[pharke]

Urban centers may be more efficient but urban sprawl is not. We need to rethink urban development and optimize for efficient use of space, ease of access to services, transportation and livability. I think the optimal solution would be a network of urban hubs connected by efficient transport and buffered by mixed agricultural and recreational land. Use mixed zoning so people and businesses can locate themselves at their preferred distances. Ideally, these hubs would be fairly close together so people could easily live, work, and play in any number of them. Focus on public transportation and walkability to give an edge to both localized and specialized businesses and to promote social contact.

This isn't really possible to do in established metropolises but it could be done in areas where small towns are the mainstay.

[adrianN]

Yeah urban sprawl is a terrible cancer that needs to be stopped. But encouraging people to move even further away from the city center is not the way to do it.