Sprawl, Justice, and Citizenship: The Civic Costs of the American Way of LifeMust the strip mall and the eight-lane highway define 21st century American life? That is a central question posed by critics of suburban and exurban living in America. Yet despite the ubiquity of the critique, it never sticks--Americans by the scores of millions have willingly moved into sprawling developments over the past few decades. Americans find many of the more substantial criticisms of sprawl easy to ignore because they often come across as snobbish in tone. Yet as Thad Williamson explains, sprawl does create real, measurable social problems. Williamson's work is unique in two important ways. First, while he highlights the deleterious effects of sprawl on civic life in America, he is also evenhanded. He does not dismiss the pastoral, homeowning ideal that is at the root of sprawl, and is sympathetic to the vast numbers of Americans who very clearly prefer it. Secondly, his critique is neither aesthetic nor moralistic in tone, but based on social science. Utilizing a landmark 30,000-person survey, he shows that sprawl fosters civic disengagement, accentuates inequality, and negatively impacts the environment. Sprawl, Justice, and Citizenship will not only be the most comprehensive work in print on the subject, it will be the first to offer a empirically rigorous critique of the most popular form of living in America today. |
Contents
Sprawl as a Moral Issue | 3 |
Defining Explaining and Measuring Sprawl | 23 |
Counting Costs and Benefits Is Sprawl Efficient? | 57 |
Do People Like Sprawl and So What If They Do? | 85 |
Is Sprawl Fair? Liberal Egalitarianism and Sprawl | 110 |
Liberal Egalitarianism in a CuldeSac? Sprawl Liberal Virtue and Social Solidarity | 151 |
Sprawl Civic Virtue and the Political Economy of Citizenship | 179 |
You Cant March on a Strip Mall Sprawl and Political Disengagement | 217 |
Sprawl the Environment and Climate Change | 249 |
Reforming Sprawl and Beyond | 266 |
Appendixes | 286 |
Notes | 317 |
373 | |
393 | |
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Sprawl, Justice, and Citizenship: The Civic Costs of the American Way of Life Thad Williamson No preview available - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
activity addition aimed American analysis argues argument associated benefits built census central city choices citizens civic republicans claim compared conception concern controls costs critical debate density desirable discussion driving economic effect egalitarian engagement environment equal existing findings given groups higher households housing human important income increased individual inequalities interest involve justice kind land least less liberal liberty live mean measures metropolitan areas moral nature neighborhood normative noted organization participation particular patterns percent persons places political positive possible practical preferences principles proportion question Rawls reason reduced regard region relationship reported requires residents respect respondents Sample mean SCCBS schools significant simply social society sort space spatial specific sprawl strong substantial suburban suburbs suggest theory tion Tract trust United urban utilitarian variables