Megastores surrounded by acres of asphalt. Cookie-cutter subdivisions. Traffic-clogged highways. Plowed-under farmland turned into strip malls. They're all part of sprawl -- poorly-planned, land-hungry development that eats up farms, meadows and forests, turning them into wasteful, sterile strips and subdivisions that serve cars better than people.

The alternative to sprawl isn't a halt to growth. The population of the United States is expected to increase by 50 percent in the first half of the 21st century. Those additional 130 million people will need places to live, work, shop, and play. The question is not whether we will build new homes, offices, shops and movie theatres to accommodate them, but where we will build them and how. If we allow sprawl to continue, we can expect additional loss of open space as well as more dependence on cars and an increase in the pollution they produce.

"Smart growth" breaks this cycle. It means better planning, concentrating development where schools, roads, and sewer lines are already in place, and reinvesting in older communities instead of abandoning them. It places homes near major transit stations or within walking distance of shops, restaurants, and offices. Smart-growth communities not only help preserve natural, open spaces, but also are more livable and attractive than their sprawling counterparts.

The pages in this photo album (click on any photo pair at left to open it) illustrate how sprawling development lowers not only the quality of our lives, but also the quality -- and quantity -- of all life around us. And they show smart-growth alternatives that can preserve the landscape and improve our daily lives.

last revised 9.8.00