Protecting some people's views of open space doesn't justify limiting others' choices of where to live and increasing their taxes at the same time. Some sprawl supporters insist that new agricultural technologies are dramatically reducing the amount of land that needs to be farmed, thereby freeing more land for development. Opponents of uncontrolled development are equally vehement about appalling traffic congestion along suburban streets and highways, the loss of fertile farmland, ever-increasing air and water pollution, the loss of regionally distinctive communities that once characterized U.S. cities, and the destruction of irreplaceable open space and wildlife habitats. Unchecked sprawl is also gutting many 1950s and 1960s-era inner ring suburbs, just as the construction of those same suburbs sucked the vitality out of our center cities several decades ago. The high cost of sprawl Sprawl impacts more than the environment and our quality of life.
Sprawl also exacts enormous financial costs.
The taxpayers, who subsidize the homebuilders and the residents of the outlying new subdivisions. The infrastructure improvements that sustain sprawl can seriously strain government finances. Douglas County, Colorado, the fastest-growing county in the United States in recent years, is covered with new subdivisions and huge retail centers. Douglas County is the envy of older, less affluent communities. Yet, it faces real financial challenges, because Colorado has placed a ceiling on property taxes.