Challenge
Maximizing housing to reduce urban sprawl
Urban sprawl refers to the expansion of poorly planned, low-density, auto-dependent development, which spreads out over large amounts of land, putting long distances between homes, stores, and work and creating a high segregation between residential and commercial uses with harmful impacts on the people living in these areas and the ecosystems and wildlife that have been displaced. To avoid this, communities need to focus on utilizing an often overlooked precious resource: space. The less space used, the less we irrevocably impact our planet and communities. Approximately 84% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas, up from 64% in 1950. By 2050, 89% of the U.S. population and 68% of the world population is projected to live in urban areas.