Today I finished reading Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream today. I’ve been reading this book for ages because, well, law school gets in the way of things.

For some reason, sprawl is one of the issues that I am most passionate about. I really think our country is needlessly headed in the wrong direction. Most people I’ve talked to don’t like huge suburban subdivisions, shopping malls, traffic, etc., but no one seems to think they can solve the problem. (I don’t think too many people really think of it as a “problem”.) However, the problem (as I’ve learned from this book) is much larger than one would think. On the surface there are arguments about pollution and style, but lurking below are far greater problems. The loss of community, segregation of socio-economic classes, and traffic (stress, loss of time, pollution, etc.) are all worsening as a result of sprawl.

What can be done? I support local business as much as possible. I support the T. (Boston’s mass transit - MBTA.) And I don’t ever plan to live in a sprawling suburb that has not made an affirmative design effort to create a community. For example, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to demand that local governments require high density, mixed use zoning, transit and pedestrian friendly layouts, and at least some subsidized housing. If it were my world I would probably tax drivers for the use of the roads, let them fight their own oil wars, and hold them responsible for the 43,200 yearly automotive related deaths. I’ll take it slow though.