FACING THE CHALLENGES AHEAD. IN SPRAWL CITY. RACE, POLITICS, AND PLANNING IN ATLANTA

Sprawl cities have now amassed allies form inner-city residents, suburban homeowners, rural farmers, academics, activists, and even some business leaders. Why all the fuss about sprawl? Sprawl is not new. The undesirable by-products of sprawl development can be readily seen and felt by suburban, central city, and rural residents. Sprawl is costly and ordinary citizens are paying the bill. Not only are Atlanta residents paying for sprawl with their hard-earned dollars; they are also paying with their health. Sprawl cannot be blamed for all of the social problems in metro Atlanta. However, some clear side effects can be linked to the sprawl development pattern: urban infrastructure decline, core city abandonment, uneven development, racial polarization, social isolation, public education disparities, car dependency, air pollution, public health and safety risks, threat to farmland and wildlife habitat, and diminished quality of life. The effects of sprawl-driven development can now be readily seen in living color on maps, charts, and graphs with the advent of user-friendly geographic information system (GIS) analysis. Good color maps are worth a thousand words. Sprawl can easily be seen with the naked eye as one attempts to get from point A to point B on Atlanta's gridlocked freeways. Freeway congestion tells the story. Sprawl can be controlled with smart growth.