I love trees, but I'm not a tree hugger. Sprawl is drawing the attention of groups ranging from the Sierra Club to the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce. Sprawl should not be allowed to destroy the area's quality of life, Chamber President James W. Dunn said. A sprawling, unattractive region would hurt the ability to attract clean industries and willing workers, Dunn said. I don't know anybody who wants to grow just for the sake of growth.
Sprawl has many causes.
The economy is booming. Suburban and rural land is cheap. Zoning laws separate homes from jobs and stores. Steve Hayward, a senior fellow with the Pacific Research Institute, a conservative think tank, said sprawl is inevitable because it's fueled primarily by population growth and affluence. That would represent an increase of 76 percent from 1970 and 30 percent from 1990.