.”  Critical long-term planning is required to develop areas to create functional community centers, to reduce traffic and protect the environment.

“Issues like agricultural abuse, urban sprawl, and extraction prioritize consumption and capitalism over healthy, thriving creation.” Creation Justice Ministries