Population Density

[Swedishguy]

Here is a map of Population Density I found on Wikipedia.

There are four very heavily populated areas in the world. From smallest to biggest:

American East Coast
Europe
India
Far East (Where China and Japan are close to each other)

So, my question is, what are the benefits and advantages of dense population (and sparse)?

 

[Arwon]

Infrastructure is harder to get to small isolated population centres than to major ones. Australia, for instance, probably spends more per capita on things like roads, banks, transport and telecommunications infrastructure than other countries in the developed world.

 

[Phlegmak]

Here is a map of Population Density I found on Wikipedia.

There are four very heavily populated areas in the world. From smallest to biggest:

American East Coast
Europe
India
Far East (Where China and Japan are close to each other)

So, my question is, what are the benefits and advantages of dense population (and sparse)?

Disadvantage of dense populations: It's very annoying to live there.

 

[Arwon]

I dunno, I much prefer city folk than country folk.

 

[Leonel]

I dunno, I much prefer city folk than country folk.

At least the country folk are friendly to strangers as opposed to the insular mememe attitude of city folk.

 

[Cutlass]

A lot of population density happens because of simple historical accident: That's where it made sense to settle in preindustrial times, so that's where people stayed. Places like India and the east and south of China have extremely high population densities because of high food production and a semi stable society for a longer period of time than nearly any place else in the world. Europe and the eastern US have high population densities because industrialization provided both the jobs to employ many people there as well as necessary food to keep them alive there.

Some "modern" nations (or regions of nations) have low populations and population densities because either few people choose to live their, or the geography and climate limit the desire or ability of people to live there.

Many less developed countries have high population densities because the agricultural revolution significantly increased the food available, so for many years the deaths through malnutrition which those places always had was reduced until the population became very much larger.

Declines in birthrate are correlated with nations that have high standards of living and women's rights. So that women have both the legal right and the resources to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Some small places like Japan or Taiwan have very high densities because there is a lot to do there and not much room to do it in.

 

[demokratickid]

At least the country folk are friendly to strangers as opposed to the insular mememe attitude of city folk.

I TOTALLY AGREE

"I'd prefer the country life. In the cities, you see the works of man. In the country, you see the works of GOD." -William Penn

That quote about summs up my view on where I would like to be on the population density chart.

 

[~Corsair#01~]

Denser populations mean scarcer natural resources, which leads to innovation and increases in the rate of conversion of natural resources into waste of varying degrees of reusability (what economists call "production"). As a result, denser populations lead to more rapid depletion of resource reserves and so serve to accelerate the inevitable extinction of all life on earth.
As a result, I prefer rural areas- I may not like the people there, but there are less of them and this is to everyone's long-term benefit.

 

[demokratickid]

Denser populations mean scarcer natural resources, which leads to innovation and increases in the rate of conversion of natural resources into waste of varying degrees of reusability (what economists call "production"). As a result, denser populations lead to more rapid depletion of resource reserves and so serve to accelerate the inevitable extinction of all life on earth.
As a result, I prefer rural areas- I may not like the people there, but there are less of them and this is to everyone's long-term benefit.

Wow, I never thought of it that way!

 

[Arwon]

At least the country folk are friendly to strangers as opposed to the insular mememe attitude of city folk.

Yeah. as long as you're exactly like them. Dude I grew up in a small town, don't tell me about their "friendiness". It's shallow and conditional.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

Density if tough to measure... Egypt is arguably the densest country as 95 percent of its 70 million people live clustered right on the banks of the Nile.

But then, what about a city state like Singapore, can that truly be compared to a country that has to include a lot more agricultural production in that land area?

Anyway, my rant aside...

Population density has lots of transport and energy cost advantages. It also has advantages in terms of greater contact between peoples, which can enhance economic capabilities.

Disadvantages are the fact that some people prefer a more isolated lifestyle, and it is difficult for a high density area to be self-sufficient. Usually it needs a low-density agricultural/environmental somewhere else to support it.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

People are shorter in Japan and tubbier in America, did they take that into account?

 

[demokratickid]

People are shorter in Japan and tubbier in America, did they take that into account?

That just made my day!!!

 

[Leonel]

Yeah. as long as you're exactly like them. Dude I grew up in a small town, don't tell me about their "friendiness". It's shallow and conditional.

Dude I grew up in small towns towns in the midwest. And I'm Asian. AND an atheist at the time. So don't you go telling me that they're shallow and conditional.

 

[demokratickid]

Yeah. as long as you're exactly like them. Dude I grew up in a small town, don't tell me about their "friendiness". It's shallow and conditional.

I feel bad for you, that your small town expierence as a child has been so bad, but I ould guess that the number of genuinely friendly folk in small towns across the US is many times more than those not as genuinely nice. Upstate New York is my favorite small-town area.

 

[Swedishguy]

Thank you for all your replies!

 

[Alpine Trooper]

The High Schools in the United States are larger than the Universities in Canada. Canadians live on the edge of the United States, peering across at its large cities and skyscrapers. I think the view humbles us at times. I couldn't imagine a Canada with more than 30 million people.

 

[EnlightenmentHK]

I've never known 'country folk' to be noticeably nicer than city-folk. If you catch people stuck in traffic, late for work, they're gonna be dicks, city or country. If you catch them relaxed, out at a bar, a museum, or anyplace else, they'll generally be pretty nice. You're going to have a higher propensity for minority hate in the rural places, but that's hardly absolute. Most cities are too internally diverse to wear that kind of attitude on their sleeves.

As for rural/urban in general, I think there are alot more cultural opportunities, nightlife, entertainment and employment options in the city. Certainly more active, lively, and, IMO, interesting. The truly rural can be interesting in its own right, since it offers a remarkably different experience.

What I can't get used to is the suburban. A bunch of people trying to invent a bubble universe to cut themselves off from everything interesting in the world, plopping their families down on the same sized plots in identical houses, eating at the same exact restaurants, drinking the same coffee....think the intro to 'Weeds'. I grew up in that kind of place. Bored. To. Tears.

 

[Verily]

The High Schools in the United States are larger than the Universities in Canada. Canadians live on the edge of the United States, peering across at its large cities and skyscrapers. I think the view humbles us at times. I couldn't imagine a Canada with more than 30 million people.

FTR, Toronto is larger than all US cities save New York, LA and Chicago, and only barely smaller than Chicago, and Montreal slides in behind those and Houston (and, again, barely).

 

[Alpine Trooper]

FTR, Toronto is larger than all US cities save New York, LA and Chicago, and only barely smaller than Chicago, and Montreal slides in behind those and Houston (and, again, barely).

And only Toronto. And oh Mr. Toronto thinks hes the voice of Canada eh, I don't think so you guys are getting some snow tonight why dont you call in the military.