Which pattern best describes development characterized by low density and auto dependence spreading outward beyond the urban core?

• A. Urban Sprawl.
• B. Central Place.
• C. Concentric Zone.
• D. Edge City.

Answer: (A)

Sprawl is the pattern in which development spreads outward from the dense urban core at low density and becomes heavily automobile-dependent. This describes suburbs and exurban areas connected by highways, with single-family housing, big-box retail, and limited, elongated growth rather than a concentrated, dense city center. Central Place theory is about how settlements organize services across a region, not the outward spread of housing density. The Concentric Zone model envisions a city growing in rings with density typically higher toward the center. Edge City refers to large suburban centers that develop as new nodes of activity, sometimes dense, but the hallmark of sprawl is the low-density, car-driven expansion itself beyond the core. That combination of low density and auto dependence spreading outward matches urban sprawl.