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The word 'environment' has strong emotions attached to it, and there's not universal agreement to it's meaning. Environmental impact doesn't just mean CO2 emis
by bittercynic 4y ago
The word 'environment' has strong emotions attached to it, and there's not universal agreement to it's meaning.
Environmental impact doesn't just mean CO2 emissions, or water usage. For those things, I think most people agree that higher density is preferable.
Our environment can also refer to the things that have a direct and immediate impact on our experiences, and density often comes with noise, crowding, diminished sense of community with the people you see near your home... Maybe we all need to get used to the inconveniences that come with higher density, but refusing to admit that there are inconveniences seems dishonest. It's that refusal to admit inconveniences that I meant to point out.
- voisin 4y ago> diminished sense of community with the people you see near your home FWIW, I think most “New Urbanists” would argue that density increases sense of community. Rather than living in a soulless suburb where everyone stays indoors or in their backyards, and ventures out for literally every activity (unlikely to be interacting with the same community in many contexts), everyone lives, works, and plays in a densely built city, likely doing all of the above in a few city blocks and interacting with the same people in many contexts. In my experience, having lived in incredibly dense cities and incredibly sparse rural areas, I agree with New Urbanists (but I do certainly see the pros and cons of each style of living).