Urban Sprawl Pros and Cons

To better present the issue of urban sprawl in a completely non-biased way, I have decided to create a "pros" and "cons" list for you to compare and contrast. First, I will list the benefits of urban sprawl:

• Thanks to less expensive land in outlying areas around cities, people are able to afford larger houses on larger lots. So no more squeezing a large family into a smaller house
• Better school systems are often available in the suburbs. According to the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA), in 1999, 73 percent of suburban New Jersey students scored "at or above" the basic reading level, whereas only 27 percent of urban students in New Jersey achieved the same goal.
• Crime rates tend to be lower in the suburbs than in urban areas, providing further incentive for families in particular to seek the white-picket fence safety of the outlying districts.
• The expansion of our society symbolizes a growing economy
• Sense of Community. An individual in a city can often feel lost in the crowd, while living in a less densely populated area can offer more of a sense of belonging to a community.
• It's the easier route

Now, here's a list of the problems or "cons" of urban sprawl:

• Living outside the city makes having a car almost a requirement. Businesses, schools, services, and recreational areas are all spread out at a distance, not to mention the need to commute to work. The increased use of automobiles contributes to increased pollution.
• The construction of roads and buildings destroys farmland and wildlife habitat. This means that food needs to be transported from farther away. The loss of wildlife habitat is not only an aesthetic loss. These areas also often serve as critical recharge areas for a region's drinking water supply.
• As the population becomes more dispersed, government agencies must also expand to meet the needs of these citizens. This means more government offices and the manpower to staff them. All this, in turn, means high taxes to pay for them.
• As pollution increases, so does respiratory problems.
• Longer travel times and more traffic congestion and more of a risk for more vehicle accidents
  
• Car-based living is also credited in part with obesity.

The video below is of Michael Jackson's song entitled "Earth Song". It was performed by Celine Dion, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, and Smokey Robinson at the 2010 Grammy Awards. I'm posting it because every once and awhile we need to be reminded of why we love Earth's natural beauty. It's a great song and sung beautifully.