I don't know. I think there are arguments on both sides of the urban sprawl argument. I can't say that my life is enriched by the presence of strip malls spaced just far enough apart to make walking between them impractical, and surrounded by acres of parking lot. I don't think my health *or* my car's is improved by making lots of 2-minute driving trips to get from one of those places to another. So I think that people who say the way we build is stupid and wasteful do have a point. I also don't think that population density and misery are directly tied together -- I'm considerably less miserable now that I'm living in an apartment near a city with things to do than I was living in a rural town of tastefully spaced homes where there was never anything going on.
However, the ways most places have tried to combat urban sprawl have been just short of disasterous, and have only resulted in housing shortages. Just look at Portland. But then, at least it's not turning into a hell hole like Detroit's become.
I don't know. I think there are arguments on both sides of the urban sprawl argument. I can't say that my life is enriched by the presence of strip malls spaced just far enough apart to make walking between them impractical, and surrounded by acres of parking lot. I don't think my health *or* my car's is improved by making lots of 2-minute driving trips to get from one of those places to another. So I think that people who say the way we build is stupid and wasteful do have a point. I also don't think that population density and misery are directly tied together -- I'm considerably less miserable now that I'm living in an apartment near a city with things to do than I was living in a rural town of tastefully spaced homes where there was never anything going on.
However, the ways most places have tried to combat urban sprawl have been just short of disasterous, and have only resulted in housing shortages. Just look at Portland. But then, at least it's not turning into a hell hole like Detroit's become.