Public Choices and the Dynamics of Sprawl

As a pattern of urban development and as a pattern of public behavior, sprawl does, indeed, affect us all. It fragments our communities, saps the strength of our economy, and degrades our environment. It serves the community to reconsider the public choices we make that lead to sprawl.

In the early 2000’s, the League of Women Voters of Buffalo/Niagara took the lead in that process with its Education Campaign on Urban Sprawl. Part of that educational campaign was a televised panel discussion about the costs of sprawl, bringing together national, state, and local experts on sprawl to examine the many facets of this critical issue.

This publication was adapted from that broadcast and is presented with the hope of bringing this important discussion to an even larger number of Western New Yorkers. It includes an edited transcript of that panel session, suggested questions for discussion, and selections for further readings on sprawl.