Sprawl

Ah, the poor, maligned suburban developer. Finding someone to speak up for the breed is almost as difficult as securing approvals for a big, buildable tract in Chester County. But now comes Witold Rybczynski, the best-selling author, distinguished Wharton School professor, accomplished architect, and Chestnut Hill resident. In his latest book, Last Harvest: How a Cornfield Became New Daleville , he tells of the trials and tribulations of Joseph and Jason Duckworth, father-son developers from Wayne-based Arcadia Land Co., as they struggle to create an old-timey, walkable small town in a time of PVC keystones, composite floorboards, and factory-manufactured production houses.

In a partnership that one organizer said would have been unthinkable "not that long ago," builders and preservationists came together yesterday to promote walkable communities, which they say can both ease sprawl and make money for the builders. Now comes the hard part: selling the concept of high-density living to municipal leaders and the residents who usually turn out in intimidating numbers to fight it. In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, only local officials have the power to approve development.

Sprawl is a well-worn and fully frustrating word. It creates visions of houses in the midst of farmland, the sameness of shopping centers bracketing towns and country villages, bumper-to-bumper traffic on major highways and increasing congestion on narrow, winding back roads. Only a few months into a new year, planning commissions, county government, municipal officials, and proponents of farmland and open-space preservation are wrestling with urban sprawl's far-reaching implications.

In their first and only debate in the campaign for the 143d state House seat, Democratic challenger Chris Serpico last night questioned the record of incumbent Republican Chuck McIlhinney, saying McIlhinney was too partisan and did not go far enough to tackle issues of sprawl and inadequate health care. McIlhinney, who touted his role in passing landmark land-use legislation and a patients' bill of rights, argued that Serpico, a lawyer, was presenting half-truths and did not understand the legislative process.

One of the saddest days on the calendar has to be national "Walk to School Day. " The very name makes it sad. It tells us that a once-routine activity is now being regarded as an unusual physical feat. Next thing you know, walking to school will have its own Olympic event. Before families started moving into the sprawl, children would walk to school every day. They lived in a neighborhood with sidewalks, and the neighborhood had its own schools. Small wonder the kids are getting fat. They can't walk to school.

When it comes to the future of Plymouth Township, one thing is certain: No one wants another King of Prussia, with its sprawling industrial area adjoining major highways. Joe Bucovetsky of Norman Day Associates feels the proposed comprehensive plan, which calls for a "core" commercial area in Plymouth, anticipates the possibility of sprawl - and therefore avoids it. But residents and council members are less optimistic that the plan, which specifies a system of roads and walkways within the core, will preserve the suburban quality of life.

Despite one of the most ambitious open-space programs in America, Chester County is losing its battle with sprawl. Since 1989, the county has spent a whopping $140 million to buy easements on farms, expand parks, and subsidize new projects in its towns. Many Chester County townships have adopted dedicated taxes to fund their own open-space initiatives. Yet each year, the county loses about 5,000 acres - an area larger than Phoenixville, Coatesville, and West Chester combined - to sprawling development.

Philadelphia must stem the tide of business and population loss. This drain has left behind vacant and abandoned properties, a diminished tax base, fewer job opportunities, and neighborhoods where the quality of life is ebbing. Meanwhile, officials in some suburbs acknowledge that the uncoordinated, sprawling nature of their development has brought spiraling property taxes, traffic congestion, overburdened schools, and a huge loss of open space. According to a recent study by the Brookings Institution, while the population of the five-county Philadelphia region grew by only 2.5 percent between 1982 and 1997, newly developed land grew by 47 percent.

Pennsylvania's hopes of launching landmark antisprawl legislation gained a surprising - and vital - new ally this week. His name is Tom Ridge. He's the governor. Long viewed as a skeptic about the need for a more activist approach to development, Gov. Ridge now pledges to help strengthen communities' ability to shape growth. Among the new tools he'd like them to have: potent legal defenses against the lawsuits developers habitually file over building restrictions; incentives for towns to plan regionally, and, most significant, the right to carve out growth areas.

Those of us who work in Center City and not in one of those suburban industrial parks have many advantages we often take for granted. I was reminded of this after spending some time with a particular group of people, many of whom work in the industrial parks located in the suburban-ring areas surrounding Philadelphia. Much depends, of course, on where you are located, but when it comes to the sprawl zones, all is not well with many who work there. I am told that morale is low. Commuting time is a major complaint, particularly for those who live in the city and and travel by automobile.

They weren't really looking for a house, Sissy Harris recalls, but her Realtor cousin invited Sissy and her husband to have a look at the brick dwelling with the slate roof anyway. Before they had finished touring the Greenville, Del., house, Jack Harris was ready to sign on the dotted line. Jack, a lawyer, is not a man who routinely acts in haste, but the 6,300-square-foot property enticed him, not only because of its open floor plan throughout three levels, but also because it had been renovated by the former owners and was in turnkey condition - serious pluses for a busy couple with two careers, three children, and two dogs.

When it comes to neighborhood relations, big urban universities often behave like small kingdoms. They rule over the surrounding lands with an iron hand, exercising almost total control over what gets built. As one of Philadelphia's Big Three, Drexel University has frequently played the role of absolute monarch. Collaboration was a foreign idea. The results, as you might expect from any one-party state, were not always the best. But the world changes, and occasionally so do large institutions.

For NBCUniversal, the Olympic Games brought the thrill of breaking even - and the shutting up of the naysayers. As the dust of the track settles, and the stats and data shake out, NBC's coverage of the world's biggest sporting event, on network TV, cable, and the Web, looks good enough to earn a medal. Despite programming glitches, confusion over venues and schedules, and #nbcfail (see below), London 2012 is a win for Comcast Corp., the Philadelphia-based majority owner of NBCUniversal.

BABYLON, Iraq - Nowadays it seems that Babylon just can't catch a break. Once the center of the ancient world, it has been despoiled in modern times by Saddam Hussein's fantasies of grandeur, invading armies, and village sprawl. Now come two more setbacks for the city famous for its Hanging Gardens and Tower of Babel: Parts of its grounds have been torn up for an oil pipeline, and a diplomatic spat is hampering its bid for coveted UNESCO heritage status. The pipeline was laid in March by Iraq's Oil Ministry, overriding outraged Iraqi archaeologists and drawing a rebuke from UNESCO, the global guardian of cultural heritage.

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq - Inside palace walls built by Saddam Hussein, U.S. generals plotted the war's course, tracked the mounting death toll, and swore in new American citizens under gaudy glass chandeliers. Just outside the palace, American troops whacked golf balls into manmade lakes or fished for carp, while others sat down with a cigar and a nonalcoholic beer hoping for a respite from incoming rockets or mortar shells. Along another lake some distance away, a jailed Saddam tended to tomatoes and cucumbers in a small, walled-off enclosure with guards patrolling overhead.

Widespread flooding from Hurricane Irene should have been enough to hold New Jersey to plans to restrict development in rural areas. But apparently it wasn't. A draft rule proposed by the state Board of Public Utilities would make ratepayers involuntary investors in sprawl, a cause of increased flooding and a burden on taxpayers who have to finance infrastructure. The BPU is proposing that all ratepayers subsidize the extension of gas and electric as well as regulated water and sewer lines even in rural areas, where the state has previously discouraged development.

ATLANTIS PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas - A 13-year-old boy can wait only so long. By the time we check into our room at Atlantis Paradise Island, the water slides we see from our window aren't merely calling him. They're screaming at him. So only five minutes after our bags hit the hotel room, my son and I ditch his mom, grandparents, and sister to get to his raison d'etre : the water park. We walk to the top of a water slide, wiggle our fannies into an inner tube built for two, and let it rip. This trip, we're going to play every day in the water and head back to the hotel with shriveled fingers and toes.

A dorm room is a blank slate, but a few bold pieces will instantly infuse some character. - Caroline Tiger Lounge act Sprawl on Fatboy the Original Beanbag ($229.99) - a Finnish rendition of the classic that comes in an array of vibrant colors, including lime green. Available at toysrus.com. Think pink The powder-pink and chocolate-brown palette of the new KONSMO nightstand ($19.99) will serve as inspiration for the rest of your room. Available at Ikea, 2206 S. Columbus Blvd.

Dobbins' first-ever PIAA state playoff adventure came to a screeching halt in last night's second round, as undefeated Eastern York romped to a 78-47 victory in Class AAA action at Reading High School's Geigle Complex. "I told our guys to remember this feeling," Dobbins second-year coach William Johnson said. Eastern York 6-foot-6 junior forward Andrew Nicholas, a lefty who has made an oral commitment to Rutgers, scored a game-high 33 points on 13-of-22 shooting and grabbed five rebounds for the Golden Knights (30-0)