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Denser cities could be a climate boon – but nimbyism stands in the way

theguardian.com

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Re: Denser cities could be a climate boon – but nimbyism stands in the way

#11

Post by CryptoPunk »

ggm wrote: post #10
CryptoPunk wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Large cities provide so much more opportunity to people than towns and smaller cities, that I can't see the ethical case for limiting densification, even if maximizing densification moderately compromises the character of the neighbourhoods that current residents live in.

If we were a completely utilitarian society pursuing some kind of minimax I could agree with this. But, we aren't. Cities have form which reflects lots of social pressures and my memory of standing on the empire state looking down is that different quadrants of new York and new jersey reflect different views of density and land use from green spaces to the projects. My area (west end, that's the name of a specific su…

Life expectancy tends to go up as population densities increase. On top of that, people's environmental footprints shrink.

We can talk about all the specific cases where people lost something as the older character of the city made way for the new, but on the balance, there must be more cases of lives improving, than degrading, when we see not only gains in average income and life expectancy, but more people able to live in the cities that provide these superior conditions.

Consider that Hong Kong now has the highest life expectancy in the world:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/02/health/hong-kong-world-longes...

Re: Denser cities could be a climate boon – but nimbyism stands in the way

#12

Post by fuzxi »

matchbok wrote: post #6
ggm wrote: post #2

As a NIMBY opposing a 32 (revised down to 24) storey build in an area where the town plan said 15, I think about NIMBYism a lot. It's very contextual. Australia is renowned for historically high levels of home ownership, and the dream of the quarter acre block. In the present reality a quarter acre is beyond most peoples pocket, or else located two hours out of town. We're on track to continue Urban densification and…

The entitlement here is scary. You have every right to buy the land under that tower and build something yourself. If you choose not to do that, then you can be quiet about whatever happens there. It's not yours. Mind your own business.

I am going to buy all the land surrounding your house and use it to build airports and coal processing plants. Not your land, not your business, so I better not hear any complaints alright?

Re: Denser cities could be a climate boon – but nimbyism stands in the way

#13

Post by ggm »

CryptoPunk wrote: post #11
ggm wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If we were a completely utilitarian society pursuing some kind of minimax I could agree with this. But, we aren't. Cities have form which reflects lots of social pressures and my memory of standing on the empire state looking down is that different quadrants of new York and new jersey reflect different views of density and land use from green spaces to the projects. My area (west end, that's the name of a specific su…

Life expectancy tends to go up as population densities increase. On top of that, people's environmental footprints shrink. We can talk about all the specific cases where people lost something as the older character of the city made way for the new, but on the balance, there must be more cases of lives improving, than degrading, when we see not only gains in average income and life expectancy, but more people able to…

Interesting take on things. It's unclear to me that this isn't about diet and genes. But, if it is density we also have to accept it's heading to an asymptote, and so eg building everything the height of Burj Khalifa won't make us live to 250.
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