The purpose of this paper is to offer, in a very preliminary form, a general framework for the evaluation and identification of the effects of alternative land use controls·, tax measures, and user charges on the set of decisions which lead to sprawl. In particular, we attempt to explore two points: that only distance related charges can both recoup costs and constrain sprawl, and that existing tax programmes may do little to contain sprawl. We consider the alternative forms of sprawl, and, to illustrate the nature and magnitude of the costs involved, we present the results of a case study of the incremental public costs associated with a particular form of urban sprawl. We then construct and use a crude model to suggest how alternative public policies might play on the decisions of the potential home buyer, the developer, and the land speculator.