

Over time this migration to the suburbs, along with rising local populations, led to substantial increases in the geographic extent, or spatial footprint, of metropolitan areas in the United States.

See the geographic expansion of the Las Vegas metropolitan area from 1984 to 2009 demonstrated through space images Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon-NASA Earth Observatory/Landsat 5/USGS Global Visualization Viewer See all videos for this article Suburban residents retained a connection to the city through their automobiles. Some citizens moved to the suburbs to enjoy a lifestyle that was ostensibly closer to nature however, others moved to escape the congestion, crime, and noise of the city. Compared with land in the cities, suburban land was relatively inexpensive, and the homes constructed on this land afforded more space to their occupants than inner-city dwellings.
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At the same time, continued road-building projects, most notably the onset of the Interstate Highway System in 1956, and other infrastructure development made it possible to build homes on land that was previously inaccessible. In addition, by increasing the physical and environmental “footprints” of metropolitan areas, the phenomenon leads to the destruction of wildlife habitat and to the fragmentation of remaining natural areas.ĭuring the period of economic prosperity in the United States following the end of World War II, increased manufacturing output and new federal loan programs allowed many American citizens to purchase single-family homes and private automobiles. Urban sprawl has been correlated with increased energy use, pollution, and traffic congestion and a decline in community distinctiveness and cohesiveness. Urban sprawl is caused in part by the need to accommodate a rising urban population however, in many metropolitan areas it results from a desire for increased living space and other residential amenities. Urban sprawl, also called sprawl or suburban sprawl, the rapid expansion of the geographic extent of cities and towns, often characterized by low-density residential housing, single-use zoning, and increased reliance on the private automobile for transportation. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.
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