Population Gains Eat Up Available Land in the West. Just what is sprawl, and why is it really a concern?

"Plan" and "zone" used to be treated as other four-letter words uttered in some parts of the West, but as waves and waves of newcomers fill up subdivisions that are popping up all over the region, land-use efforts are gaining ground in new areas of the West and are being revamped in areas that have had such plans in place for decades.

The desire for suburban living that arose in the 40s and 50s has turned into the desire for a place of one’s own, usually in exurbs.

Exurbs, those subdivisions miles away from the closest towns, were the focus of a two-day land-use conference held last week in Idaho.

The Idaho Statesman reports that ranchers, public officials, conservationists, hunters and anglers at the Idaho Land-Use Summit voiced their concerns about what is happening in rural Idaho counties.

By Headwaters News

Full Story: http://www.newwest.net/index.php/topic/article/population_gains_eat_up_available_land_in_the_west/C35/L35/

Just what is sprawl, and why is it really a concern? http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060917/NEWS/609170329/1152