THE ACTIVITIES
WILL THE REAL SPRAWL PLEASE STAND UP

Description: Interactive Web activity to discover popular myths and misconceptions about sprawl and smart growth.

GO DIRECTLY TO:

• Goals and Objectives
• Procedure and Teaching Suggestions
• Student Activity

	Materials and Equipment http://www.ncsmartgrowth.org/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/growth/ http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/data/2001/07/01/html/ft_20010701.3.html http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA239.html as site guides

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Students will discover and understand the myths, misconceptions, facts and realities of sprawl and smart growth.

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PROCEDURE AND TEACHING SUGGESTIONS

Instruct students to investigate the four Web sites listed and compare and contrast the perspectives and messages of each. Try to discern the slant or position that each organization or corporation promotes on the subject of sprawl.

A is a small nonprofit environmental organization
B is a large urban newspaper in our nation's capital
C is an international research and education organization
D is a political report from a public policy research center

Challenge students to objectively read the information and work to understand the various political, social and scientific perspectives on this hotly debated subject.

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STUDENT ACTIVITY

If the public has already invested in utilities, schools, sidewalks, and other improvements in downtowns and older areas, why not use them to better advantage by encouraging revitalization and infill rather than more suburban sprawl? —J. Myrick Howard Executive Director, Preservation North Carolina "Smart Growth - and Even Smarter Growth", North Carolina Preservation, Number 113, Fall 1999

Visit each listed Web site and read them with the goal of understanding the organization's or corporation's position on the topic of sprawl and smart growth. What do "they" want you to know and feel about the subject? Are they balanced in their perspectives or is there a distinct position they wish to support? Topics to search for in the readings include:

• Air Quality
• Land Use
• Open Spaces
• Resource Recovery
• Transportation
• Water Quality

Click on "14 Myths About Smartgrowth" on the NC SmarthGrowth Web site, and summarize the common misconceptions about sprawl and smart growth. Each myth is followed by brief, bulleted replies designed to shed light on the reality that lies behind it. Return to your thoughts on each of the four Web sites and see if any of the myths are present in the articles.

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