Composition

The text “The Victims of Sprawl” by Andrés Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck is a chapter from the book Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream. However, it can be analyzed individually, as it provides a clear perspective supported by arguments on the effect of urban sprawl on American society. The text’s title, “The Victims of Sprawl”, sparks curiosity and reveals the author’s belief that people’s lives are severely affected by the unplanned and unorganized extension of suburbs.

The composition of the text can be split into seven parts, according to the categories the authors focus upon. The seven parts are easy to follow, as they are introduced by subtitles. 

In the first part, the authors explain how sprawl makes ch...