Neither, really. Though I might not have been clear-- I live in a densely populated area where there's public transit and I don't use a car much. I grew up in

Neither, really. Though I might not have been clear-- I live in a densely populated area where there's public transit and I don't use a car much. I grew up in rural areas where the spread-out method works better. What doesn't work is trying to solve traffic problems by spreading everything out. In places that already are spread out, there really isn't a traffic problem to solve and communities can decide whether they want mixed-use environments or segregated environments based on other factors. In places where you already have a critical density (like Eastern MA where I live), spreading things out is no more feasible than a subway in rural Ohio. Right now, trying to drive from Cambridge to Waltham at 6:00pm will probably take 45-60 minutes due to traffic congestion. That's because of all the people trying to leave Boston for the suburbs.