Population crisis - round two

Resource depletion was a core concern in the environmental movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Conserving the resource base for future generations was one of the main goals, and predictions and questions about the earth's burgeoning population were paramount.

With all the green talk in the past few years (and a renewed movement since the early 1990s) the population concerns are reemerging. And when USA Today picks up on it, well, that's a sure indication the issue has gone mainstream.

The article, "How will the USA cope with unprecedented growth?" looks more at space issues within currently built up areas, the accompanying sprawl, and all the issues that go along with planning and development - traffic congestion, new housing availability, unsightly derelict stripmalls, (and just a little bit on the energy needed for these things.)

The article indicates that the U.S. is getting away from the suburban sprawl and getting back to community-urban(esque) settings where amentities are being built closer to people's homes, and vacant buildings or brownfields are increasingly being redeveloped.

Overall I found this article encouraging - one, it's in the USA Today; two, it acknowledges the consequences of sprawl and bad planning; three, it makes the environmental link (ie mentioning the Al Gore movie).