Essay

The high cost of Sprawl-Mart

By Jennifer Matsui

Seldom a day goes by that we don't hear of plans for a new shopping center or big box retailer being developed in some remote, rural area. Over the years, these consumer Meccas have become more and more prevalent as local communities struggle with declining populations and stagnant economic growth. These developments offer utopian visions of unlimited consumer choices; vast, sprawling "public" spaces; state-of-the-art venues for culture and entertainment, and most importantly, parking.

It seems that Japan has followed the U.S. model of "sprawl economics": the development of the suburbs to increasingly remote areas as a quick-fix economic solution for communities ravaged by the loss of their manufacturing and agricultural jobs to cheaper labor overseas.

As urban job centers continue their flight to the suburbs, new housing and retail developments have moved even deeper into environmentally sensitive areas, causing the loss of open space and unique natural wildlife habitats. The increase of private automobile use has created enormous social, environmental and economic costs that are borne by the communities and individuals uprooted and impoverished by this disastrous model of "growth."

These homogenous, retail-oriented developments spreading out from the center of former commercial districts transform once-active citizens into passive consumer units, who are increasingly alienated from their neighbors and communities. Our increasing dependence on automobiles promotes an isolated and stationary lifestyle that will have an adverse effect on our physical and psychological well-being. The convenience of cheap goods and services is small compensation for the heavy toll we will pay in the form of a dead-end existence wholly dependent on an unsustainable lifestyle

Al Norman, the author of the 1998 book "Slam-Dunking Wal-Mart" lists 'The 10 Sins of Retail Sprawl' as follows:

* It destroys the economic and environmental value of land

* It encourages an inefficient land-use pattern that is very expensive to maintain.

* It encourages redundant competition between local governments, an economic war of tax incentives.

* It forces costly infrastructure development at the edge of towns.

* It causes disinvestment from established core commercial areas.

* It requires the use of public tax support for revitalizing rundown core areas.

* It degrades the visual, aesthetic character of local communities.

* It lowers the value of other commercial and residential property, reducing public revenues.

* It weakens the sense of place and community cohesiveness.

* It masquerades as a form of economic development

It is unfortunate that Japan is following America's disastrous blueprint for economic, environmental and social decline. Before we take that inevitable trip to the latest retail theme park, we should ask ourselves if saving a few hundred yen on items readily available closer to home is really worth the heavy cost future generations will have to bear for our mindless pursuit of a disposable lifestyle.

Shukan ST: Dec. 22, 2006

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