There is a certain point where density begins to become a hindrance and can as a result create communities that are just as 'dead' as some suburban ones.
For example, here in Vancouver we have more condos per capita than anywhere else in North America--with maybe New York ahead of us and San Francisco just behind. In areas where there are 4-6 story buildings, I find that the communities are vibrant and have a lot of activity on the sidewalks.
However, go into neighbourhoods like Yaletown or newer developments in North Burnaby, you'll find that the large towers are actually not very vibrant and just act as terminus-es for those who live there.
I believe that there was an Economist article a few years back that discussed this very problem affecting Tokyo, which is pretty much the epitome of urban densification.
Cities need density in order to thrive, but there is a point where too much density leads to problems. It might be premature or naive to call for San Francisco to make itself even more compact considering that it is already one of the most dense cities on this continent.
The important ingredients, so often overlooked, include mixed-use zoning and public spaces. If all you have are a bunch of condo towers abutting each other, you're almost guaranteed a dead high-density area.
Once you start mixing things up, though, it gets much better. Add some restaurants and shops and other businesses on the ground floors of the condo towers (even better, mix in a few two-to-three-story retail centers), and some small parks, squares, and other public areas, and the density can be leveraged to create a thriving street-level area.
For example, here in Vancouver we have more condos per capita than anywhere else in North America--with maybe New York ahead of us and San Francisco just behind. In areas where there are 4-6 story buildings, I find that the communities are vibrant and have a lot of activity on the sidewalks.
However, go into neighbourhoods like Yaletown or newer developments in North Burnaby, you'll find that the large towers are actually not very vibrant and just act as terminus-es for those who live there.
I believe that there was an Economist article a few years back that discussed this very problem affecting Tokyo, which is pretty much the epitome of urban densification.
Cities need density in order to thrive, but there is a point where too much density leads to problems. It might be premature or naive to call for San Francisco to make itself even more compact considering that it is already one of the most dense cities on this continent.