|
Last year Michigan's Huron Valley Group (Ann Arbor and surrounding areas) organized a 'Tour de Sprawl' -- a bicycle and bus tour of good and bad development in the area, with speakers who discussed such issues as farmland preservation, watershed quality, local zoning laws & master plans, etc. It was a grand success, with about 150 participants. This year, we plan to do another Tour, centered in the neighboring city of Ypsilanti. Ypsilanti is much more "urban" than Ann Arbor and is facing many of the problems that accompany sprawl, such as urban decay and loss of downtown vitality. We hope to highlight the importance of preserving vital cities in order to maintain open spaces and prevent sprawl. Sierra Club Kicks off Michigan Tour de Sprawl, Release Report Showing Suburban Sprawl Costs All in Michigan by Brett Hulsey Ann Arbor, MI: The Sierra Club Council released a report today showing that suburban sprawl costs us all in Michigan and the Midwest. The group made southeast Michigan the next site of the Midwest Tour de Sprawl to highlight the costs of sprawl in the Detroit area. "Suburban sprawl costs us all with higher property taxes and more traffic gridlock," said Judy Thompson, Michigan Chapter Conservation Chair. "On average, Midwest residential sprawl costs taxpayers 120% more to service with roads and schools, than it pays in taxes. This is why many Washtenaw County residents are calling for purchasing development rights program from farmers rather than paying higher taxes for sprawl." The groups released a report, Suburban Sprawl Costs Us All in the Midwest, that shows that suburban sprawl and unplanned development in Michigan causes more traffic gridlock, increases property taxes, destroys natural habitat and farm land, and threatens drinking water. The report points out that sprawl increases taxes by one-eighth for some Michigan communities, according to a recent study by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. "Suburban sprawl costs Michigan taxpayers billions of dollars,"
said Julien Stoneman, Director of Land Programs for Michigan Environmental Council.
"Paying for the new schools, roads, Traffic gridlock and poor land use planning costs Detroit area drivers $2.3 billion each year for wasted time and fuel. Sprawl also creates air pollution since more people have to drive to work due to sprawl. "We have to look at the total costs of sprawl before we allow our cornfields to be converted to new sprawl malls and highways," said Alison Horton, Sierra Club Michigan State Director "We can control suburban sprawl by asking Governor Engler to stop subsidizing sprawl by stopping unneeded highway projects and to fix the Subdivision Act that make sprawl worse." The Sierra Club is taking its Midwest Tour de Sprawl to Washtenaw County on Saturday to highlight the positive and negative aspects of sprawl. "Michigan and the Detroit area have some of the worst sprawl in the Midwest and the nation," said Judy Thompson. "We will tour some of the sprawl sites and discuss plans to stop the sprawl that is eating up Southeastern Michigan and costing us all." Between 1982 and 1992, Michigan allowed 10 acres of farm land an hour to be destroyed by sprawl due to weak land use laws. "Sprawling subdivisions, unneeded highways, and malls mean that the water runs off the land and causes worse flooding and more water pollution," said Brett Hulsey, report author and Director of the Sierra Club Sprawl Costs Us All Project. "Places like southeast Michigan and Washtenaw County are getting hit hard by sprawl and traffic congestion." Suburban Sprawl Costs Us All in the Midwest calls on people to stop sprawl by:
The Sierra Club has 65 local groups working to educate the public about protecting our families, our environment, and our future. Up to Top | Printer-friendly version of this page |
