Only about one-quarter of farmland loss since 1945 is attributable to urbanization. Auto pollution is highest in areas that have the least urban sprawl. Acreage in protected wildlife areas and rural parks exceeds urbanized areas by 50 percent. But the truth is, many cities have contributed to urban flight. People have fled because of bad public schools, high taxes and crime.
Old housing is another factor.
The NCPA report is based on a lengthy analysis of land use published earlier this year by Reason Public Policy institute. Predictions of future farmland loss based on past trends are misleading because farmland loss has moderated since the 1960s. Farmland loss has declined from 6.2 percent per decade in the 1960s to 2.7 percent in the 1990s, said the report. With dramatic increases in agricultural output, American farmers are producing almost 50 percent more food than in 1970 using less land. Many planners even acknowledge that large-lot zoning was a significant contributor to the urban sprawl they now want to eliminate.