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New homes under construction in Kyle, Texas, where the growth of nearby Austin is helping to drive a housing construction boom in once-rural areas. 

New homes under construction in Kyle, Texas, where the growth of nearby Austin is helping to drive a housing construction boom in once-rural areas. 

Photographer: Matthew Busch/Bloomberg
CityLab
Housing

How the Pandemic Supercharged Sprawl

Fueled by a desire for space and liberated by remote work, homebuyers are pushing development ever deeper into the suburban outskirts of U.S. cities. 

Patrick Sisson

When Ronnie Martin graduated from high school in Murfreesboro in 1992, the small city in central Tennessee had “the charm of a sleepy town.”

No longer: In the past 30 years, Murfreesboro has exploded in population, growing 20% in just the last five years.