Density Is A Virtue

Writing in a Boston Globe editorial, David Dixon explains why Americans' fear and loathing of density is ironic and dangerous.

1 minute read

July 8, 2003, 11:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"We need to reclaim density as a solution to, not the cause of, problems facing our cities and suburbs... Density is essential to achieving the very qualities that make communities more livable - and cohesive. Neighborhoods in cities like Boston have lost as much as 50 percent of their pre-1950 population, which in turn supported the lively commercial districts with a sense of community that people seek to recapture. Worse, in an era of big-box retail and Internet shopping, it takes more people living within walking distance to support lively streets in 2003 than it did in 1950."

Thanks to Chris Steins

FULL STORY: The virtue of density

Monday, July 7, 2003 in The Boston Globe

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