There's a big national debate about sprawl these days. Some of the commentary seems to fault suburban living, criticizing citizens and businesses for abandoning historic urban centers. People move because they want their families to be safe and want their kids in good schools. So, in a fundamental sense, nothing matters more than restoring reliable safety to urban neighborhoods and giving families access to good education. Otherwise there's no way to stop sprawl.
Failure is a costly prospect.
No American region can easily afford continued sprawl. The smart ones are figuring out that making their urban centers places people want to live, as well as do business, is the vital next step. Just think about the potential. There are thousands of empty lots and vacated properties beckoning for commercial adoption. Infill development won't handle all the coming population growth.