A stabilized population ALONE does not prevent sprawl. The role of increasing land consumption per person has fallen in the country as a whole, but it has always been a factor in the loss of open space in America.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a website devoted to Smart Growth at: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth. It contains a number of practical resources for planners, activists, developers, and local officials to help promote smart growth, which EPA defines as: “a range of development and conservation strategies that help protect our health and natural environment and make our communities more attractive, economically stronger, and more socially diverse.”