Sprawl

Sprawl

Introduction

This article is based on the arguments on sprawls in low dense areas having negative and positive effects in America. Traditional neighborhood and sprawls are different in function, characters and appearance, and they affect differently in many ways. Sprawl is considered to be artificial system and traditional neighborhood is built on the human need. However, our argument is on sprawls, where it will be enlighten with the book by Dauney and his co-authors, and arguments opposed to the book.

Discussion

Background

Sprawl is the standard North American pattern of growth that ignores human experience and historical precedent. It is an artificial system, unlike the traditional neighborhood model that was developed in nature of human needs. The invention of suburban sprawl was conceived by planners, architects and engineers. The idea was promoted by developers after the World War II that occurred by sweeping aside of the old. The suburban sprawl is comprehensive, rational and consistent, which is certainly not without a beauty. The idea of suburban sprawl was a result of a problem for a system of living. Unfortunately, the idea of suburban sprawl is already showing flaws. As compared to traditional neighborhood, sprawl is basically self-destructive that is not growing to be healthy. Sprawl is consuming land at an alarming rate even at relatively low population densities. It is producing traffic problems invincibly and making social inequality and isolation worst (Duany et al., 2001). Authors have identified five components of sprawl.

Components of Sprawl

Housing subdivisions

Housing divisions are also called clusters, which are only for residential purpose. It is also referred as the village, town or neighborhood, which are deceptive terms as they are not purely residential. They give empirical richness that is not available in a housing zone.

Shopping centers

They are also called shopping malls, which are built only for shopping. They can be found in different sizes, which can be from a normal mart to shopping mall. The distinguishable difference can be seen between conventional shopping center and traditional main-street counterpart from its not having offices or accommodation, its one story building, and the parking lot beside it.

Office parks

Office parks or business parks are only for work. The modern business parks are made in the shape of boxes in parking lots. It is still imaginable as rustic workplace that is environmentally isolated, but in reality it is surrounded by highways rather than to be surrounded by countryside.

Civic institution

Civic institutions include churches, town halls, school, and those places where people get together for communication. The real picture of suburban is revealing as these places are the focal points of traditional neighborhood. Civic institutions in suburb take a distorted form of big and irregular plain, usually plain owing to partial funding.

Roadways

Roadway is a necessary component to link other four components. The load of traffic from one place to another is extremely high. Even if we compare it with Washington D.C., which is the oldest city, the traffic load in sprawl is observed to be extremely high. Sprawls have trapped drivers in worst traffic condition (Tierney, ...