[Jamwinner]

Nobody wants to hear it, but crime and population density seem very linked. Where I live, we dont even lock our doors, while an hour away in the city, I cant even take one of my crs because it is too easy to steal even when locked. When you know your neighbors, you can't steal without everyone knowing. The psudeoanonmity offered by overpopulation makes crime pay.

[ssivark]

Well, from an aggregate population level it naively seems cheaper (more efficient) to insure people against car break-ins rather than subsidize low-density housing infrastructure (roads, water, electricity, internet, etc.). That's apart from the productivity increase resulting from higher density (eg: see Geoffrey West's work on the nature of cities), and the loss of forest/agricultural land in rural areas. So, while low-density suburban housing avoids break-ins, it leads to bigger unanswered questions.