3 ms·

It turns out denser housing is better for the environment too, so we should upzone even if the premise of this article were true (to me it seems kind of suspect

• CuriouslyC 8y ago
  Density isn't a lock for environmental friendliness. High density structures require environmentally unfriendly building materials relative to lower density structures, and a local environment has a limited ability to deal with pollutants and waste, requiring significant additional infrastructure to accommodate. Furthermore, higher density means more transportation infrastructure to bring resources to the people who live in an area, whereas a lot of these resources could be locally sourced if the density was lower. I think modern large multi-story wooden structures surrounded by food forests and urban farms is probably optimal in terms of environmental impact, while also being extremely livable.