2nd Annual Tour De Sprawl Set For October 3rd
Lately, l've been having a recurring nightmare. l'm riding my bicycle out into the countryside, along an old familiar road that l've been traveling since childhood. I begin to leave the city limits and to anticipate the rolling hills and the farmland ahead; the roadside apple stands, the red barns which seem wonderfully anachronistic, the woods that flank the winding road ahead. But in the dream, instead of farms and forests I find a bulldozer resting amidst a field of dirt; a maze of cookie-cutter houses set into a sterile patch of treeless lawns; and a strip mail filled with chain stores and surrounded by an enormous parking lot. Where are the farms and fields? Where is the character of this land that I once knew?
This, of course, is no dream. It is a reality experienced all too often today, by people in communities across the nation. Urban sprawl is bringing people from cities and older neighborhoods out into what used to be the countryside, but what is now just another subdivision next to another strip mail. Many people have a gut reaction to this sort of scene, probably for many different reasons. But are there more tangible reasons to oppose urban sprawl, ones that involve economics, environmental concerns, or social values? Is there anything we can do about this seemingly inevitable pattern of senseless growth? Do people here in Ann Arbor or Washtenaw County care about preserving farmland and open spaces?
First, why oppose sprawl? One good reason is that it costs current residents money. New subdivisions require new services, and if the development occurs outside of existing service areas, this means that the tax dollars of the entire community will be needed to build new roads, sewer systems, schools, and so on. Not only are the new subdivisions ruining the view, but they're making us pay for it!
In fact, these new residential developments require more in tax dollars for services than they generate in tax revenue. Agricultural land, in contrast, generates more revenue than it requires in services. A recent study in Scio Township found that new residential developments cost $1.40 in services for every $1.00 paid in local taxes, while agricultural land costs $0.62 for every dollar paid. So saving farmland is not only aesthetically appealing, it's cheaper too.
Another reason to oppose sprawl is the environmental damage this kind of development inflicts. New subdivisions are rarely planned with public transportation in mind, and they rarely include local services such as grocery stores or markets. Rather, the new residents are completely dependent on the automobile, which increases traffic congestion and pollution, and decreases quality of life. An increase in paved roads also increases runoff of pollution into our streams and lakes, which threatens our water quality. Not to mention the obvious environmental damage which comes from bulldozing trees, fields, and other forms of wildlife habitat.
Finally, urban sprawl is accelerating the decay of our cities. As the middle classes move out into the suburbs, they decrease the tax base within cities, taxes which go toward maintenance of schools, parks, and services. Thus, the cities become a less desirable place to live, which causes more "urban flight" to the suburbs. As more and more people move into the suburbs, less and less money and political interest is invested in maintaining vital cities. But, who can blame the family that wants to move its children out of a neighborhood that is filled with drugs and crime? A key part of slowing sprawl is reinvesting in our cities, to make them once again truly desirable places to live and raise families.
And this brings us to the most important part of the story: What to do about it? Communities across the nation are beginning to speak up against senseless, unplanned growth and to educate themselves about the causes and the alternatives. Growth in itself is not necessarily bad. It can be redefined to mean something other than rampant consumption and expansion. It's a matter of learning how to do it purposefully, wisely, with a sense of place and community, and in a way that integrates the new communities with the old.
On October 3rd, the Sierra Club is sponsoring the second annual Tour de Sprawl to educate members of Washtenaw and surrounding counties about the causes of - and alternatives to - urban sprawl. The Tour consists of a 20-mile bike loop that begins in Ypsilanti's Riverside Park, moves through some of the city's neighborhoods, and then winds its way into rural Superior Township. AATA also will be donating a bus for those who choose not to cycle.
The Tour will include several stops, where local planners and land use experts will discuss the causes of sprawl, the problems it brings, and the possible alternatives. The Tour will end back at Riverside Park with live music, free food (pizza!), an exclusive Tour de Sprawl t-shirt, and information tables from local non-profit organizations.
Last year's Tour began in Ann Arbor and looped out into Scio Township. The event was enormously successful, informative, and fun. This year's Tour promises to be equally interesting and fun. As more people learn how sprawl costs us all, we can begin to affect the planning decisions made by local governments and to change the senseless, out-of-control growth which is urban sprawl.
To pre-register for the second annual Tour de Sprawl, cali 480-7751 . Cost of the Tour is $3 for pre-registrants and $5 the day of the Tour. Bus riders must pre-register. Registration is 9-9:30 am at Riverside Park on October 3, with the event beginning at 9:30 am. For more information, please contact Karen Glennemeier at 741-9719.