Many Americans view crowded cities as ecological nightmares, filled with concrete, garbage, diesel fumes, and traffic jams. However, David Owen reveals a different perspective, showing that residents of compact urban centers consume less oil, electricity, and water than their counterparts in other areas. These city dwellers live in smaller spaces, produce less waste, and, crucially, spend significantly less time in automobiles.
Manhattan, the most densely populated area in North America, exemplifies this trend. Its residents lead the nation in public-transit use and have the lowest per-capita greenhouse gas emissions. Remarkably, their gasoline consumption mirrors the national rate from the mid-1920s, a time when the Ford Model T was the most popular car. Walking remains a vital mode of daily transportation for many Manhattanites, a rarity in the United States.
These environmental achievements are intentional, not accidental. While spreading populations across the countryside might seem environmentally friendly, it actually exacerbates environmental damage and obscures the problems, making them harder to address. Owen argues that the real challenge is not transforming bustling cities to resemble the untouched countryside, but rather making other settled areas more like Manhattan. Its residents are closer than any other Americans to achieving the environmental goals that we all must eventually embrace.