D.C. The Urban Land Institute studies development patterns and offers advice on the best way for places to grow. Other experts caution inferring much by studying only population shifts. They counter it is impossible to say communities are sprawling without considering how much land has been developed, whether population densities are rising or falling and whether people are working in their suburbs or commuting into the city. That information will come out in subsequent releases of census findings and other government research over the next few years. Each suburb must be considered individually to see if its growth may be considered sprawl, Pendall and other researchers said.
Some people say any growth on a city's edges is sprawl.
They say most new development should be directed inward, squeezing more homes and businesses into areas that already are built up to preserve the fields and trees that would otherwise be paved over. Other people say there is nothing wrong with some growth outside of developed areas. People are shunning cities for suburbs for many reasons. Some work in the city but want to live away from its congestion, noise, crime and other urban troubles. They find land is cheaper outside of town and schools may be better.