Urban sprawl

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/urban-sprawl

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the defining characteristic?Rapid outward expansion of urban areas with low-density development and car dependency
2. What is the historical context?Accelerated by post-WWII suburbanization and the widespread adoption of the automobile
3. Why do cities spread out instead of staying dense?Cars became common after World War II, highways were built, and governments encouraged buying homes far from city centers, so people could live farther away.
4. How does urban sprawl affect the environment?It turns natural places and farms into buildings, hurts wildlife, and cars use more fuel, which makes air pollution and greenhouse gases rise.

Single-use zoning: Land-use regulations that segregate residential, commercial, and industrial areas, promoting separation.
Leapfrog development: Development that jumps over undeveloped land to build in more distant locations, leaving gaps.
Urban growth boundary: A planning tool that designates a line beyond which urban development is restricted.