Daily Real Estate News  |  December 5, 2005  |   Homeowners Are Feeling Stifled by Sprawl Homeowners who moved to rural areas years ago are watching as large-scale residential developments take over farmland and busy Main Streets pop up around them. That shift isn't always what they bargained for. They now must worry about cars speeding past their homes, endangering pedestrians and increasing the noise level, among other changes. Sprawl can be found across the country, and many of those polled by the Pew Center for Civic Journalism in 2000 ranked it as one of their biggest concerns. Research released last year by the Rand Corp., indicates that residents of the most sprawling areas often suffer from breathing problems, high blood pressure, and headaches. According to a 2002 poll by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORSŪ, communities with jobs, shops, restaurants, and public transit within walking distance are in high demand. A number of states are responding by encouraging such smart growth development.

Source: Chicago Tribune (12/04/05); James, Susan Donaldson