The Ten Traits of Sprawl as a Particular Form of Suburban Growth: (Cited from Downs, Anthony. 1998. "How America's cities are growing", Brookings Review: 16 no4:8-11 Fall '98.)
     
  • Unlimited outward extension of new development. 
  • Low-density residential and commercial settlements, especially in new-growth areas. 
  • Leapfrog development jumping out beyond established settlements. 
  • Fragmentation of powers over land use among many small localities. 
  • Dominance of transportation by private automotive vehicles. 
  • No centralized planning or control of land uses. 
  • Widespread strip commercial development. 
  • Great fiscal disparities among localities. 
  • Segregation of specialized types of land uses in different zones. 
  • Reliance mainly on trickle-down to private housing to low-income households.