Digital Commons Network^™

Why Sprawl Is A Problem: Interview With Evan Richert, Evan Richert, Laurie Lachance

Maine Policy Review

A recent report of the Maine State Planning Office entitled "The Cost of Sprawl" (May 1997) begins with the observation.... "We are spreading out. Over the last 30 years, the fastest growing towns in Maine have been "new suburbs" 10 to 25 miles distant from metropolitan areas....These high growth communities have accounted for virtually all of the state's population growth. From town square to the countryside, from Main Street to the mall, we are dispersing.... This outward movement has had unanticipated and unintended consequences...." Such consequences are the focus of this interview with Evan Richert, director of the Maine State …