Which characteristic best describes urban sprawl?

Urban sprawl is characterized by the expansion of urban areas into surrounding rural land, typically in a manner that creates low-density, automobile-dependent development. This phenomenon often follows linear paths, primarily along transportation corridors, leading to the development of suburban areas that extend outward from the city center.

Choosing the focus on linear paths into suburbs highlights how urban development often extends outwards along existing roadways or transit lines, facilitating the creation of new neighborhoods while leaving behind vast areas of undeveloped land. This linear expansion contrasts with dense urban areas, which are concentrated and compact, thus reinforcing the nature of urban sprawl as a transition zone.

In this context, characteristics like following circular patterns or being primarily focused on rural areas do not accurately depict urban sprawl. Instead, urban sprawl is predominantly associated with growth that unfolds along infrastructure and resources leading away from the urban core, making the choice regarding linear paths into suburbs the most suitable descriptor.