Routledge Urban Sprawl in Western Europe and the United States (Urban Planning and Environment)

Urban sprawl is one of the key planning issues today. This book compares Western Europe and the USA, focusing on anti-sprawl policies. The USA is known for its settlement patterns that emphasize low-density suburban development and extreme automobile dependence, whereas European countries emphasize higher densities, pro-transit policies and more compact urban growth. Yet, on closer inspection, the differences are not as wide as first appears. A key feature of the book is the attention given to France; its experience is little known in the English-speaking world. The book concludes that both continents can offer each other useful insights and perhaps policy guidance. Review ’This newly-published collection of papers presents original research findings from Europe and North America on one of the most important and most contentious issues for planners worldwide: how far is it possible or desirable to limit urban growth so as to promote more sustainable transport patterns?’ Professor Sir Peter Hall, Institute of Community Studies, London, UK ’Sprawl is back on the agendas of governments in most Western countries, and is now a priority concern of urban policy and planning...This edited collection is a substantial contribution to those debates...a stimulating and highly informative collection. It offers detailed empirical analyses and policy reviews of European urban situations that are not widely available in English...a must for anyone interested in the current debates on emerging urban forms and the dilemmas facing contemporary land-use planning and urban policy generally.’ Population, Space and Place ’Urban sprawl is a worldwide concern nowadays...it is thus stimulating to read a comparison of three countries, with some excursions to Switzerland, Austria and Korea. This book is interesting in many respects.’ Journal of Housing and the Built Environment About the Author Harry W. Richardson holds the James Irvine Chair of Urban and Regional Planning at the School of Policy, Planning and Development, University of Southern California, USA. Dr Chang-Hee Christine Bae is Associate Professor in the Department of Urban Design and Planning at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Washington, USA.