urban sprawl

noun

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: urban sprawl in a Sentence

Definition of urban sprawl

: the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city

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Examples of urban sprawl in a Sentence

efforts to stop urban sprawl

Recent Examples of urban sprawl from the Web

Satellite images track the changing human footprint across the globe, including rapidly growing cities, urban sprawl and informal settlements.

— melinda laituri, Scientific American, "Should We Always Trust What We See in Satellite Images?," 4 June 2018
Separated from the urban sprawl of Jacksonville — Florida’s largest city in area and population — by a marshy back country alive with spirited wildlife, these islands, waterways, coastal forests and beaches defy the presence of a city.

— bob rountree, Sun-Sentinel.com, "The Talbot Islands: paradise on the edge," 10 Apr. 2018
There were seven cougar attacks in the 1990s because of urban sprawl into the foothills, Myers said.

— christine willmsen, The Seattle Times, "Two attacked by cougar identified; wildlife officials say predator was ‘emaciated’," 22 May 2018
While city leaders including Mayor Dave Bieter support increasing housing density to guard against urban sprawl and provide more housing, some multifamily-unit projects lately have drawn neighborhood opposition.

— john sowell, idahostatesman, "A Boise developer wanted to build homes on a former community garden. What happened? | Idaho Statesman," 11 May 2018
And national parks weren’t especially welcoming, either; many were created as an escape from urban sprawl, at a time when urban was shorthand for blacks and immigrants.

— latria graham, Outside Online, "We're Here. You Just Don't See Us.," 10 Apr. 2018
And to meet California’s ambitious climate change goals, state regulators have determined new growth needs to be concentrated near existing jobs and transit rather than urban sprawl.

— jon schleuss, latimes.com, "Plan to dramatically increase development would transform some L.A. neighborhoods," 25 Mar. 2018
In this rugged region, framed by the Sierra de Gredos mountain range, winemakers Daniel Landi and Fernando Garcia have their hands in several projects, including an effort to save vineyards threatened by urban sprawl.

— ellen bhang, BostonGlobe.com, "Distinctive Spanish pours are a breath of fresh air," 23 Apr. 2018
National wildlife preserves and state parks comprise just 5 percent of the land in the Rio Grande Valley; the other 95 percent are agricultural fields and urban sprawl in one of the fastest-growing regions of the country.

— james f. mccarty, cleveland.com, "Eco-tourists enjoy Rio Grande Valley as threat of a border wall threatens habitat," 15 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'urban sprawl.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.