Sprawl also means more asphalt and concrete, which increases run-off that threatens our rivers, lakes, streams, creeks. Sprawl destroys parks, farms and open space. That represents one quarter of the entire area's farmland destroyed in one generation, the most of any Ohio metropolitan area. Sprawl creates more killer floods. Sprawl also increases the risk of flooding by promoting building on floodplains and destroying flood-storing wetlands.
Smart growth means no new building in floodplains and other disaster prone areas.
Sprawl hurts us all by raising our taxes. More troubling is that tax subsidies are being spent in new sprawl areas, rather than where most people live. This sucks needed tax money out of cities and older suburbs, while taxing seniors and others out of their homes. This means that the public is subsidizing developer and road builder profits. Sprawl increases tax costs for local residents while Smart Growth can save taxpayers money.