http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/newreporto_103.mp3
A new study examines sprawl in the state of Missouri. KSMU's Missy Shelton has the story.
The Brookings Institution Center on urban and metropolitan policy conducted the study, with funding for the project coming from the Ewing Marion Kauffman foundation. Amy Lu is deputy director of the center. she was at the discovery center in springfield today to discuss the findings. she told a room of about 50 people that the economic growth missouri enjoyed in the 1990's brought with it sprawl.
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the fiscal cost is associated with what Lu describes as decentralized growth. She says as populations move away from downtown areas, there are costs to supporting that expansion. missy server-Amy1, 1a region-runs :23 Lu says she hopes Missourians view the report as a wake-up call to create more choices for themselves. she says if cities revitalize downtown areas, residents will feel like living downtown is a viable option. missy server-Amy2, 2a, 2b regions-runs :23 The report includes several recommendations. For example, it calls for the establishment of a commission to review tax structures, specifically tax increment financing or TIF's. Lawmakers created TIF's to give investors a tax break for building in blighted areas. But the report shows TIF's routinely go to development projects in suburbs, thus contributing to urban sprawl. Lu says if Missouri does not take some steps to reverse its current path, the statistics will remain unchanged. missy server-newnewAmy4b region-runs :25 The study took more than one year to complete. You can view a copy of the report at the website for the Brookings institution: www dot Brookings dot edu.