Doug Kelbaugh

Biking around Seattle to re-engage a city that I had not lived in for 21 years, I was intrigued and positively impressed with the quality of speculative housing projects. They exhibit rich texture and articulation, with colors often vivid by historical standards.

Are cities now dangerous places due to their density? No, I believe, the face-to-face city will endure. It’s simply too productive, efficient, and advantageous. And compact cities address the existential crisis of our time -- climate change.

The coronavirus crisis should not make us reduce the density of our cities. It’s the dense mix of uses, the walkability and bike-ability, the public transit of cities that directly combat climate change by reducing energy consumption and the carbon footprint of urban residents.