Summary: After World War II, people began moving in large numbers from the central cities to the suburbs; by 1970, for the first time in history, the United States counted more suburbanites than city dwellers or farmers. These demographic changes were accompanied, on the one hand, by a rise in homeownership and opportunities for new businesses, and, on the other hand, by the low-density, fragmented, automobile-dependent development that is commonly referred to as "urban sprawl." In response to congressional concerns about the contribution of federal programs and policies to urban sprawl (while recognizing that land-use planning has traditionally been a function of state and local governments), this report (1) reviews research on the origins and implications of urban sprawl, (2) describes the evidence that exists on the influence of current federal programs and policies on urban sprawl, and (3) identifies regulatory review and coordination mechanisms for evaluating and mitigating the effects of federal actions on urban sprawl.
