Urban Sprawl
Urban Sprawl
Definition
Urban sprawl refers to the low-density, automobile-dependent, dispersed pattern of urban development characteristic of postwar American cities and suburbs. In Learning from Las Vegas (1977), Venturi, Scott Brown, and Izenour reframe sprawl not as chaos but as a "difficult order" with its own logic—organized by movement, communication, and commercial activity rather than traditional urban form. They argue sprawl requires new representational and design tools.
Key Thinkers
- venturi-robert — Analyzed sprawl as valid urban form with its own order
- scott-brown-denise — Studied sprawl's activity patterns and communication systems
- harvey-david — Critical analysis of sprawl as spatial fix for capital
- koolhaas-rem — Embraced sprawl in later work (Junkspace)
Related Concepts
- commercial-vernacular — Building type of sprawl
- movement-perception — How sprawl is experienced at speed
- urbanism — Broader category
- neoliberal-metropolis — Political-economic context
- consumerism — Economic driver of sprawl
- junkspace — Related critique
Source Support
Sources in the wiki that discuss this concept:
Open Questions
- Is sprawl environmentally sustainable or inherently destructive?
- How does sprawl relate to social inequality and segregation?
- Can sprawl be retrofitted or must it be replaced?