ABSTRACT
Many hopes for sustainable urban futures rest on the fact that compact cities, produced through a process of urban intensification, can provide benefits in terms of resource efficiency, reduced travel demand, and liveable environments. Many countries, especially in Europe, are following policies of urban consolidation as a way of achieving these goals. This chapter questions whether this option is viable: its findings are drawn from the UK, but may have relevance to those attempting to manage intensification in many other countries. It establishes whether urban intensification can provide the benefits suggested by proponents of the 'compact city'. The chapter presents findings from a major research project for British Government which looks at how urban intensification is acceptable to users of the built environment. Many hopes for sustainable urban rest on fact that compact cities can provide benefits in terms of resource efficiency, reduced travel demand, and liveable environments.
