Phoenix as Everycity: A Closer Look at Sprawl in the Desert - Design with the Desert: Conservation and Sustainable Development - page 252

FIGURE 14.2
Generic sprawl development around Shadow Mountain.
The result? Phoenix's modernist groove—so well established in the 1950s and 1960s—
gave way to generic sprawl development. A typical development scenario in the Phoenix
area includes the construction of big box stores surrounded by acres of asphalt, strip malls,
and more and more cookie-cutter subdivisions. This type of development encourages traf-
fic congestion and clogged freeways, even in normal daily activities.
The consequences of rapid and generally poorly planned growth include poor air qual-
ity, burdens on infrastructure (including schools), rising costs of services and infrastruc-
ture, increases in paved areas and the rising urban heat island effect, and fragmentation of
wildlife habitat—in short, a plummeting quality of life. In fact, the Maricopa Association
of Governments (MAG) report View of the Valley in 2040 found that 45% of area residents
surveyed said that they would move immediately if they could. Many of the reasons cited
were related to the way the area was growing and the impacts of that growth—too many
people, traffic, and pollution/air quality, among others. 12
Arizona, overall, is ranked 36th for livability in the “Most Livable State Award 2008,”
which uses 43 factors to determine livability. Arizona received a lower ranking due to a
number of sprawl-related factors, including high student-to-teacher ratios in classrooms,
high crime rates, and high freeway fatality rates. 13 Can fixing sprawl directly address all
of these issues? No. But Arizona would rank much higher on any livability list if we built
neighborhoods, not developments; planned transportation systems, not freeways; and
ensured that schools are adequately funded and could plan better for enrollment changes.
Let us look at some of these problems in more detail.
14.3 Problems Associated with Sprawl
14.3.1 Lack of Transportation Choices and Associated Costs
At least partly as a result of sprawl, there has been an enormous increase in automobile
travel. The need for increased driving in sprawling areas requires a massive and expensive