England is feeling the effects of sprawl.

England is feeling the effects of sprawl. According to the Danish architecture magazine Arkitekten, almost 70 percent of the youngest English school children walked to school in 1971 — now less than 10 percent do so. Fearful that English cities may become mirrors of American suburbs, the government created an Urban Task Force to forge a vision for future growth. Headed by architect Richard Rogers of the Center for Urban Studies at the London School of Economics, the task force recently released a report, Toward an Urban Renaissance, in which it argues for concentrating new development in already built-up areas. The report recommends that a minimum of 65 percent of public transportation funds should benefit pedestrians, bicyclists, and users of public transit, and that neighborhoods have greater diversity in housing types. According to Rogers, the English need to “rediscover the benefits of living in each other’s company,” and that means building compact, sustainable neighborhoods.