What do abandoned buildings, clogged highways, and new
             mega-malls in farm fields have in common? According to a
             growing list of national experts, all of these seemingly
             unrelated phenomenon are the direct result of urban sprawl.
             Webster's Dictionary says that to sprawl is "to spread out
             in an awkward or uneven way, especially so as to take up
             Although a clear meaning of sprawl remains
             elusive, public debate over sprawl is driven
             primarily by general concerns that low-density
             residential development threatens farmland and
             open space, increases public service costs,
             encourages people and wealth to leave central
             cities and degrades the environment.(NCPA)
             One must understand that urban sprawl can not be completely
             eliminated, but only contained in a manner that will help
             the United States to function better as a country. "Sprawl
             is inevitable. We can't have a strong economy unless we
             grow and allow new development"(Beaumont 9).
             Each morning, millions of Americans start their engines
             and grind their way to work. They leave quiet settings for
             the hustle and bustle of the nearby cities. When evening
             approaches, these same people make their way back home.
             Home, however, is no longer just across town. Many of these
             people will commute miles and miles to their country homes.
             "Americans drive more than two trillion miles and consume
             more than 150 billion gallons of motor fuel every
             year"(Beaumont 25). They are not alone in their commute
             though, the entire rest of the subdivision is doing the
             exact same thing, day in and day out. They endure the
             traffic, lost time, and general inconvenience to be
             surrounded by farmland and open space and a hundred or so
             Urban sprawl has always been a problem in a sense;
             however not until the automobile was sprawl a serious issue.
             With the arrival of the automobile, people could li...