Crescimento das cidades

How big cities can grow?

In a world of rising temperatures and sea levels, and of rapidly diminishing non-renewable fuel sources, the idea of such compact cities appears attractive. However this argument is never straightforward and might even be flawed. Notwithstanding the fact that individuals want to maximise their use of space – lower densities – while remaining attached to the city which is only possible through sprawl, then the amount of energy saved by moving to a more compact form is rather uncertain. It might appear that using less fuel through travel would reduce energy use, but the added congestion and heat posed by crowding could well offset this gain. Moreover, high densities are not necessarily compatible with ecological stability in cities and it is not clear that high buildings which are part of the drive for compactness are more energy efficient than lower rise structures. In fact as a building gets larger, it is more difficult to resource through natural lighting and direct energy. (Mike Batty)

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