Urban sprawl: A comparative study of the Detroit-Windsor region

Many individual case studies have been conducted on sprawl in specific metropolitan regions within the United States and Canada, but very few comparative studies have looked at the issue. The Detroit-Windsor metropolitan region provides a laboratory to compare the policy decision-making of local officials on issues of urban growth. This comparative case study attempts to answer several research questions. What specific policy choices are available to municipalities to control urban sprawl? Which public policies have been most successful in controlling urban growth? Discussion focuses on state and province wide land use goals to control urban sprawl; however, the underlying foundation to manage urban growth depends on a local sense of community and opportunities to rationalize common interests.;The analysis in this dissertation is based on a review of the current scholarly research centering on the problems associated with urban sprawl in the United States and Canada. Primary and secondary sources of information were reviewed. As well, interviews with public officials, developers and interested participants in the local land use development process were conducted in the Detroit-Windsor region throughout 2003. The analytical strategy of this research provides an overview of the policy issues related to urban sprawl with specific assessment of urban sprawl as it affects the Detroit-Windsor region.;The fundamental observation with urban sprawl is that one person's sprawl is another person's economic development. The dream of both Americans and Canadians is a private estate home on a piece of the savannah. The key issues in sprawling suburbs are congested roadways and the need to provide water and sewer infrastructure. Developers are constantly promoting new projects to local townships hungry for tax revenues to fund community services. Core cities, such as Detroit and Windsor, struggle with school systems that are under funded and face a heavy tax burden to repair aging infrastructure. Urban policies should be focused on enhancing the quality of life for the whole metropolitan region. Older inner city communities cannot be left behind while tax dollars from senior levels of government pay for problems associate with urban sprawl such as traffic congestion or water and sewage expansion.