The Costs and Consequences of Suburban Sprawl: The Case of Metro Atlanta

Metro Atlanta, poster child of sprawl, is used in this study as a case study. Racial discrimination and segmentation in the housing market, environmental degradation, and transportation inequity - particularly to do with race, are the three consequences of sprawl identified. The study examines in detail the inequity in services offered by the Metropolitan Area Rapid Transit Authority, and decries the lack of coordinated metro-scale service. Encouraging public transit use while discouraging automobile use in Metro Atlanta is argued to be the key to solving many sprawl related problems. The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) could possibly help reach this goal.