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The joy of bridges .... 
.... The dream of squares....
.... the wonder of canals ....
.... a ghost of chimneys ...
.... the joy of enclosure ....
... the need for colour...
....the comfort of simplicity ....
.... the breath of trees ...
.... the layering in of the new with ....
.... with the old ....
...the investment in public transport (we like trams)...
....the pleasure of the pedestrian 🚶♀️ 🚶🏻♂️ ...
... the dignity of doors and windows....
... the street and the spire ...
...the touch of the genius ...
...the simple pleasure of the normal....
... the evolving tradition...
... the admixture of shops and stalls with homes and offices...
... the flurry of flower pots ...
... all these (and much more besides) are the joys of ‘gentle density’ developments in traditional mixed-use settlement patterns. These types of settlement tend to be statistically associated...
.... with more cycling and walking (good for your heart)...
... with knowing more of your neighbours (good for your wellbeing) ...
... with better mental health (especially when people find them beautiful) ...
... with greater property values (which can be turned, up to a point, into profits or social housing depending on how you run your political economy) ...
... in short with the advantages of density (proponquity) and the advantages of low density (space). The moral?
The moral is don’t punish the poor and the young by refusing to build new homes. ....
... but don’t equate new homes with infinite sprawl. Instead let’s create the types of conventional and connected settlements which pricing, behaviour & polling data strongly suggests most people actually prefer.
Let’s #CreateStreets of diversity and beauty in which people can live, love, work and play. That’s the moral !
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