Am I Dense, or What?

When we talk about helping homeless people find permanent housing, the question immediately becomes, "yeah, but where?" Then, the whole conversation turns to affordable housing or (worse) public housing.

We fear public "projects". They seem ominous and overly dense. They don't seem safe. There are many issues here relating to housing. But, what's the issue with density?

The middle class ideal of a single family lot with a nice yard and a two-car garage had led to suburban sprawl and a crisis of a lack of housing that anyone can afford to buy. In California, we have run out of land for that kind of housing. So, the planners are looking to increase density. Is density a bad thing?

Denser living is good for the environment, because we use less land, and more people live close to where they work and play. Denser living brings people in closer proximity to each other - they walk their dogs and their children play in common areas. Denser living means shared amenities like gyms, pools, tennis courts, and dining facilities. Denser communities are walkable. Denser communities are often safer because there are more eyes on the streets.

A densely built community is not necessarily affordable; but, I think that with the right financial supports, we can have a healthy mix of incomes, races, and all types of people. Call me dense, but I think that's something we ought to be working for.