Collapse is usually caused by overpopulation and mismanagement of resources. Decentralize the people and the collapse just comes sooner. The total human impact

Collapse is usually caused by overpopulation and mismanagement of resources. Decentralize the people and the collapse just comes sooner. The total human impact is way way bigger when population is sparsely distributed. Cities enable people to live close together, ensuring more land is kept free of negative human influence. Think about it: if the population is the same, the needs are the same. Food, water, waste treatment, transport, luxuries. At the very least, you need the same of everything, but if the density isn't big enough there's no economy of scale that can kick in. I remember reading about how some US suburbs are effectively bankrupt, because they can't maintain their infrastructures due to not enough people living there. Imagine it, a high-class neighborhood that is forced to replace asphalt roads with gravel roads.