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> Cities are growing, chewing up arable farmland.

Um, what? City area growth is slow and mostly vertically, and effect of farmlands have been minimal, at least compared to other factors.

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Many cities grow by adding more suburban areas. It's a very land-intensive way to grow, but popular among families as they don't have to live in apartments.

They certainly did in the baby-boom years. Is that still the case? The cost of extending utilities and services to ever increasing areas is a growing concern. Traffic and the time and expense of commuting is a growing concern. Where I live, most growth is in the the form of increasing density closer to the city center. Smaller apartments are more workable for families if they have one or two (or zero) kids as opposed to three or more.

thats why most of US towns are bankrupt or near bankrupt and need federal funds to function, literally a ponzi scheme[0]. Strongtowns is an organization that study better urban policies[1]

[0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_SXXTBypIg&list=PLJp5q-R0lZ...

[1]https://www.strongtowns.org/

Yes, it's still the case. Look at Boise, Las Vegas, and Denver.

Toronto just added 14 new suburbs. Until a month ago, these thousands of acres were considered the "green belt" necessary for the functioning of a large metropolis. Now they'll be paved over.

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