How to Make Suburbia Less Sprawling

Abstract

Review of Retrofitting Sprawl, edited by Emily Talen.

For the past two decades, smart growth activists have focused on encouraging walkable urban development. But most post-1950 development is designed for cars rather than people on foot (including people who walk to reach buses and trains). It follows that America can become more pedestrian friendly only if automobile-oriented suburbs change to accommodate pedestrians. In Retrofitting Sprawl, a variety of essayists take on this challenge, both by discussing the difficulty of retrofitting sprawl, and by proposing small steps to achieve that goal.

Keywords: Land Use Law, Place and Environment, Urban Studies, Planning, Suburban Sprawl, Smart Growth, Walkability