Feeling the pinch of compact cities (BBC) {opinion piece}

[eppur_se_muova]

VIEWPOINT
Richard Fuller

High density "compact cities" are the favoured model for sustainable living in the 21st Century. But there are drawbacks, says Richard Fuller, because losing urban green spaces will reduce people's quality of life and drive out wildlife that have also made their homes in cities.

We are fast becoming an urban species. More than half of the world's people now live in cities, and in the UK around 90% of us are urbanites.

As human populations increase, demand for new housing seems insatiable.

Over the past few decades, this has resulted in the rapid development of urban sprawl - vast expanses of low density suburban housing that have progressively eaten into the countryside around our cities.

Suburban sprawl means that many of us now live miles from "local" shops, our workplaces, friends' houses, and also miles from the nearest park or piece of countryside.
***
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6754549.stm