Slog
News & ArtsTuesday, December 4, 2012
Architecture The Happiness of Density
Posted by Charles Mudede on Tue, Dec 4, 2012 at 8:30 AM
Density is good for the economy, for human creativity, for the environment, and for this...
There is a long tradition in America dating back at least to Thomas Jefferson that suggests people will be happier in more pastoral, less congested settings with their own space. There is also a long line of thinking that sees crowded, dense urban centers as the source of anxiety, agitation, unhappiness, even pathology. But that is not at all what we find. Instead, happiness levels are modestly associated with density that is more concentrated at the center of the city.And not just happier but, as Edward Glaeser points out in Triumph of the City, healthier. So, build up and pack the humans in the core.
1
And the more mouthbreathers that get crammed into the cities, the quieter it is for me out in the country. I'm in full support.
3
Is it a purely linear trend? I would think it'd be more curvilinear, where "happiness" (defined how?) hits a peak at a certain level of density and then goes back down as density increases further.
4
Stress from noise and pollution could be a problem for some. The sirens wail around here all the time. Somebody had an axe split their skull a block away. Very stressful.
5
Naturally, you can only choose one. One species, one habitat option. Heaven forbid we should succumb to the moral relativism of "Gee, maybe some people like to live in the country, too." Keep up your noble jihad, Charles! You'll forcibly urbanize those rural dead-enders yet!
6
To broaden the conversation:
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/87/2…
http://nihrecord.od.nih.gov/newsletters/…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_…
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/87/2…
http://nihrecord.od.nih.gov/newsletters/…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_…
9
While people may come in different temperaments, intelligence levels, genders, sexual orientations, religions, levels of sociability, interests, hobbies, worldviews and politics, all people are happier in a dense city.
All. Of. Them.
All. Of. Them.
10
Charles keeps banging on this theme. I'm on the 'I need space' team. "All people are happier in a dense city?" Total bullshit. I've been there and I'm not. Oh, and I don't think Charles has ever answered a simple question after he posts yet again about micro-apartments. How many square feet is your place, Charles?
11
Is it just me or has SROTU suffered a psychotic break since the election? His posts are all either incoherent or complete non sequiturs.
12
@1, the mouthbreathers won't come to the city: Too dense to park their pick up trucks, to set up their BBQ grills, and install their turkey fry pits.
14
Charles conveniently ignores the words "modestly associated."
And of course, everybody is exactly the same and will be happy in the exact same environment.
And of course, everybody is exactly the same and will be happy in the exact same environment.
15
Either he ignores it, or he simply doesn't understand it. The statistics-to-language barrier is too great for most people to overcome.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
Portland Voters Are Stoopid by Goldy
-
An I-5 Bridge Over the Skagit River Has Collapsed by Paul Constant
-
Why They Break Windows by Unpaid Intern
-
Did You Steal Our Unpaid Intern's Camera? by Goldy
-
Usually When I'm Sent a Photoshopped Image of a Gun Pointed At Me... by Dan Savage
-
The Only Thing More Tragic than a Bridge Collapse Would Be a 10 Cent a Gallon Increase in the Gas Tax by Goldy
-
Tornado Truthers by Dan Savage
-
Star Trek Releases Deleted Scene of Benedict Cumberbatch Showering to Counter Claims of Sexism by Cienna Madrid
-
Boy Scouts Lift Ban on Gay Members by Paul Constant
-
Should I Buy One of These? by Goldy
Stranger Personals
The Stranger
RSSSeattle Art & Performance Quarterly
A complete guide to Seattle's current art, film, dance, and theater season.
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (16) RSS