I think urban sprawl might also be indicative of the demographics of a city. Young families with small children don't want to live in condos and downtown high density neighborhoods. They want smaller streets, local parks and playing fields, and the feeling of safety associated with a suburb community, and knowing all the neighbors, mostly for the sake of the kids.
I used to live downtown (Bromley Square, FWIW), now I live in the farthest flung reaches of the sprawl (Evanston), and to be frank, it's great. It's quiet, it's away from the core, my kids can run around safely, and yes, there is lots of green space (mostly cause we almost fall off the map of Calgary...for now). I can remember when we didn't even have transit, and I had to walk 20 minutes to catch the first of two busses, including the dreaded #3, and it was still worth it back then.
So the burbs and sprawl definitely aren't a bad thing for everyone.
-Scott
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