Manhattan has plenty of places where it could get denser. The limits are 1) public transportation -- especially on the East Side and 2) rather silly preservatio

Manhattan has plenty of places where it could get denser. The limits are 1) public transportation -- especially on the East Side and 2) rather silly preservation / zoning rules -- like preserving the character of the East Village which is ugly and not worth saving. The second avenue subway should help somewhat (assuming it's finished before the heat death of the universe) but increasing congestion and the subsequent decay in the quality of buses transit is a worrying countervailing trend.