Background Information
Here are some recent publications by the Sierra Club, the Coalition for Smart Growth, and other local and national organizations:
- Better Communities, Less Traffic--Taming the Sprawl Monster
:
A Citizen's Guide to Protecting and Preserving Your Community. A web-based version is available at: http://www.wholeliving.com/dcsprawl.
Potholes & Politics 1998: The Money's There but the Roads are a Mess. What's Going On?
Is available at: http://www.transact.org/potholes/title.htm
Sprawl Solutions: Smart Growth
Is available at: click here for another copy.
Urban Roadway Congestion Annual Report - 1998 by the Texas Transportation Institute. The study shows that traffic jams are not just a big city problem. Read the report at: http://mobility.tamu.edu/.
The Surface Transportation Policy Project analyzed the above TTI report and concluded ADDING NEW LANES FAILS TO EASE CONGESTION. Review the STPP analysis at: http://www.transact.org/congestion/.
The League of Conservation Voters 1998 National Environmental Scorecard. View the Scorecard at http://scorecard.lcv.org/ to see how your members of Congress scored.
Here is a summary of how the Virginia members of Congress voted
The Sierra Club's
Sprawl Costs Us All report. Now you can see what sprawl is costing you.
For some background information, follow this link to read a recent USA Today article concerning the problems sprawl causes for commuters throughout the USA:
USA Today Sprawl Article.
Also, read some recent reports from the General Accounting Office (GAO) -- you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these documents:
Here are some graphics that depict the impact of Sprawl on Northern Virginia and the DC metro area:
- Satellite images of the Springfield, Virginia / I-495 interchange, from 1949 - 1994. Click
here.
- See an "animated" example of how sprawl has taken hold in Northern Virginia: Sprawl Maps
The Sierra Club recently released its Sprawl Costs us All report, detailing the cost (to you and me) of sprawl development in Virginia. It documents rising taxes and debt in Virginia counties, loss of farmland and natural areas, and the decline of cities, towns, and older communities. Copies of this report may be obtained from the Sierra Club Annapolis office by calling 301-261-2314 from the DC metro area. It is also located on-line at: http://www.heyhon.com/Sprawl/.
The Coalition for Smarter Growth released its Highway Robbery report in October 1997. This report has received a lot of media and political attention, including that of Senator Charles Robb. The release preempted the Board of Trade's final report and helped to put the Coalition and member organizations on the media map. Copies of the report are available from Coalition offices:
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Coalition for Smarter Growth
1777 Church St, NW
Washington, DC 20036
tel: 202-588-5570, fax: 202-588-5676
Stopsprawl@aol.com
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(This report is also posted on the web at http://www.transact.org/smartgro.htm)
In the autumn of 1997, we organized and participated in a rally to protest the Western Transportation Corridor and to inform the citizens of its impacts on our personal budgets, traffic congestion, and on our environment.
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