Question

Explain why urban sprawl occurs even though it negatively impacts the environment. short paragraph

Answer 1

Urban sprawl persists because economic and institutional incentives favor it: cheaper land on city edges, lower immediate housing costs, developer profit motives, and public subsidies for roads and utilities that make greenfield development cheaper than infill. Combined with consumer preferences for larger homes and yards, automobile-dependent infrastructure, zoning rules that separate uses, and fragmented local politics that prioritize short-term growth, these factors outweigh long-term environmental costs in decision-making.