1. The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
Suburban Nation
The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
Written by Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck
Presented by Jessica Morton, Joe Dumais, and Katie Hooker

2. Authors’ Information
Duany and Plater-Zyberk work at a firm designing community-based neighborhoods.
Speck works with them as the director of town planning
Plater-Zyberk works as the Dean
of the School of Architecture at
the University of Miami.

3. Sprawl Investigation What is sprawl? Why should we care about sprawl?
Where does it come from and what are the ramifications?
Why should we care about sprawl?
What problems does it pose and what are the health risks?
What can we do about sprawl?
What are the alternatives to sprawl and how can we change our neighborhoods?

4. Introduction
Faulty, outdated procedure has economic and quality of life impacts. Suburban sprawl is a symptom of this faulty system; the answer is a return to traditional neighborhood models.
“The deck [is] already stacked against healthy growth by municipal regulations and engineering conventions.” (101)
These conclusions are made with the understanding that:
Growth cannot be stopped
Profit-motive is not the problem with development
Most issues are inter-related

5. What is Sprawl? Defining Sprawl Origins Components Consequences
Photo obtained from Jstor.

6. Defining Sprawl
Sprawl - To be distributed in an awkward or uneven manner, esp. as to take up more space than is necessary.
Suburban Sprawl – Unchecked, uncoordinated, haphazard growth outward, esp. resulting from real estate development on the outskirts of a city. The spreading of urban development into areas adjoining the edge of a city.
Obtained on Google images

7. The Origins of Sprawl The popularity of the automobile
Policies of such programs as the Federal Housing Administration and the Veterans Administration
“As long as zoning codes favor low-density development over the creation of compact communities, developers will not be able to shake their reputation as land rapists, as they turn farm after farm into cookie-cutter sprawl.” (100)
“Even more culpable in this scenario are those surprisingly powerful advisors to the development industry, the market experts.” (101)
Levittown, the original subdivision
Photo obtained from Google.

8. Sprawl Planning Decisions: Creating the Components of Sprawl
Low-density land use
Single-use zoning
Fast food chains, built at sites of future development
Focus on highway and parking infrastructure over public spaces

9. The Components of Sprawl
Housing subdivisions
Shopping centers
Business parks
Civic institutions
Roadways
All photos were obtained from Google.

10. Consequences of Sprawl
Car-dependent communities
Increased fossil fuel reliance and pollution
Traffic congestion and increased traffic fatalities
Decline in social capital
Class segregation in residential areas (housing types grouped together, like with like, McMansion with McMansion)
Increased likelihood of obesity and crime

11. Suburban Sprawl Unmasked
“Subdivisions can be identified as such by their contrived names, which tend towards the romantic – Pheasant Mill Crossing – and often pay tribute to the natural or historic resource they have displaced.” (5)
“The contemporary office park is usually made of boxes in parking lots. Still imagined as a pastoral workplace isolated in nature…in practice it is more likely to be surrounded by highways than by countryside.” (6)

12. If it has… …then it’s not sprawl A center A five-minute walk
A street network
Narrow, versatile streets
Mixed-use zoning
Special building sites (example: areas for a farmers market)
…then it’s not sprawl

13. Sprawl Resistant: Traditional Neighborhood Model
Sprawl Models
Photos obtained from Google
Sprawl Resistant: Traditional Neighborhood Model

14. *Activity* Here’s your neighborhood problem: traffic congestion
Tools you can use to combat it: design, policy, or management
An example: You can choose to solve the problem of crime by using design – eliminating potential hiding places and using beautiful and durable materials to display high standards of civic care; by using policy – having zoning regulations require entries and windows to face public spaces; or by using management – having the local cops get to know residents and develop a relationship with the community

15. Problems of Urban Sprawl
Zoning
Isolation and Segregation
Reliance on Cars and the Traffic Problem
Lack of community
Resources inefficiency
Loss of talent/jobs/resources for cities

16. The Problem with Zoning
Tends to make more efficient mixed land use illegal.
Separates everything from everything else.
Promotes auto-travel reliant society.
Creates segregated blocks of space rather than communities.

17. Isolation and Segregation
Creates isolated blocks of space rather than integrated communities
Segregates residents by separating housing types
Creates a “Move out to move up” lifestyle

18. Isolation and Segregation
Leads to Fragile Neighborhoods
Enforces sameness and encourages discrimination and intolerance.
All photos were obtained from Google.

19. Reliance on Cars and the Traffic Problem
Creates an area entirely dependent on cars for travel
Because of this dependence, design focuses on unimpeded auto travel.
While good for cars, this is detrimental to other forms of travel such as walking or biking
Pedestrian danger increases as well as drivers feel safer speeding and driving carelessly

20. Reliance on Cars and the Traffic Problem
The Auto-reliant system requires massive road construction
As more roads are constructed, more people take advantage of them producing induced traffic congestion
Traffic congestion motivates construction of more new roads, which in turn induce more traffic

21. The Lack of Community in the Sprawl
The highly segregated car dependent system requires people to spend much of their time driving
Instead of interacting meaningfully with others, people spend most of their time competing with them for road access

22. The Lack of Community in the Sprawl
Remaining time not spent driving is spent confined in the cookie cutter housing cluster
With nothing to differentiate any given suburban sprawl area from another, a sense of unique place fails to develop
Without a sense of place or opportunities to meaningfully interact with each other, communities fail to form and people are left in a void

23. Resource Inefficiency
New Suburban sprawl areas require massive amounts of resource expenditure to create.
The isolated and auto-reliant setup waste huge amounts of time and energy in transit
Huge amounts of resources are also expended on maintaining and expanding roadways

24. What the Cities Lose
Suburbs are perceived as better places to live, thus those who can leave the cities do so
Businesses leave along with the people
The poor who are unable to leave are left behind in an economically weakening area
This leaves cities with a shrinking resource base with which to try and deal with increasing problems

25. What the Cities Lose
This in turn further motivates people to leave, which further worsens the situation, creating a vicious cycle
All photos were obtained from Google.

26. The Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) Model

27. Model Exceptions: Old communities No population growth
Where city infill is possible
When it will promote:
Unnecessary automobile use
Unnecessary greenfield development

28. The Duany, Plater-Zyberk, and Speck Plan
Mixed-use development
Connectivity
Discipline of the neighborhood
Making transit work

29. Mixed-Use Development
Residence
Shopping center
Workplace
Civic buildings

30. Connectivity Neighborhoods should meet Avoid collector roads
Highways should skirt towns

31. Discipline of the Neighborhood
Pedestrian Shed
“the five minute walk”
Use natural features
Zone buildings by size
“Pocket parks”
Culture to nature
Urban to rural
Rural preserve Suburban
General
urban
Urban
center
Urban
core

32. Making Transit Work Frequent and predictable Direct, logical route
Safe and dignified stops

33. The Specifics of the TND Plan
The Streets
The Buildings
The Parking
The Style

34. The Streets Residential street Yield streets Travel lanes 10 ft.
Parking lanes 7 ft.
Westhaven
Katrina Cottage

35. The Buildings Houses close to street Encourage sociability
Retail without setbacks
Taller is better

36. Parking and Style Mixed-use parking
“If every building were to croon at once, nothing could be discerned from the cacophony” (211).

37. *Activity* ~ let’s try it again
Here’s your neighborhood problem: traffic congestion
Tools you can use to combat it: design, policy, or management. Use the knowledge we’ve given you; try utilizing a different tool this time.
An example: You can choose to combat the problem of crime by using design – eliminating potential hiding places and using beautiful and durable materials to display high standards of civic care; by using policy – having zoning regulations require entries and windows to face public spaces; or by using management – having the local cops get to know residents and develop a relationship with the community

38. Government MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOV REGIONAL GOV
Agenda setting
Rewrite regulations
TND ordinance
Be proactive
Think Globally
Public participation
Set an example
REGIONAL GOV
Create strong regional governments
Create detailed plans
Create physical plans

39. Government cont. STATE GOV FEDERAL GOV “Tough love” programs
Affordable housing
Educational goals
FEDERAL GOV
Public transportation
Tax policies
Federal incentives
Equal education resource distribution
Coordinate policies
Public support for Private initiatives

40. Conclusion
A faulty, misguided system gives birth to suburban sprawl, which needs to be replaced by healthy, traditional neighborhood models.
Batavia, Illinois
Appleton, Wisconsin
Portland, Oregon

41. Discussion:
Of your solutions to the traffic congestion problem, which would be most effective? Why?
How realistic is the TND model?
How do the authors’ professions affect your opinion of their solution?