Federal programs that promote "suburban sprawl" through highway construction and housing subsidies "are under siege" as "smart growth" initiatives cause the federal government to examine its role in growth, USA Today reported Monday.
The General Accounting Office next month will issue a review of federal programs and their impact on sprawl and "the pressure is on" to locate all federal operations in downtown areas, the paper reported.
The General Services Administration is trying to determine how many federal offices are located in cities. USA Today reported that according to the agency, a review of 1,200 leases signed from October 1995 to November 1998 shows that about half are in central business districts and more than 90 percent are within city limits.
Research groups are working to compile "a mountain of data" on how federal housing programs, tax spending, regulations and transportation policies have promoted development farther away from cities (Haya El Nasser, USA Today, 3/15).
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