Cities tend to grow, at different rates.
As they grow, inevitably someone will complain about the growth and label it urban sprawl. The solution a few politicians propose is cramming people into compact, high-density urban areas. Congestion, along with the crime and blight usually associated with it, is precisely what caused urban areas to sprawl in the first place. Atlanta, with its nearly 4 million people, is often pictured as the poster child of sprawl. The average distance commuters travel is said to be 35 miles.