Article
Piedmont Sprawl Study
The southern Piedmont (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia) is one of the fastest growing regions in the United States. The result is rapidly vanishing open spaces. Population growth in the region is driving sprawl, causing 86% of the loss of open space from 1982 to 2012. Per capita land consumption is responsible for the other 14%. Local, state, and national policies are responsible for attracting new residents to the Piedmont, and immigration policy plays a large role, as 40% of population growth in the southern Piedmont is due to new immigrants and their children.