Ten Most Sprawl-Threatened Large Cities
No. 11 - 20
In 1994, Detroit drivers wasted 57 hours per person in traffic, the seventh highest
figure in the country. This was a 30 percent jump from 1990, the sixth highest increase in
the country over that period.
From 1970 to 1980, Baltimore's population density dropped more than 34 percent, the
highest figure in the country. In 1994, Baltimore drivers spent 138 percent more
time in traffic than in 1982.
Cleveland's population density dropped 24 percent from 1990 to 1996, the sixth highest
figure in the country. From 1982 to 1994, time wasted in traffic increased 260 percent, by
far the highest increase in the country.
From 1982 to 1992, the amount of developed land increased 32 percent, the tenth highest
jump in the country. From 1990 to 1996, Tampa's population density dropped 19 percent, the
eighth highest drop in the country.
In 1996, residents of the Dallas metropolitan area traveled 29.8 miles per day per
person, a figure second only to Atlanta. In 1994, Dallas drivers wasted 55 hours per
person caught in traffic.
16. Hampton Roads
From 1990 to 1996, the ratio of the Hampton Roads, Va. urban population to its suburban
population plummeted 54.6 percent, the third highest drop in the country. This followed a
74.1 percent drop from 1980 to 1990, the second highest drop in the country over that
From 1980 to 1990, the population density of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area dropped
15 percent, the third highest drop in the country.
From 1982 to 1992, the amount of developed land in the Miami metropolitan area
increased 35.8 percent, the sixth highest increase in the country.
19. San Antonio
In 1994, San Antonio drivers wasted 32 percent more time in traffic than they did in
1990, the fifth highest increase in the country.
20. Riverside/San Bernardino
From 1980 to 1990, the ratio of Riverside/San Bernardino's city population to its
suburban population plunged 87.1 percent, the highest drop in the country. In 1994,
drivers here wasted 75 hours caught in traffic, also the highest figure in the country.
Another Hot Spot for Sprawl: Salt Lake City, UT
In response to studies projecting continued population growth and its consequences for the
traffic in the area, Gov. Mike Leavitt has proposed building an entire new freeway system,
called the Legacy Highway. Most of the 120-mile route would
run through remote areas without any urbanized centers. The Legacy Highway is designed to
create sprawl by facilitating new, low-density housing subdivisions.
A broad coalition of groups is uniting to defeat the Legacy Highway. This
coalition consists of farmers, cattle ranchers, duck hunters, bird and wildlife advocacy
groups, taxpayer watchdog groups, transportation planners, air quality groups and
grassroots environmentalists. The battle over the Legacy Highway promises to determine the
rate and quality of future growth in Salt Lake City.
Read the Report | Clickable Sprawl Map | Sprawl-Threatened Cities
Up to Top | Printer-friendly version of this page