8.2.6—Suburbanization
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2026
- Objective
- 8.2.6
- Level
- HL
Follow the City Edge
Suburbanization moves people from dense central areas to lower-density peripheries; urban sprawl is the spread-out land-use pattern that can follow.
Trace the spatial shift to land demand, longer trips, car dependence and extended roads or utilities. Suburbanization is descriptive; calling it sprawl adds a planning judgement about uncontrolled spread.
A new housing belt beyond the old boundary needs roads and water pipes across former farmland, lengthening commutes to the centre.
No. Look for the spread-out, land-intensive pattern and its controls, not movement alone.
Suburbanization is the movement; sprawl is the low-density expansion pattern.