L. Brooks Patterson: One Man’s Sprawl is Another Man’s Economic Development

MML, Flickr

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson announced during his State of the County address that he plans to expand a stretch of I-75 to four lanes. The announcement was met with applause that night, but there was an immediate negative reaction online from Democrats in Oakland County who say the project is unnecessary. They say the plan to expand the suburban stretch of highway is archaic, and will use millions of dollars that could be better spent elsewhere.

Detroit Today host Stephen Henderson is joined by Patterson and Dave Woodward, Oakland County Commissioner [D-Royal Oak], who is against the expansion.

• Says Woodward: “There’s this phenomenon that occurs… of induced demand. You create the space, you’re going to create the traffic. And it’s all of that that frankly subsidize urban sprawl.” 
• Says Patterson: “One man’s sprawl is another man’s economic development. If you’ve got it you call it economic development. If you don’t have it you use a pejorative like sprawl.”