This is another cause of urban sprawl in addition to population growth. Nevertheless, with a million new Phoenix residents added, the total Phoenix land area went from 388 to 741 square miles. Eighteen cities had no per capita land growth, even though their population expanded. Those of you only in your twenties or early thirties may not be able to relate personally to these urban changes. Trout streams either destroyed by silt from unregulated development or whose access is now blocked by private homes.
Ponds filled-in to add to developable acreage or to reduce liability.
Undeveloped lands, where kids can roam and learn to appreciate natural systems, are now a commute away rather than only a walk through the neighborhood. Unless municipal governments had the foresight to provide public access to natural waters in the urban areas, kids now have to depend on parents, friends or other mentors to take them fishing. These access limitations are definitely major factors in the reduction in angling participation witnessed from 1990 to 2000, and they certainly discourage our youth from independently sampling angling. Our society has ideological trouble with both these principals. America is a free society that understandably expects that no freedoms will be denied.