Luftmensch wrote:The density fetish on this website is out of control. The most vibrant neighborhoods in New York City are mostly low-rise - even townhomes. Vast swathes of Lincoln Park in Chicago are also low, low, low. The "self-sufficient" towers are often soulless and dead and do nothing for their surroundings.
Be careful what you wish for.
Agreed. There is something about living in a high-rise -- it becomes very easy to go up the elevator, walk down the hall, into your 'vault', and then ignore everything around you. Compare to a midrise with stairs, where it's more common to talk across balconys, talk with neighbors in the hall or just outside.
Maybe it's the "elevator effect": When people who don't know each other are a distance away they will make eye contact, say hello, or some other acknowledgement. But put them close together in a confined space and they will act as if noone else is there.
