Routledge The Social Impacts of Urban Containment (Urban Planning & Environment)

One of the policies that has been most widely used to try to limit urban sprawl has been that of urban containment. These policies are planning controls limiting the growth of cities in an attempt to preserve open rural uses, such as habitat, agriculture and forestry, in urban regions. While there has been a substantial amount of research into these urban containment policies, most have focused on issues of land use, consumption, transportation impacts or economic development issues. This book examines the effects of urban containment policies on key social issues, such as housing, wealth building and creation, racial segregation and gentrification. It argues that, while the policies make important contributions to environmental sustainability, they also affect affordability for all the economic groups of citizens aside from the most wealthy. However, it also puts forward suggestions for revising such policies to counter these possible negative social impacts. As such, it will be valuable reading for scholars of environmental planning, social policy and regional development, as well as for policy makers. Review 'Nelson, Dawkins and Sanchez extend the exploration of the effects of containment beyond urban form and housing prices, providing new insights into its consequences for a broad array of social and economic issues. As such, the authors break new ground to provide the most comprehensive assessment of the thinking on these issues to date.' Gerrit Knaap, Director of the National Center for Smart Growth, University of Maryland, USA 'This important new book examines the effects of urban containment policies on key social issues in the United States and argues that, while the policies make important contributions to environmental sustainability, they also impact on critical social aspects of contemporary urban living.' Australian Planner About the Author Professor Arthur C. Nelson, Assistant Professor Casey J. Dawkins and Associate Professor Thomas Sanchez all at the School for Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Tech, USA