A clue to the source of Upstate Sprawl

[Spartan]

I found some information as to why the sprawl in the Upstate is so bad, and its a rather suprising fact too:

Urban Sprawl generally is defined as "unplanned, uncontrolled and uncoordinated single-use development that does not provide for an attractive and functional miz of uses and/or is not functionally related to surrounding land uses and which variously appears as low density, ribbon or strip, cattered, leapfrog, or isolated development."

This type of development has been partially responsible for the proliferation of fragmented governmental unis, and the creation speacial purpose districs (SPDs), and other quasi-public facility and service providers.

Prior to the conclusion of WW2, urban sprawl was esially non-existant in SC. But whith the housing boom and prosperity that followed the war, development opportunities, spurred the lure of relatively inexpensive land beyond built-up municipal boundaries, became increasingly attractive.

The reasoning initially responsible for sprawl or the movement to suburbia and beyond is still with us today.

Unfortunately, necessary urban infrastructure and services were not inplace as the movement began, nor were the responsible public service providers outside existing municipalites from which development was sprawling.

Municipalities were created by the state to provide local government and urban services. Counties were not so created. There were essentially intruments of the state government, administered by county legislative delegations.

Not until 1974, with the enactment of Home Rule, changing the role and structure of local governments in SC, did the counties have and legal authority to govern and provide urban type services to unincorporated areas. As a consequence urban sprawl was long in place before county governments (councils) could effectively respond to the needs of such areas, led to the formation of Special Purpose Districs (SPDs).

Source: Spartanburg Countyt website

On top of that, the article fail to mention that the cities from which the sprawl is coming have severe restrictions on expanding their limits, so the cities have no control over anything. The Countiesalso have poor planning, but it seemsl ike they are trying to fix that, but they can only do so much.