Portland is probably the best example of a highly programmed city. The government has taken the initiative to guide growth within strictly drawn boundaries and access to public transportation is regarded as a high priority. In many ways it has been seen as a model city for smart growth, although my question would be, what's next? In cities such as Boulder, CO, a green belt lines the perimeter of the city to maintain a border of growth, but as land prices rise, poor neighborhoods are forced to the other side of the green belt. These extended neighborhoods are disconnected from the city, creating new pockets of sprawl.

Controlling Sprawl in Boulder: Benefits and Pitfalls, Pollock, Peter
http://www.asu.edu/caed/proceedings98/Pollock/pollock.html

So what's the solution?

I am a little shocked at Kristoff's response, stating 'Architects are only tools in the hands of developers. Its who holds the purse strings that creates this world and its infrastructure.'

In other words, those who positions of economic power, create this world and its infrastructure. This may be true to some extent, but this problem of urban sprawl cannot be fixed with any amount of money. There is no end to the orbits in which economic growth and urban sprawl follow. Can you believe a single idea can transform the way people live their lives around the world? The Industrial Revolution was sparked with a simple idea. Change involves ideas. Those who have ideas are those who hold the power to shift visions.