This commentary is about the Hartford, CT area, but the person sure

> could be writing about the Bayshore region to me.

>

> COMMENTARY

> A Common Loss: Sprawl Also Has Social Consequences March 25, 2007 By

> TOM SEVIGNY Hartford Courant

>

> Since the construction of the Shoppes at Farmington Valley on Route 44

> on the site of the former Canton Golf Course, Canton has become a sort

> of poster child for the negative impact of sprawl in Connecticut.

> Politicians and citizens who live outside of Canton often use it as an

> example of what sprawl looks like and what towns should be avoiding

> when they make land-use decisions.

>

> The debate that continues about this project tends to focus on its

> environmental and economic impacts. The destruction of a beautiful

> green space, the proximity to wetlands and the need for property tax

> revenue have dominated the discussion. I don't mean to downplay these

> issues - they are important and need to be examined.

>

> But those aren't the only issues surrounding sprawl development. Often

> overlooked until just a few years ago, the social impact of sprawl is

> just starting to be examined, and the results are not pretty.

>

> Studies have concluded that sprawl has a detrimental impact on our

> health and tends to isolate the elderly, children and the poor. A

> two-year study involving more than 200,000 respondents and reported in

> the American Journal of Health Promotion in 2003, as well as a 2004

> RAND Corp. study, concluded that overall, people living in the

> car-centric suburbs are more likely to become physically inactive and

> overweight, and thus at higher risk for many chronic illnesses.

>

> Due to sprawl, basic shopping, social and recreational needs are not

> within walking distance and public transit is lacking. According to a

> Brookings Institution report in July 2003, many seniors must rely on

> others for transportation or have items delivered to their homes, and

> may have to decide either to remain immobile and trapped at home or to

> drive when driving many no longer be a safe choice.

>

> Children are likewise socially isolated by being dependent on others

> for transportation. The fact that many children no longer walk to

> school and need a ride to parks or ballfields adds to children's

> inactivity, which can lead to health problems such as obesity.

> According to a 2002 CDC report, 22 percent of American children are

> now obese, twice the level of 10 years ago.

>

> Furthermore, according to Andres Duany in his book "Suburban Nation,"

> sociologists point to "teen isolation and boredom" as a contributing

> factor to the high national rate of teen suicide. Nearly nonexistent

> before 1950 and the advent of the suburbs, by 2000 suicide accounted

> for more than 12 percent of youth mortalities, and the rate is much

> higher in the suburbs than in cities.

>

> While these health aspects are finally beginning to receive the

> attention they deserve, another social impact that is hardly ever

> discussed is the loss of the commons. By commons I mean the social

> commons - the public places and open spaces that bring a community

> together. Public outdoor markets, Main Streets, public squares and

> parks, outdoor cafes and other hubs of community life give a city or

> town a sense of unique identity, belonging, connectedness, fun and

> tradition. Central Park in New York City, Boston Commons, Pioneer

> Courthouse Square in Portland, Ore., and even West Hartford Center are

> examples how public spaces can define a community.

>

> Which brings me back to the old Canton Golf Course. With winter still

> with us, I am reminded that the rolling hills of the golf course were

> magically transformed into a commons when snow was on the ground. The

> perfect sledding hill behind the funeral home would draw literally

> hundreds of people from Canton and the surrounding communities the day

> after a snowstorm - parents and kids having fun, neighbors talking to

> neighbors, people enjoying the fresh air and exercise, and lots and lots of laughter.

>

> I have been told by the supporters of such developments as the Shoppes

> that life is full of tradeoffs and that change is inevitable with the

> march of progress. Sure, the sledding hill may be gone, but Canton now

> has economic benefits in the form of property taxes from the Shoppes.

> My reply is that we seriously need to redefine the concept of

> progress. In addition, something tells me that Canton would be a lot

> richer, and healthier, if we still had that sledding hill.

>

> Tom Sevigny is president of Canton Advocates for Responsible Expansion.