"Urban Sprawl" and the Michigan Landscape: A Market-Oriented Approach

Government officials and environmental activists use "stopping urban sprawl" as a mantra to support greater government control over private land use decisions in Michigan through central planning aimed at farmland preservation and urban revitalization. This study critically examines suburbanization and land use in Michigan to determine that the state's economy and farmland and citizens' quality of life are not threatened by economic growth and development, or what activists have dubbed "sprawl." The study argues that restrictions on suburban growth do not address the causes of why people move out of inner cities any more than the Berlin Wall addressed the problems of East Germany's repressive socialist economy. The study concludes by recommending a market-based approach to land use policy and identifying "urban sprawl" as the natural evolution of free people pursuing peaceful ends and their shot at the American Dream.

Contents

• Executive Summary
• I. Introduction: Better Living or "Sprawl"?
• II. The Many Faces of "Urban Sprawl"
  • Michigan Land Use Trends: Suburban Growth and Rural Dominance
  • People Are Migrating out from Large Cities
• III. Land and the "Costs" of Development
  • Historical Land Use Trends Show Moderating Urbanization Rates
• IV. The State of Michigan Farmland
  • Farmland Loss and the Food Supply
  • World Agricultural Output Is Increasing
  • Conclusions: Michigan Agriculture Is Not Threatened
• V. Suburbanization and the Cost of Government
  • Cost of Community Service Studies
  • Cost of Community Services in Michigan
  • Compact Development
  • Conclusions: Low-Density Development Is Not Necessarily Inefficient
• VI. The Flight from the Big Cities
  • Detroit: A Case Study in "Push" Factors
  • Deregulate the Inner City to Bring Businesses and People Back
• VII. The Environmental Effects of "Sprawl"
  • Air Quality
  • Open Space
  • Conclusion: Development Restrictions May Exacerbate Environmental Problems
• VIII. Policy Implications
  • The Politics of "Sprawl"
  • Three Observations about Land Use and Suburbanization in Michigan
  • Five Recommendations for Michigan Land Use and Development Policy Reform
  • Recommendation #1: Pursue economic policy neutrality
  • Recommendation #2: Ensure full-cost pricing for public services
  • Recommendation #3: Establish flexible and voluntary land use programs
  • Recommendation #4: Strengthen private property rights
  • Recommendation #5: Facilitate change and community evolution
  • Conclusion: Pursuing the American Dream
• Appendix A: Defining "Urban Sprawl"
• Appendix B: Classification of Central City, Collar, and Rural Counties
• Appendix C: Top Michigan Counties with Farmland Development Rights Agreements
• Appendix D: Glossary of Terms
• Acknowledgements
• About the Author
• Endnotes