Quote Originally Posted by Zuplar View Post
I agree, people don't need to have a reason. If they want it and can afford it, then go for it.
Under current development standards on the fringe, they actually can't afford it. *WE* can afford it for them. That's the part being missed in this discussion. Just because a person buys a $350k house on 175th/MacArthur does not mean that the house cost $350k. It cost a lot more than that in "planning" developments, paving and maintaing streets, running and maintaining utilities/electric/gas, land usage, environmental stress, increased inefficiency of decentralized amenities and civil services, etc.

Sprawl is based far more in government subsidy than it is in the free market.