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All urban development consumes land and other natural resources. The mere fact that low-density development consumes more land than high-density development does not mean that high-density development is better. Our goal is to maximize our standard of living, not minimize our consumption of land and other resources. Only about 3% of the land area of the United States is urbanized at all. The remaining 97% is rural. It's not as if we're running out of land. We have huge amounts of land. Urban development has become less dense because people value having more space. They value having bigger housing. They value having yards and garages and driveways. They value having more space between themselves and their neighbors, so there is less noise and more privacy. They value the greenery and light and air of a leafy suburb, instead of living in the concrete jungle of a dense city. They value the speed, comfort, and convenience of car travel, which means space is needed for roads and parking. YOU may not value these things, but people in general value them very much.

by Bertie on May 29, 2012 9:41 pm • link • report