Next Two Paragraphs of Senior Research Paper

Defining Sprawl in Los Angeles
Greater Los Angeles is viewed as the epitome of sprawl. That reputation began with events that occurred decades ago. Main elements of Los Angeles’ sprawl largely relate to World War II. Aspects of sprawl during this period include the following:
1. The automobile – A major American icon which provided an easy means for people to travel and made relocating to more rural locations possible. “Auto and truck travel have exploded in the United States since World War II. That explosion is the key force behind the energy consumption, air quality, and climate changes brought about by sprawl.” (Squires 24)
2. Freeway system – Mindful of the autobahn in Germany, President Eisenhower initiated a freeway system that was originally conceived for the military. This ultimately provided people the means to move freely, encouraging the construction of cookie-cutter homes and developments throughout the landscape.
3. Baby-boomers (Population increase) – Veterans returning from war wanted to settle down and raise a family. During this period in history, America saw a spike in births throughout the nation. The rise in population meant more homes, more roads, and more sprawl.
4. American suburban home – As personal and national wealth was on the rise during the 1950’s, families looked for affordable homes in suburbs outside of cities. Our government encouraged families to live in suburbs as a means to pay off war debts. (Miller 16)

These four elements in American history helped promote sprawl across the United States, with Los Angeles representing the more unconstructive side of that phenomenon.

Factors Influencing Sprawl Today
Three main reasons for sprawl today continue to be growing populations, increasing economic prosperity, and reliance on the automobile. Other features of sprawl include:
1. Leapfrog or scattered development – A form of development that is more inefficient use of land than sprawl. It skips over available land and claims large tracts for development. This process allows for cheaper land to be bought and developed, generally for a single purpose. The farther away the land is from major cities, the cheaper it will be, which is why leapfrog development is so appealing to developers.
2. Single-use development – A type of development that has a single purpose or use. Examples would be strip malls and single family suburban homes. On the other hand, an example of a development with multiple uses would be an apartment complex that has a parking garage, its living spaces, and a restaurant that serves the public.
3. Poor accessibility and automobile dependency – Dependency on automobiles has caused poor public accessibility to locations throughout Los Angeles and elsewhere in the United States. Existing public transportation does not allow for positive accessibility throughout a large and expansive developed landscape.
4. Fragmented open space between scattered developments – Land between developments causes zoning and regulation problems and turns the open areas into unsightly and unused space.
5. Lack of functional open space – Public space that does not meet the needs of its users. Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, for example, is usable, but the design and its users (generally homeless people) make it a poor functioning open space.
6. Lack of nearby conveniences – As developments are being pushed into more rural locations, the necessities of life are no longer conveniently located.
7. Increasing expenditures on infrastructure – As the population grows causing more sprawl, there will be an expected increase in expenditures by local governments.