But when I said “environmental crisis” I meant more than just global warming. The State’s Growth Management Act was created to encourage denser development because of the environmental problems associated with sprawl, such as loss of habitat and farmland.

You are right that there are cultural factors involved in Seattle’s densification, but my sense is that a significant component of the cultural shift towards denser housing is occurring because of increasing awareness of sustainability — it’s becoming fashionable!

Perhaps I should have said something more like, “Seattle is becoming more dense, and this is helping to mitigate environmental crises…” At the same time, you might want to think about giving Seattle and the State a little more credit for doing the right thing (enacting policy to promote dense development) for the right reasons.

Seattle is densifying as a strategy to help mitigate environmental crisis (perhaps you’ve heard about this on NPR?).

Anyone who is telling you that is being disingenuous. If density were about fighting global warming, there would be no parking with those condo towers.

The reality is that Seattle is densifying because the will of the average person is finally for taller buildings and more people.

The reality is that climate change is more easily solved by restricting primary or secondary factors causing climate change. Dense housing is at best a secondary factor (fuel is burned to heat houses or to power air conditioners), and planning on putting people in interbay or SLU to fight climate change is attacking a tertiary cause (how were people live effects their commutes which effects their fuel consumption which effects greenhouse gases causes climate change).

And many of those moving into belltown, slu and other dense neighborhoods are driving their cars from their dense housing to redmond or bellevue.

I’m for density, but don’t make it what it isn’t.

Great, thanks for your input, MNPC, we’ll take your objections under advisement.

I move to approve Resolution 2008-xx, amending Interbay zoning to increase FAR and net density by yy%. Second? Aye. etc…motion carries, 9-0. Next on the agenda is…