Legal mechanisms impacting urban sprawl: A comparison of the United States and Germany

Author: Lukas Plenk

Abstract:

Urban sprawl, defined by low-density expansion of urban areas, adds to land consumption. Negative associated environmental
impacts include loss of fertile soils and biodiversity. The binding force of legal measures has the potential
to steer urban development in the direction of sustainable land consol-idation and away from expansive development
practices. This article explores the legal mechanisms helping and hindering land consolidation in the United States
and Germany through a comparative law analysis. A comparative law system is derived based on a general conceptual
framework by comparing the different nuances in how the two legal systems address urban sprawl and analyzing
the underlying reasons. This work adds to the continued discussion on legal avenues to combat land consumption
and focus on more sustainable urban consolidation practices.

Journal: The Journal of Health, Environment, & Education

Volume: 14

Pages: 1-10