American Dream

Richard Carson, who calls himself a "contrarian planner," observes in Architecture! magazine that anti-sprawl efforts use "Orwellian doublespeak" to promote urban biases at the expense of rural residents and their economies. A "lack of empathy" on the part of urban residents has "led to a new 'tyranny of the majority' by nonrural interests," says Carson.

"the urbanists want their espresso bars, boutiques, and drive-throughs, but they want rural areas to remain a pastoral land museum, preserved for their visits by SUV," Carson continues.

"If we truly are seeking to improve livability for both humanity and animals, then let us do so by being intellectually honest about the social costs to all citizens—not by using some biased, urbanist propaganda against a minority of our citizens," Carson concludes. "It's time for the urban majority to pay its fair share -- or at least talk about how to make economic reparations to rural America."

Carson used to work for Portland's Metro, but now questions whether "smart growth" is practical. He currently works for Clark County, Washington, which -- thanks to its relative lack of land-use regulation -- is the fastest growing part of the Portland area. You can read more of Carson's essays on his web site.