-- while the average population growth since 1982 in 68 metro areas was 22%, road space grew by 33%
-- "induced traffic" is a real phenomenon (that is, increases in road capacity, often designed to reduce congestion, generate additional traffic)
-- nearly 70% of the growth in driving between 1983 and 1990 can be attributed to factors influenced by a sprawling development pattern.

A Digression from the Editor: You can get great selections in superstores like Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Circuit City, and the like, but you usually need a car to get to them. The small suburban town of Williston, Vermont has become the superstore hub of Vermont -- allowing its green fields to be transformed into giant retail sites, served by spacious parking lots. The town was "progressive" enough even to insist that sidewalks be installed connecting the superstores, though I've yet to see them used (quite a surprise!). Williston's zoning allowed for superstore after superstore to be built. Whether the result shows the free market at its best is a good question. According to a story that ran in the Burlington Free Press, a number of Williston residents didn't realize what they would be getting in terms of the scale of the stores, and the rapidly growing traffic congestion. The newspaper also reports how Williston has rapidly sucked up a huge share of the county's retail market -- growing from 15% to 21% of the county's retail share between 1992 and 1997 (and that is before several additional superstores, and a new shopping mall, open up), while Burlington's share dropped correspondingly. [Burlington Free Press, August 2, 1998]. Interestingly, the chairwoman of Williston's Select Board [i.e.,governing body] is quoted as finding the retail share data "amazing ... I don't think Williston ever wanted to be the retail mecca of Chittenden County. I don't think that was the intent of the town plan, but it's happened." And what does all this have to do with automobiles? Williston has become a travel destination, where drivers from miles around now come to park and shop and park and shop. Interestingly, elsewhere in Vermont (and in some other states as well) there's a growing body of evidence that even retail giants can be persuaded to locate in or close to downtown centers -- instead of having to plow up outlying farms and fields. Through the efforts of groups like the Preservation Trust of Vermont and encouragement from State officials, Wal-Mart has opened a store in downtown Rutland, Vermont. "The Home Town Advantage: How to Defend Your Main Street Against Chain Stores," a report prepared by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, focuses on strategies for strengthening local ownership and downtown locations. For ordering information. Constance Beaumont of the National Trust for Historic Preservation has put together an excellent handbook, "Better Models for Superstores" (for ordering information). Beaumont also prepared an article condensing some of the material in this handbook (read excerpts; this article can also be ordered & downloaded online). Store Wars: When Wal-Mart Comes to Town is a fascinating documentary covering the battle over a proposed Wal-Mart in the small town of Ashland, Virginia. It is especially interesting in its close-up look at the interactions between the community and the local planning commission and governing body. For more information on superstore sprawl, see the list of resources and articles posted on the Sprawl Watch web site. Wayne Senville Editor, Planning Commissioners Journal