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The History of Urban Sprawl and the
Effects on the Environment
Danielle Gunnoe
The phenomenon of urban sprawl began over
a hundred years ago and continues to take
over land in the United States. Urban sprawl
adversely affects the environment in many
ways.
IN the United States progress is often
measured by growth and development, but
as the quality of the environment
diminishes with the destruction of natural
land, the question of progress must be
readdressed. The conquering and
development of natural land has, in the
past, been identified as a mark of human
civilization. People tend to equate
development with success of a society. This
is apparent in the settling of America in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and
the pursuit of the American dream of
Manifest Destiny.
Manifest Destiny, first proposed by John L.
O’Sullivan in 1839, was the idea that
America was divinely destined to spread
across the continent, from the Atlantic to
the Pacific. Manifest Destiny stirred a rush
to settle the frontier and spread human
development throughout the country. In
order to stimulate this westward
movement, the government offered
incentives such as the Homestead Act of
1862 and the Morrill Land-Grant Act of the
1
same year. (1) These acts distributed rural
land to prospective builders and created
settlements across the United States, thus
opening the untamed frontier. Despite
government encouragement, the majority
of United States population remained living
in urban centers until the 1950’s when the
suburban movement began. The suburban
movement fueled more widespread
development by introducing the standard
of driveways and backyards for every home.
Growth and expansion were incessant
forces throughout the twentieth century
and continue to plague the United States.
The effects of mass development are
extreme and are encouraging the United
States to re-examine the definition of
progress.
The widespread development and
demolishment of natural land is often deemed
urban sprawl. Just like it sounds, urban sprawl
describes cities that have grown to gargantuan
proportions and stretch over vast areas of
land. Some of the most visible cases of urban
sprawl in the United States are the greater Los
Angeles area, the stretch of metropolis
between Boston-Washington D.C. and the
Dallas area. (2) These giant cities have
overtaken neighboring towns to create
seemingly endless urban regions. Urban
sprawl is apparent in most major cities in the
United States. The plague of mass
development poses many threats to the
environment.
Urban sprawl is encroaching on America’s
natural and agricultural land, destroying the
landscape and consuming the resources of the
given area. In effect farmland, forests,
rangeland, wetlands, and desert are lost.
Suburban and exurban growth also threaten
wildlife and native plants because of the upset
to their natural habitats. This is visible
throughout the United States. The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service have identified Southern
California as “one of the most depleted habitat
types in the United States.” The state has
become inhospitable to many native plants
and animals of the area, including varieties of
Sage plants, which at one time grew rampantly
throughout California. (3) The changed land of
California is in large part due to the
phenomenon of urban sprawl.
Agricultural land in the United States has
decreased significantly as well. In 50 years,
1950-2000, The United States lost 22% of
farmland to development. (4) The loss of
natural land is a pressing issue in today’s
world, yet urban sprawl is relentless.
Notes:
1 The Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862,
also known as, “The College Act,” was
proposed by a Vermont Congressman, Justin
Morrill, and passed by President Abraham
Lincoln. The act granted 30,000 acres of public
land for each congressman in each state in
order to build colleges. The act favored
populous states and it is often seen as a
counter to the Homestead Act of the same
year. (John Y. Simon, “The Politics of the
Morrill Act,” Agricultural History, Vol. 37, No.
2 (Apr., 1963), pp. 103-111,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3740782)
2 The urban area between Boston,
Massachusetts and Washington D.C. is often
known by the name “BosWash” in reference
to the two cities seamless connection due to
urban spraw.
3 Jutka Terris, “Unwelcome (human)
Neighbors: The Impact of Sprawl on Wildlife,”
National Resources Defense
Council (1999),
http://www.nrdc.org/cities/smartgrowth
/pwild.asp
4 Warren E. Johnston and Alex F.
McCalla, “Whither California
Agriculture: Up, Down or Out?
5 Some Thoughts about the Future,”
Giannini Foundation Special Report
04-1, (2004): Sect III,
http://giannini.ucop.edu/calag.htm