I haven't yet been to the UK, so I can't comment directly on the state of things there. But I grew up in a rural town in USA, and I have traveled to communities large and small across the USA and other countries, including one of my favorites to visit- Japan. In my experience, dense cities don't have to be miserable to the majority of people. I still live in what would be considered a small city, though not nearly as small as the one I grew up in. The city I live in could definitely see significant growth and increased density while maintaining the qualities that make it unique and special. But it would take a lot more planning and vision than what I have seen from current political leaders.
I meant to add that of course there will always be those who prefer small rural communities, and that I think we we build more densely ( in an intelligent, thoughtful way) in the urban areas, we can easily meet the demand for housing while continuing to preserve plenty of small towns for those who prefer that. Of course, I can't say what the situation is for sure in the UK exactly, but here in the US, there are plenty of small towns that are slowly shrinking and disappearing. Many of these communities had much higher populations 50 or 100 years ago, and in another 50 or 100 years may not even exist as a community anymore.
