Define urban sprawl and list indicators used to measure it.

• A. Urban sprawl is high-density city growth; indicators include increasing population density, decreasing land consumption per capita, and shorter commutes.
• B. Urban sprawl is low-density, auto-dependent, and scattered growth; indicators include decreasing population density, increasing land consumption per capita, greater average commuting distances, highway miles per capita, and leapfrog development.
• C. Urban sprawl is the rise of megacities; indicators include population growth rate and number of towers.
• D. Urban sprawl is the densification of central city; indicators include fewer highways and reduced land use.

Answer: (B)

Urban sprawl is low-density, auto-dependent, scattered outward growth as a city expands beyond its core. Indicators reflect that dispersed, car-based pattern: population density declines, land consumption per capita rises, average commuting distances lengthen, highway miles per capita increase, and leapfrog development occurs when new growth jumps over already urbanized land. These signs contrast with compact, centralized growth, which would show higher density and shorter commutes. So the described indicators best capture the spread-out, car-oriented expansion that defines sprawl.