There are many benefits to having a higher density city. The environmental impact is minimized, public transportation is easier, sprawl is reduced. Today, Austin is not a high density city: even the central downtown area is relatively low density compared to the core of other major cities. Of the top 25 cities, Austin is the 20th most dense city. In Texas, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio all have higher levels of density than Austin. If you you think Houston is sprawling, than you probably won't like Austin in a few decades if current growth rates persist. El Paso is the only large Texas city with a lower level of density than Austin.
While many people question whether downtown development is good or bad, there is no better way to improve population density. A dense urban core is vibrant, ecologically-friendly, and traffic-friendly. It is the best antidote to sprawl. Downtown development won't stop sprawl in Austin: the number of building permits for single family homes in Austin is nearly the highest per capita of any city in the country, it is the first step in the right direction. It provide people who want to bike to work or walk to dinner with an alternative that hasn't previously existed in Austin.
Here is the raw data from Demographia. The data is from 2000 and just looks at the city of Austin --- it excludes many of the suburbs with the lowest population density.
| Rank | Pop / SQ Mile | City |
| 1 | 26,401 | New York city |
| 2 | 16,633 | San Francisco city |
| 3 | 12,749 | Chicago city |
| 4 | 12,165 | Boston city |
| 5 | 11,233 | Philadelphia city |
| 6 | 9,316 | Washington city |
| 7 | 8,058 | Baltimore city |
| 8 | 7,876 | Los Angeles city |
| 9 | 6,855 | Detroit city |
| 10 | 6,717 | Seattle city |
| 11 | 6,214 | Milwaukee city |
| 12 | 5,118 | San Jose city |
| 13 | 3,772 | San Diego city |
| 14 | 3,617 | Denver city |
| 15 | 3,470 | Dallas city |
| 16 | 3,383 | Columbus city OH |
| 17 | 3,372 | Houston city |
| 18 | 2,808 | San Antonio city |
| 19 | 2,782 | Phoenix city |
| 20 | 2,610 | Austin city |
| 21 | 2,327 | Memphis city |
| 22 | 2,263 | El Paso city |
| 23 | 2,163 | Indianapolis city |
| 24 | 1,152 | Nashville-Davidson |
| 25 | 971 | Jacksonville city FL |
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