Urban Density - Sustainability

Sustainability

It is commonly asserted that higher density cities are more sustainable than low density cities. Much planning theory, particularly in North America, the UK, Australia and New Zealand has been developed premised on raising urban densities, such as New Urbanism, Transit-oriented development, and Smart growth.

However, the link between urban density and aspects of sustainability remains a contested area of planning theory. Many experts on sustainable urbanism, including prominent urban designer Jan Gehl, argue that low-density, dispersed cities are unsustainable as they are automobile dependent. A minority, such as Randy O'Toole, author of Gridlock and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, counter that raising densities results in more expensive real estate, greater road congestion and more air pollution. At a broader level though, there is evidence to indicate a strong negative correlation between the total energy consumption of a city and its overall urban density, i.e. the lower the density, the more energy consumed.