Neotraditional Development: A Legal Analysis

Abstract

Before the automobile became the nation' primary mode of transportation,¹ life was quite different. Families either resided in cities or rural areas; suburbia as we know it did not exist. The popularity of the automobile, however, drastically altered this realty. In multitudes, households fled urban areas in order to gain privacy. As suburbia grew (and continues to grow), cities became decentralized and new towns began popping up all over-stretching miles beyond what anyone had imagined. Urban sprawl became the norm for many years. And yet, many cities have begun to rethink the consequences brought about by the automobile, longing for a return to the traditional American city.