A partition mathcal{P} of a metric space (X,d_X) is (sigma,tau,Delta)-sparse if each cluster has a diameter at most Delta, and every ball of radius Delta/sigma intersects at most tau clusters. In this talk, we will explore the construction and different applications of sparse partitions in their various forms over the years. As time allows, we will discuss applications to: Universal TSP, Steiner point removal, universal Steiner tree, and facility location.