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What I find most amazing about this is Australia being the 10th least population dense country in the world [https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries

by eliben 9y ago

What I find most amazing about this is Australia being the 10th least population dense country in the world [https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population_density https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_popul...]. It's very interesting to ponder how our proclivity of huddling together in tight cities can cause such anomalies.

ghomrassen 9y ago
Well, the vast majority of Australia is the Outback, which people don't really want to live in.
calsy 9y ago
No need to ponder, its very simple, people would rather not live in the desert.
- eliben 9y ago
  There's plenty of land in Australia which is absolutely not desert. Also there are cities built in deserts these days.
  - calsy 9y ago
    There is plenty of land that is not desert, but the majority is desert. Any stat comparing population size with land mass is misleading. Australia is hot, 300km off the coast and you’re in drought territory. Go in further and you won’t last a day in the sun without shade and water. It’s not the US, there are towns in the outback, the majority choose not to live there. People will ordinarily group together in a single area where jobs, infrastructure and general quality of living are high.
    - ghaff 9y ago
      Some of the fastest growing US cities are in the desert. However, there is (sort of) water available for those. (Water supply in the southwest is a major issue though.) I assume inland Australia would have bigger issues with water supply as they don't have a large mountain range draining into the interior.
      - calsy 9y ago
        This place is as flat as a sheet of paper, seismic activity is minor to non existent. It's just flat horizons and searing heat, a single road that never ends. Second only to the Antarctic as the driest place on Earth.
        tmnvix 9y ago
        Wouldn't that be the Atacama?
a_bonobo 9y ago
Affordable housing is high density housing, while the majority of Australian cities are suburbs with low density, mostly detached single houses, often with a garden. For any given 'feature' in a suburb (shopping centre etc.) the houses in walking distance will have a higher value. If you have several multi-family homes or even towers you have a large supply of walking-distance-dwellings. If you have a bunch of single-family houses (the common thing in Australia) then you have low supply. In other words, Australia tries to huddle together as least as possible which causes many weird anomalies (don't get me started on quality of life/walkable suburbs/rise of US-style drive-everywhere-life with increased obesity/etc)

by eliben 9y ago

ghomrassen 9y ago

Well, the vast majority of Australia is the Outback, which people don't really want to live in.

calsy 9y ago

No need to ponder, its very simple, people would rather not live in the desert.

eliben 9y ago
There's plenty of land in Australia which is absolutely not desert. Also there are cities built in deserts these days.
- calsy 9y ago
  There is plenty of land that is not desert, but the majority is desert. Any stat comparing population size with land mass is misleading. Australia is hot, 300km off the coast and you’re in drought territory. Go in further and you won’t last a day in the sun without shade and water. It’s not the US, there are towns in the outback, the majority choose not to live there. People will ordinarily group together in a single area where jobs, infrastructure and general quality of living are high.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    Some of the fastest growing US cities are in the desert. However, there is (sort of) water available for those. (Water supply in the southwest is a major issue though.) I assume inland Australia would have bigger issues with water supply as they don't have a large mountain range draining into the interior.
    - calsy 9y ago
      This place is as flat as a sheet of paper, seismic activity is minor to non existent. It's just flat horizons and searing heat, a single road that never ends. Second only to the Antarctic as the driest place on Earth.
      - tmnvix 9y ago
        Wouldn't that be the Atacama?

a_bonobo 9y ago

Affordable housing is high density housing, while the majority of Australian cities are suburbs with low density, mostly detached single houses, often with a garden. For any given 'feature' in a suburb (shopping centre etc.) the houses in walking distance will have a higher value. If you have several multi-family homes or even towers you have a large supply of walking-distance-dwellings. If you have a bunch of single-family houses (the common thing in Australia) then you have low supply. In other words, Australia tries to huddle together as least as possible which causes many weird anomalies (don't get me started on quality of life/walkable suburbs/rise of US-style drive-everywhere-life with increased obesity/etc)