urban sprawl

American  

noun

1. the uncontrolled spread of urban development into neighboring regions.

---

Etymology

Origin of urban sprawl

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Los Angeles’s urban sprawl and congested freeways make it a prime test market for air taxis, industry insiders say.

From Los Angeles Times

The urban sprawl that has come to define the city has now become one of its biggest threats.

From Los Angeles Times

Oregon adopted a unique set of land use laws in the late 1960s and 1970s that helped curb urban sprawl.

From Salon

If finding a soulmate in the urban sprawl of Los Angeles is a long and arduous journey, one studded with minefields erupting in confusion, anxiety and repeated dismay, then let the body lead the way.

From Los Angeles Times

Councils will also be ordered to review green belt boundaries - which were created to prevent urban sprawl - by identifying lower-quality "grey belt" land that can be built on.

From BBC