Why do people like sprawl? (metro, suburban, crime, highway)

[JMT]

If this topic has been discussed before, I apologize for bringing it up again.

As a city dweller who can't stand suburbs and sprawl, I just don't get it. In this forum it seems most people like cities. Yet throughout the country it's the sprawling suburbs that are growing the fastest. It's the sprawling metro areas that are growing the fastest (Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix, DFW, Charlotte, Raleigh, Nashville, Las Vegas, NoVA, etc).

What is it about sprawling suburbs that is so appealing to apparently the majority of the population?

[condorito]

It is a reflection of a society where everything is fake, plastic, standardized and unnatural aka BS society. It is also due to lack of spirituality and the disconnect from nature. Sprawling, cookie cutter neighborhoods are perfect places for people who are insecure, unnintelligent and uncreative. It is called McDonaldization of society.

[tahiti]

I think larger homes, safety and more importantly, better schools. When you have kids these things become infinitely more important than you could ever realize.

[metro223]

High quality of life, nice neighbors, less drugs, nice homes, clean stores, nice parks, better road system, less crime, could be closer to work.. etc.

[radraja]

Spacious houses, big yards, better quality schools, less crime, etc.

I don't have a problem with suburbs. It's all personal preferrence. Some people like a more family-oriented environment, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I only get annoyed when companies excessively drain natural resources in order to build. There are ecologically smart ways to do it; it just takes a little effort and planning.

[JR_C]

I don't think anyone likes "sprawl" just like no one likes global warming. On an individual basis, people just want what they think is best for themselves,(and their family) even if that is harmful to society.

Many of the other problems found in cities are initiated by the very people who are seeking that better (bland, IMO) life. Schools become bad and crime increases because many of the people who can afford to, leave. This creates a concentration of poverty which breeds crime. The city schools lose their tax base as property values go down(at least in Ohio) and gain a disproportionate number of challenged/problem students.

Everything is subjective. I have a much higher quality of life in the city than I could ever hope to find in the suburbs. My neighbors are nice. I have a hard time believing there are more drugs in my neighborhood than in many suburbs--it's just hidden better out there. I prefer my smaller, older house. I hope I never have to live in a house built after 1935. This, above all else, means I'll probably never live in a suburb.

[K-Luv]

i don't think that people like sprawl per se, but they like what comes along with it.

Most new developments bring a sense of newness and safety. Usually, it also creates a self-contained environment complete with new schools, new strip malls and a big box store or two. Most people have the idea that they can live here and not have to deal with any of the problems that they would find in the city or older suburbs. Problem is, besides living in an over-priced, cheaply built cookie-cutter house, is that teenagers that grow up in these types of neighborhoods tend to get extremely bored and commit nuisance crimes. Another thing, if you want to find drugs in the suburbs, ask any teenager.

[CHIP72]

Many, many people like to have a relatively large amount of private space. Good schools and (perceived) safety are high priorities for many people with children too.

You need to remember why "sprawl", or more accurately, suburban living, became popular in the first place, if you want to understand the popularity of sprawl. Prior to World War II, most people did not have the means financially to live outside a city or town unless they were farmers. Also, a much higher percentage of people had blue collar jobs, which in many cases are either tied to specific locations or the land itself (like mining). Finally and perhaps most importantly, the roadway system in the U.S. wasn't even as remotely as good as today's system; there were very few paved roads outside cities and towns. It was harder to get around in general. All of these factors forced people to live in cities and towns, whether they wanted to or not. After WWII, the G.I. Bill allowed many former soldiers to go to college and become candidates for white collar jobs, which often don't need to be tied to specific locations where natural resources are available. The 1956 Interstate Highway Act also showed a new willingness by the U.S. Government to improve the roadway infrastructure. The former factor often allowed people to have higher paying jobs. The latter factor made it easier for them to get to those jobs. Combined with a desire to have more private space, people moved out into what had been the countryside. Early post-WWII suburbs actually shared many characteristics with the nearby cities (like grid streets), but they also segregated land uses from one another and permitted more single family detached housing with larger (relatively-speaking) yards. As the attractiveness of suburbs grew, people desired to have more and more of a good thing. That's when features like cul-de-sacs started appearing, lots got even larger, and houses got larger. Because the land closest to the cities had already been developed as older suburbs, people moved further and further away from the city in order to get these desired features. The problems that many now associate with suburbs, like bad rush hour traffic congestion, didn't start to rear their ugly head until significant suburbs had developed, and those problems are still perceived by many to not be as negative as the problems associated with living in a more dense city or town.

[destinedtodave]

Alot of good answers have already been posted but I think alot of people really like just hopping in their car and going to the mall rather than walking 10 minutes each way in what could be terrible weather. My dad used to say:"the worst of riding beats the best of walking". I happen to disagree with him but I think alot of people feel that way.
And face it, the majority of suburbs out there don't have that bad traffic, only those of major cities.

Alot of people also really enjoy having a yard with a fence, a big house, better schools (as a whole) but still enjoy living close to others and having the amenities of the city nearby-the suburbs fit this bill.

It's not for me at this point of my life but you have to admit they're pretty good for raising a family. They have their pros and cons just like the cities. Live and let live, if people want to live in suburbs they have every right to do so.

[destinedtodave]

to sum it up for the average American: more bang for the buck.