NPR® News Looks In-Depth at the Battle to End Urban Sprawl in Albuquerque, NM

Albuquerque, NM - On July 26, NPR's Morning Edition® with Bob Edwards will tackle the issue of urban sprawl as part of the NPR News series The Changing Face of America. NPR's John Nielsen talks with noted developer and sprawl historian Chris Leinberger about the sprawl of Albuquerque, taking the listener through its history, the efforts to combat it and the focus of new development in this post-sprawl metropolis.

Leinberger contends that the era of urban sprawl has ended and that there is now a new struggle to decide what will replace it. Leinberger will show off an effort to rebuild Albuquerque's depressed downtown along so-called "new urbanist lines." He will also explain the concepts of post-sprawl development and the effects of an era of "modular development," when cities around the country began to look just like each other.

Jim Baca, Mayor of Albuquerque, will contribute to the discussion and share his firsthand perspective on the revitalization of a post-sprawl city. Nielsen will also speak with Albuquerque-area business people who feel that the development of the city's downtown area has the potential to be highly profitable and are encouraged by the direction Albuquerque is moving.

For station information and broadcast times, please visit NPR's webpage at www.npr.org.

The Changing Face of America, is an 18-month-long series that tells the stories of regular, everyday Americans and the issues they face at a time of dramatic and rapid change. NPR News correspondents explore and report on such diverse issues as immigration, inter-generational conflict, economic development, urban growth, education, technology and leisure, all within the context of a changing America. Feature segments of The Changing Face of America will appear on Morning Edition with Bob Edwards and All Things Considered®. As part of this series, NPR's midday call-in program Talk of the Nation® is traveling to cities and towns across America for monthly broadcast forums before live audiences

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