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71 <br /> 23 <br /> dent upon automobile transportation . Sprawl forces people ment around transit stops so as to encourage ridership and <br /> to drive for even the most basic daily needs . decrease the dependence on automobiles . <br /> Characteristics of sprawling development include sub- <br /> divisions with streets that don 't connect , houses that VOLUNTARY AGRICULTURAL DISTRICTS — These are <br /> are widely spaced and segregated by price and type and arrangements under which farmers agree to become a part of <br /> wide roads that suit traffic but inhibit pedestrian travel . an agricultural district . Farmers receive some benefits such <br /> Farmland and forests are paved over and traffic jams as exemption from water and sewer assessments , and the <br /> become commonplace . VADs indicate that the farmers intend to keep farming and <br /> • to preserve their community. <br /> Contrary to popular belief , sprawl is not the result of a free <br /> market economy, but instead had its genesis under federal VISUAL PREFERENCE SURVEY — Participants from a commu - <br /> rules and programs . With huge federal highway grants put in nity are shown a series of photographs or renderings repre- <br /> place in 1954 to subsidize automobile travel , auto-centric senting alternatives for the scale and style of development <br /> development became the norm . Regulations were put in and conservation projects . A visual preference survey is <br /> place across the country that outlawed mixed - use neighbor- an effective way to find out what a community envisions <br /> hoods and made homebuilders space homes further apart for itself . <br /> and away from the streets . Many of these out-dated systems <br /> remain in place and serve as obstacles to smart growth . <br /> TRADITIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT (TND) — <br /> TNDs reflect how the nation grew, up until the end of World <br /> War II . Communities were centered around pedestrians , <br /> rather than automobiles . Narrow, interconnected streets and <br /> wide sidewalks made it easier to move around . Houses were <br /> placed closer to the street and each other, while neighbor- <br /> hood shops provided for some of the basic needs of resi - <br /> dents . Office space and central gathering places were also <br /> features of the neighborhoods . TNDs included transit stops <br /> that tied into the existing. community. Most residences , <br /> whether houses , condominiums or apartments , were located <br /> within one-quarter mile of the center of the development . <br /> Elementary schools were located close enough for children _ <br /> to walk to school . <br /> Traditional neighborhood development , once thought unprof- <br /> itable by builders , has been gaining favor. With about two <br /> dozen TNDs under development in the Charlotte area alone <br /> and new ordinances in place , there are now several projects <br /> that show that this type of growth is both popular and prof- <br /> itable . Since lending institutions base their loan decisions <br /> upon the success of recent projects , it is becoming easier <br /> for builders to get loans to build TNDs . <br /> TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT — Transit oriented devel - <br /> opment encourages compact , pedestrian oriented develop - <br />