The typical American dream is to have a big house in the suburbs with a huge backyard, manicured lawn, and a pool to lounge by on weekends. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that this suburban dream is a nightmare in terms of sustainability. People living in the suburbs have less public transportation options even as they typically have longer commutes to their places of work. Many of them drive in and out of cities every day for work, while shopping and recreation centers are often miles away as well. Urban living is much better for the environment and much more practical. Cities, since they are more densely packed, typically have great public transportation systems, shopping, recreation, and schools within short distances. Urban living even encourages the lowest emission modes of transportation known to man... cycling and walking. And cities can support local farms that provide locally grown foods. Suburbs don't have to be environment killers though, if the urban planning is sound... if the towns are designed as villages, with shopping, school, recreation, and work districts all close to the living areas, then a village can work as well as a big city... especially if there is a decent bus system. So next time you're dreaming about moving out of the city to a place with more space, think about what the impact of all that sprawl has on the environment.