Recession Turns Suburbs Into Wastelands

During the boom years, people fled to the suburbs, where they could erect their McMansions, drive their sport-utility vehicles and shop at local big-box retailers.

Fortunes have taken a turn for the worse, and now foreclosures and store closings are crushing previously sought-after areas. The environmental ramifications are giving rise to a new dilemma: What happens to these vacant warehouses and homes?

Statistics suggest it's greener to live in a city. Each time a suburb's population increases by a percentage point, its land use rises 8% to 12%, says Christopher Leinberger, a real estate developer and visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. After all, people in sprawling residential areas need stores, roads and power lines. ...