As suburban sprawl claws its way throughout the United States, farmland around DeKalb County is paved into subdivisions, local taxes increase, green spaces are torn up and our environment is choked. America’s natural beauty is needlessly destroyed at the expense of the taxpayer.

Suburban sprawl, the rapid and widespread growth of housing developments, creates inconveniences that affect you directly. When every grocery store or shopping center — such as those in DeKalb — is located on a major highway, a dependence on driving is created. The more we drive, the more we buy oil and pollute.

Some say suburban sprawl is necessary because of overpopulation and others feel there are little alternatives. However, these claims are not entirely true.

According to The Sierra Club’s Web site, population growth generally has little to do with suburban sprawl. Suburban sprawl is a result of poor planning, lack of regional cooperation and a complex exchange of billions of dollars in government subsidies. More new homes translate into more new roads, public services and higher property tax.

Sure, there are a few people within the community who gain wealth, but like a pyramid scheme, those at the top earn the big bucks, some make a living, and most just pay for it all to happen.

For example, housing contractors in many suburban towns will benefit financially without the responsibility of funding new roads and public services. As long as someone can make money, poorly planned subdivisions will be built and suburban sprawl will keep its claws in the back of oblivious workers.

Meanwhile, corporations are drawn to these new suburbs because of the government subsidies offered them. Local business is often demolished, and corporate profit is frugally put back into the community when the perfect PR moment strikes. Sprawl degrades the character of towns and cities by inviting these big-box companies in, and taxpayers are left feeding the mouth that bites.

But suburban sprawl isn’t just bad for taxpayers who foot the bill, it’s bad for the environment, and what is bad for the environment is bad for everyone. Sprawl spreads development across a large amount of land, placing homes, shopping centers and work offices far apart. People become dependent on driving everywhere. More driving equals more air and water pollution.

More than half of all Americans live where the air is unsafe to breathe, according to the Sierra Club. In addition, sprawl destroys more than two million acres of farms, parks and open spaces each year.

Don’t feel helpless. As mentioned above, there are alternatives to this detrimental form of development.

We can preserve our forests, improve our air and water quality, choose better forms of transportation and develop better places to live. Many urban, suburban and rural areas are using smart-growth solutions to relieve the problem of sprawl, which promotes investment in already existing towns and cities by planning pedestrian-friendly developments. These areas give people options like public transportation so they no longer have to depend on automobiles. Smart-growth also combines regional and state-wide planning efforts so that land use, environmental and transportation issues may be addressed more efficiently.

The problems sprawl creates affect everyone and solutions are readily available. Solutions are available for no higher costs than to which the problems amount. But to acknowledge solutions, we must acknowledge a problem in the first place.