Urban sprawl is the progression of urbanized areas on the outskirts of cities faster than population growth. The main attractions of sub-urban areas compared to city centers are for those who reside there: advantageous cost of land and real estate, the possibility of living in a detached house and a living environment closer to natural environments. It is the improvement of transport conditions and in particular access to the automobile that has enabled this residential urban sprawl. The ease of getting to the city center ever faster and farther and farther thanks to improvements in transport services allows the continuous enlargement of agglomerations.
This type of housing requires for each resident a greater use of transport, in particular of the automobile, than in the city center. On the other hand, individual housing, which corresponds to the aspirations of many households in sub-urban areas, proportionately emits much more greenhouse gases than collective housing in urban centers.
Urban sprawl thus has serious consequences on the environment and global warming, particularly on local ecosystems.
Many negative consequences for residents and the environment, such as higher water and air pollution, increased traffic fatalities and jams, loss of agricultural capacity, increased car dependency
