Urban sprawl without population growth

Urban sprawl without population growth

It is easy to imagine urban sprawl with population growth. Urban sprawl without population growth?

The population of Prince George barely changes over the last half century. But people love living in new houses. New houses can be built on old lots in old neighborhoods, after old houses are demolished. They can also be built on new lots in new neighborhoods, after a piece of land opened up in the forest. A new house in an old, often run down neighborhood can’t sell well. A new house in a new, upscale neighborhood, on the other hand, can command high premium. Many old houses in old neighborhood are abandoned, often board up. At the same time, new neighborhoods keep sprawling up. The urban area of Prince George keeps expanding, without population growth.

Urban sprawl without population growth increases the maintenance cost of the city service. Property tax is up. Utility bill for water and sewage is up. The higher cost deters new people from moving in and drives old residents away. This is one reason why the population of Prince George is stagnant, despite repeated rosy predictions over time.

Many people in the sustainability movement call for steady population size. But even with constant population size, there is a tendency of urban sprawl and increasing cost of maintenance over time.

A steady state of society, or an equilibrium state of a society, is difficult to maintain.