[deet]

High density doesn't always equate to pleasantness though. It still has to be done right to be livable.

I spent last year living near Columbus Circle (the southwest corner of Central Park in Midtown Manhattan) which is probably equally dense as Battery Park, and didn't care for it much primarily due to its mixed use. The population density is quite high there, but it is mixed in with office buildings that suck the character out of the area. In particular, returning there at night didn't feel like "coming home" to a neighborhood. We've since moved to a neighborhood that is almost exclusively residential (but still dense) and the difference in character and livability is very noticeable.

High density if not done right also can have a negative psychological impact (tall buildings means less sun), constant crowds might mean less chance to destress, no greenery, etc.

The point is, density isn't the only requirement, it has be done right, so practicing a bit of restraint in allowing building might make sense.

[ghaff]

And the density of someplace like Manhattan has inherent characteristics that aren't to everyone's taste. I enjoy visiting there (a lot) but I lived in Manhattan one summer. It was a while ago when aspects of Manhattan were admittedly less pleasant than today. And I was an intern while in school so I didn't have a lot of money to spend. And it was summer. But I remember that by August I was calling up friends in Greenwich and Princeton to inform them that I WAS coming to visit them for the weekend :-) I just have to get out of the city.

[worklogin]

Interesting. Mixed use is often touted as a way to reduce dependence on cars and promote local economy.

[graeme]

Depends how you do it. I live in a mixed use neighborhood, with lots of shops and stores and it's great.

Likewise, downtown montreal is pretty interesting. As a pedestrian, there are plenty of things for you to do at street level, while people live and work above.

Versus downtown toronto, where there's little for pedestrians to do in much of downtown. You don't see nearly as many people walking around.

[ctdonath]

Indeed. If density is paramount, we can cram everyone in a 1km^3 box. http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/03/7-3-billion-people-one-buildin...

[noobermin]

At least for Greenery, Singapore does a great job of this.

[benihana]

Yep. I landed in the Upper East Side in a small apartment with bad lighting - the main window faced a building. The way it was built, I saw into my next door neighbor's kitchen and bedroom. I was really depressed that whole first winter cause of how cavelike my apartment felt.