Have We Passed Peak Sprawl?

Sprawl has been a dirty word–not to mention a lousy model of land use–for more than 50 years, but that never slowed its inexorable spread. That is, until the Great Recession slammed the brakes on exurban development. And while it may be too soon to celebrate, there are signs that we’ve passed peak sprawl. Here’s hoping we take advantage of the current housing crisis to rethink where and how we’re going to build–and live–for the next 50 years. –b.d.s.