SPRAWL is a dirty word. Like weed or dementia, it’s insidious, a creeping malaise with overtones of irresponsible and conspicuous consumption.
“Most people don’t believe that they live in sprawl,” says art historian Robert Bruegmann in his new book on the phenomenon. “Sprawl is where other people live, the result of other people’s poor choices.” Even the word itself looks and sounds ungainly.
But it seems we’ve got it all wrong. Sprawl is not a new phenomenon at all, but as old as the city. What’s more, it is a sign of economic health and a democratising process that gives more people more choice over where…
