After the end of World War II, American cities saw the development of suburban communities. These large planned communities displaced large numbers of people from dense urban areas and dispersed them to the outskirts of that same city. As people moved away from the city, so did business. The distances between these communities and the city depend on how long people are willing to travel and how efficiently an automobile can move individuals from one place to another. As the car became the primary mode of transportation, extensive road networks were created to connect cities with the suburbs that surround them. This concept is now known as urban sprawl. There are a number of negative effects associated with urban sprawl, most of which are directly related to the distance between each building, street, neighborhood, commercial area, and city. Heavy reliance on automobiles requires large streets to efficiently move all residents in the community. With bigger streets, more people will use them to get around and will only increase traffic, which is one of the main causes of air pollution. Besides roads, every car also needs a place to park at home, at work and in stores. This paved infrastructure diverts money from other public needs such as good schools, government programs, the armed forces, police, and fire stations (Duany 66). Paved infrastructure not only impacts us economically, it can also impact the environment. The term “heat island” describes built-up areas that are hotter than neighboring rural areas. Heat islands can affect communities by increasing summer peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution and greenhouses...... middle of paper... ...es: a criticism of the new urbanism. Ed. Todd W. Bressi New York: Rizzoli, 2002. 67-76. Grant, Jill L. and Katherine Perrott. : Policy and practice. "The Town Planning Review 80.3 (2009): 267. ProQuest. Web. April 5, 2011." Heat Island Effect | US EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. March 29, 2011. Web. April 4, 2011. .Kelbaugh, Douglas. "Three Urbanisms." New Urbanism and Beyond: Designing Cities for the Future. Ed. Tigran Haas. New York: Rizzoli, 2008. 40. Print. Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Modern Library, 1993. “Massachusetts EOEA – Community Preservarion Initiative: Glossary.” reception of urban environments April 4... 2011. .