Originally Posted by
PlanoFuji
A greenbelt that surrounds a municipality is going to get developed as a low density haven of the wealthy. Even if against the cities zoning, the politicians will obtain exemptions when their donators say so. Your proposal will be great for those who can afford it, and horrible for those who loose their ability to see open spaces... Further cities don't really have the option to incorporate vast tracks of land outside their limits to form such green spaces. Incorporation requires the approval of the existing residents/owners of the land... Typically it occurs after the developers have already subdivided and developed the land from the original property owners. And that development is not subject to the cities master plan or zoning since when it occurs the land is outside the cities limits... That is traditionally how 'sprawl' has occurred. Those nice empty homes then attract residents of the city, who after some period of time either incorporate a new city or incorporate into their old one in order to obtain benefits like police and fire protection...
Further the denser the development the greater the volume the pollution and waste. Greater volumes are harder to deal with in an environmentally friendly way.
I think you are shifting the goalposts as we go. I was simply objecting to the notion that the oversized lawns of America are somehow an environmental bonus, assuaging the concerns of homeowners in sprawling suburbs and making them think they are stewards of the environment. You're now making it about whether a change in perception and land usage will or won't happen.
It's still the case, that the more people who opt or are persuaded to live in high density neighbourhoods, the more open space there will be left undeveloped and available for wilderness preservation, farmland or recreational use. This is because not only will those urbanites pave over much less land per person for housing, they will also pave over much less land per person for driving shopping and working. Even if some of the elites still like to sprawl, there will still be a huge net reduction in land development if the majority of Americans start to appreciate density.