The 'D' Word: What It Takes to Build Dense Communities in Greater Boston A follow-up conference to the Boston Society of Architects density conference of September 2003 was co-sponsored by the Boston Society of Architects and the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston. For years, density has been a buzzword for all that ails urban America - overcrowding, trashy streets, traffic congestion, and inadequate room for recreation or community pursuits. The suburbanization of America in the twentieth century embodied an anti-urban ethos that favors spread-out development over clustered development. But with the emergence of concerns about regional sprawl, a movement involving planners, architects, community activists, and many businesses has emerged to challenge negative perceptions of density. Increasingly, people understand that much
that is vital about great cities depends
on density - that is, people living close
together, in communities with a mix of
homes, retail outlets, offices and other
places of employment, churches, community
and recreation centers, libraries, transit,
and parks. But if this argument for density in urban areas is simple and compelling, creating conditions for agreeable dense development to occur in Boston and other urban communities is hard. The Rappaport Institute and the Boston Society of Architects convened a major conference to explore the different dimensions of density in urban planning and development. The conference focused on two separate discussions. The first discussion centered on planning and design issues relating to density. The second discussion concentrated on the public policy challenges relating to density. Panelists included:
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The argument for density is simple:
The more people live in an area, the
more
that area can offer economic activity,
social networks, political engagement,
and public service.