Urban sprawl is a pressing issue that affects many cities and communities around the world. It is defined as the expansion of urban areas into surrounding rural or undeveloped areas, leading to the fragmentation of the landscape and increased dependence on automobiles for transportation. This phenomenon has significant environmental, social, and economic consequences, including loss of open space, increased traffic congestion, decreased air and water quality, and reduced social cohesion.
To better understand and address this complex issue, we are conducting an expert survey on urban sprawl. We are seeking the insights and perspectives of professionals who specialize in urban planning, environmental sustainability, transportation, and related fields. Your input is critical to developing a comprehensive understanding of the causes and consequences of urban sprawl and identifying effective strategies to mitigate its impacts.
If you are an expert in this field and willing to contribute your expertise, please comment below to express your interest. Thank you for your willingness to participate in this important survey.
Sprawl is an often-overlooked cause of many environmental and economic problems. Therefore, investigating the causes of sprawl and potential remedies is very important.
Typically, communities create infrastructure to facilitate development. But, if infrastructure is well-designed and well constructed, it inflates the price of nearby land. High land prices push development to cheaper, but more remote sites. Communities extend infrastructure to these remote areas, only to have land prices rise and the cycle repeats.
The ability of private landowners to appropriate publicly-created land values is the fuel for land speculation. Speculation (buying land not to use it, but merely to hold it for future appreciation) creates nothing of value. But, it creates an artificial scarcity of land available for development and leads to additional land price inflation.
Some communities have remedied this by transforming the traditional property tax into an infrastructure access fee. This is accomplished by reducing the tax rate applied to privately-created building values while increasing the tax rate applied to publicly-created land values. The lower rate applied to buildings makes them cheaper to construct, improve and maintain. Surprisingly, the higher rate applied to land value helps keep land prices down by reducing the profits from land speculation.
Thus, without any new spending or any loss of revenue, this tax shift can make both land and buildings more affordable. As a bonus, it compels development of high value sites -- which tend to be infill sites near existing urban infrastructure amenities. Because the demand for development is finite at any given time, increasing infill development reduces development at the urban fringe, thereby reducing sprawl.
For more information, see https://www.shareable.net/land-value-return-and-building-a-more-equitable-economy/ .
Rick Rybeck Dear Dr. Rick Rybeck,
I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for taking the time to participate in our urban sprawl expert survey. Your thoughtful responses were incredibly insightful and provided a wealth of information on the causes of sprawl and potential remedies.
I particularly appreciated your detailed insights on the impact of infrastructure on land values and how this can contribute to sprawl and land speculation. Your explanation of how some communities have remedied this issue by transforming the traditional property tax into an infrastructure access fee was both fascinating and practical.
Your contributions to the survey have been invaluable, and we are so grateful for your participation. Your expertise and insights have helped to deepen our understanding of urban sprawl and potential solutions. Once again, thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
Best regards,
Krishnaveni
- Badges
- Science method