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The population density in my state is 17.2 people per square mile and we are the fifth largest state. Most people live in population clusters but most of those clusters cannot support hospitals, healthcare specialists, cultural resources, and other elements common in an urban center. I choose to live on the far border zone of a city which offers open spaces and few close neighbors while making it possible to access city-based healthcare, an airport, several hispitals, stores, and everything else a city dweller can access.
I would never live in a densely crowded city but being a pioneer or a remote farmer doesn't appeal to me either. This doesn't mean we need sprawl. I think that the Covid-19 isolation is showing that technology might make it easier to work, shop, and live on the fringe of an urban center without sprawl stretching to the horizon. People are learning how much they can get for their needs using technology and home delivery.
Having said that, while I was never really an urbanite to begin with, it has lessened my desire to want to try it for, say, a year. Disease never really entered into my mind, but it has now.
I'm not anti-density. Wasn't planning on moving to a larger city any time soon anyway, but the current situation definitely would become a factor if I were to move at any point in the future, even if it goes away. Certainly something you'll never forget.
My "love" for density and urban living has been tanking well before this garbage hit. Now with cities being lax on enforcing the law, especially now, I'm done with it.
Maybe I'll reside in an "urban" city of less than 75,000 but that's it. You can go out to the "rural" areas and still find the essentials.
You are welcome to look at Washington Post data on cases and deaths per capita. There are hotspots in both rural and urban communities. Dense, urban regions in California are doing a much better job at containment than rural Indiana, Georgia, or Louisiana.
If anything, this has reminded me to avoid living in a conservative, anti-science and anti-government state. So many reckless people with a complete disregard for public health and safety...and god forbid the government intervenes. It's disgusting.
Modcut: keep political smack in the Politics forum.
At the end of the day urban residents have a life expectancy nearly 2 years longer than rural areas. How about you buy that?
Density probably helps viruses spread faster, but it's already spreading throughout rural areas and suburbs around the country. We don't need more sprawl, we need effective national leadership around pandemics, because each state has just done whatever it wants and some of them still don't have stay-at-home orders. And even in states that do, people are still going to church and the beach.
I’m in a somewhat “high density” neighborhood of about 13k ppsm and yet, it is suburban as all get out. We’ve mostly all got good sized gardens, even the duplexes, back houses, cottage courts and small apartments all have either small gardens or decks. It is very easy to safely socially distance yourself as necessary.
But being in a neighborhood where people are still walking, running and biking giving each other supportive “hello’s” and sincere “How are you doing?”, and actually, all the more so now, is a needed salve for these crazy times. We were mostly garden homebodies with daily neighbor interaction before and so we remain to keep our mental and physical health. I would hate to be cooped up in an area where a personal, if socially distant, interaction with a friend or neighbor was rare.
This has only reinforced how much I know living in a city is where I flourish.
I've been a strong proponent of urban living since I moved out on my own (20 years ago) and I still think that it's the most sustainable way to live (outside of farming). Sure, there are a lot of deaths not because of this pandemic, but i'm sure if you measure the life expectancy of people who lived in city vs people in rural or suburban areas, urban people would probably still live longer overall.
Modcut: North America only
It makes me want to move back to New England and live in a little big town so I can have some fresh air, but still have amenities. Towns like Montpelier, Vt or Northampton, MA would be perfect as I can still breathe clean air and still have some urban amenities and mentality.
I’m in a somewhat “high density” neighborhood of about 13k ppsm and yet, it is suburban as all get out. We’ve mostly all got good sized gardens, even the duplexes, back houses, cottage courts and small apartments all have either small gardens or decks. It is very easy to safely socially distance yourself as necessary.
But being in a neighborhood where people are still walking, running and biking giving each other supportive “hello’s” and sincere “How are you doing?”, and actually, all the more so now, is a needed salve for these crazy times. We were mostly garden homebodies with daily neighbor interaction before and so we remain to keep our mental and physical health. I would hate to be cooped up in an area where a personal, if socially distant, interaction with a friend or neighbor was rare.
This has only reinforced how much I know living in a city is where I flourish.
Same. It's pretty easy to Socially distance in DC right now. I don't live in a town home, but I'm a 7 minute walk from the National Mall. Easy to social distance. And tons of other areas beyond that.
Seeing some people here and there are a distance of well beyond 6' is refreshing. I agree with you.
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