by James A. Bacon
The Charlottesville region is the least afflicted by “sprawl” of any metropolitan statistical area in Virginia over 200,000 in population, according to data in a new report, “Measuring Sprawl 2014,” published by Smart Growth America and the Metropolitan Research Center at the University of Utah. Charlottesville’s composite score ranked it the 43rd least sprawling MSA among the 221 regions surveyed.
The Washington-Arlington region scored 91st in the ranking, followed by Hampton Roads, Roanoke, Richmond, Lynchburg and Bristol-Kingsport, in that order.
The researchers compiled the scores based on 28 variables falling into four main categories: density, land use mix, activity centering and street accessibility. Regions that were judged to be more compact and higher density, to have a better balance of jobs to population on a census-tract level, to have strong downtowns and other definable centers of activity, and to have superior walkability scored higher and were deemed to have the least sprawl.
While the Washington region has the 6th most compact, walkable urban center in the country, the region as a whole fared relatively poorly because the commuting shed that defines the MSA extends across many low-density counties as far away as West Virginia.
The authors said that a region’s position on the spectrum of sprawl between New York City, the nation’s most dense MSA, and Hickory-Lenoir, N.C., the most sprawl-prone large region in the county, is correlated with health, prosperity, quality of life and fiscal health. They hope the report will inspire local political and civic leaders to take a closer look at regional land use patterns.
A breakdown of Virginia counties provides insight into the wide variability within MSAs. In the Washington MSA, compare Arlington with a sprawl score of 163.28 to Stafford County with a composite score of 85.09. In the Richmond MSA, compare the City of Richmond with a score of 158.90 with Goochland County with a score 68.17.
The top composite scores in Virginia were:
City of Norfolk (179.57)
City of Charlottesville (175.93)
City of Alexandria (169.56)
Arlington County (163.28)
City of Richmond (158.90)
City of Harrisonburg (145.19)
City of Falls Church (144.69)
City of Winchester (142.10)
City of Williamsburg (138.61)
City of Fredericksburg (137.06)
City of Roanoke (136.69)
Complete scores are as follows:
