An Alternative Approach to the Measurement of Urban Sprawl

Abstract

The term “urban sprawl” is generally used to refer to patterns of development in suburban areas. Low-density is the most often cited characteristic of sprawl. This paper examines sprawl in 2010 in 59 large urban areas in the United States by looking at multiple measures of density within the suburban areas, the areas added to the urban areas after 1950. Areas with the highest levels of sprawl are mostly in the Northeast and the South, including the Boston-Providence area, while most of the urban areas with the lowest sprawl are in the West, including Los Angeles. Urban areas with larger suburban areas, that have grown more rapidly since 1950, have somewhat lower levels of sprawl. Sprawl is much lower in those areas where urban expansion has been limited by the presence of barriers including mountains and wetlands.