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Small City Sprawl

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on February 1, 2007
in Gainesville, Sprawl and University of Florida
.
Think sprawl is something that is affecting only large metropolitan areas? Well think again. Sprawl is degrading the quality of life in nearly every city across the country. The rate of sprawl may be slower than larger cities, but, even then residents are beginning to quickly feel the effects of such rapid and uncontrolled growth. One such city which I’m quite familiar with is Gainesville, home to my University of Florida. Recent rapid growth has caused the city to sprawl out in every direction possible. The rate of this rapid growth is now being felt by area residents with unbelievable traffic crowding nearly every roadway. The city is also taking an aggressive approach to become ecologically sustainable which as we all know, severely conflicts with sprawling growth trends.
Held back by limited economical resources, implementing public transportation in most small cities is fairly difficult. Gainesville’s public transportation would essentially not exist had it not been for the subsidized funding provided by each student’s tuition. Now, the city bus system attracts 25,000+ daily trips, which considering the population is just over 100,000, is pretty darn good for a city this size. Despite the wide use of public transportation (largely by the student base) the city is still suffering from major traffic issues due to years of unchecked growth. The city is aiming to fix the congestion issue by revamping the traffic signalization which has been neglected for over 15 years and which alone should increase roadway capacity by 15%. I wrote into the Independent Florida Alligator in response to an article published yeterday on the growing concerns of the traffic. The original article can be found here and my reply is reprinted below.
Letter to the Editor High-density development best way to cure traffic woes By GABRIEL J. LOPEZ-BERNAL 4EG

I’m writing in response to Wednesday’s article “SG, City Commission talk transportation.” If the city of Gainesville is actually intent on reducing traffic and creating a pedestrian-friendly urban environment, then they need to concentrate on improving the existing options and limiting the city’s footprint. Traffic signal improvements will only improve roadway capacity and will do little to discourage residents from driving daily.

The city should aim to severely curtail its urban sprawl by creating higher-density developments that encourage citizens to walk or seek alternative forms of transportation. Creating a sustainable environment is more than conservation. It involves careful urban planning to reconstruct a city that is readily accessible to human beings rather than vehicles.

2 Responses to “Small City Sprawl”

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  1. 1 brickell
    Feb 1st, 2007 at 6:25 pm

    As a former Gator, I found that Gainesville suffered as much from liberal Nimby’s as any other place I’ve been. They despise the height and “big business developers” that conspire to ruin their little commune.

    The effects are similar but the thought process is different than other more conservative towns who seem more concerned with their right to space and their right to drive.

  2. 2 Paul305
    Feb 1st, 2007 at 10:47 pm

    Good job getting in the Alligator. I noticed your comment while fighting to stay awake in Elements of Electrical Engineering today. I have a feeling that you will be writing another comment very soon considering the results of today’s opinion poll which asked readers if “…encouraging biking help the city’s traffic problem?” 48% of those polled said “Yes,” while 52% said “No!” IDIOTS!!!

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