How is universal access related to managing growth and addressing suburban “sprawl”?
As suburban land uses (housing subdivisions, office parks, shopping centers, etc.) extend into rural areas, the high volumes of motor traffic this development brings makes narrow rural roads less hospitable to pedestrians and cyclists. Transportation-oriented pedestrians and cyclists will wish to access the new destinations and often travel in these areas despite the challenges. In order to preserve universal access, rural roads must be upgraded as new traffic generators are added to rural areas. The most cost-effective way to do this is to manage the growth of urban areas so that expansion is contiguous with a network of good urban streets. One way to coordinate street upgrades with development is to avoid providing city water and sewer services beyond the network of universally accessible urban streets.
