The density dilemma: there is always too much and too little of it

ABSTRACT

The paper’s main concern are the intersections of the urban fabric and process with their political ecologies and political pathologies. Density is the substrate of core debates we are having in geography, urban studies and urban practice. These debates have oscillated between the states of hope and panic about the role of density in our urban futures and they have been sharpened by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The paper argues for a contextual and relational notion of density and points to a core dilemma of the concept of density: there is always either too much or too little of it.

KEYWORDS:

• Density
• extended urbanization
• urban political ecology
• urban political pathology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. I am thinking here, for example, of Bjarke Ingels’ KING Toronto project (https://www.designboom.com/architecture/bjarke-ingels-group-king-toronto-penthouses-10-19-2019/) or Google Sidewalk Labs’ now defunct smart city designs for the Toronto Waterfront (https://www.sidewalklabs.com/). For related takes on this issue see https://suburbs.info.yorku.ca/2012/10/fixing-the-towers-in-the-plains-or-building-castles-in-the-sky/) and (https://www.some-thoughts.org/keil.html).