Oregon's urban growth boundaries have been somewhat effective at preserving farmland and reducing sprawl in the state. But as we consider how we want to Eugene grow in the future, we should first look at options that don't involve expanding the boundary and creating more sprawl, because as this article details, sprawl costs America a trillion dollars a year.
“Sprawl costs America over $1 trillion a year, according to a new report by LSE Cities and the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, because it can increase per capita land consumption up to 80 percent and car use by up to 60 percent. Together these outcomes create social costs that amount to $626 billion a year for people living in sprawling areas and $400 billion for those outside of them, the report estimates.”