Originally Posted by Roody

As several people have said, it's not the suburbs that are the problem, it's the way the suburbs are connected and laid out. In a sprawl zone, buildings and roads are basically plunked down wherever it was easy for the developer to get his trucks in. Each housing area is separate and alone, so you have to go out on a busy street to visit somebody a few yards away in a different subdivision. The stores all stand alone instead of gathered together in a mall or business district. Again you must drive between each store, and they may be miles apart. It's the same thing with other destinations--schools, offices, parks, entertainment--all separate. It's the endless driving between these places that suburban residents are always complaining about. And they use more resources (expense +pollution), which affects them personally and all of society.

This is not a good way to be. The suburbanites themselves are the ones who should be up in arms about it! It's their own time, money, and peace of mind that are being taken away by sprawl.