Austin’s Low Population Density

Population density, the number of people per square mile, is an indicator of suburban sprawl. A large city with a low population density will be spread across a broader geographic area than an equally sized city with a higher level of density. The lower the density, the more land it takes to fit all of a city’s residents. The more land, the longer people must drive for work or to get groceries, the more lawn there is too water, the more the natural environment is reclaimed for malls and yards and roads.

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.