@heliomass the idea that we don't lack space is a bit misguided imo. People generally dont want to live North, so that removes about 90% of land, then of the 10% that is left, most of it is farm (which we want to keep) and forests (which we also want to keep but a bit less so than farms).
Also because of things like regulations to keep people alive, we cannot expect to build new infrastructure cheaply, so it'll be so, so, so expensive to build a city from scratch in 2026. Much more so than in the past (because back then we didnt care as much for worker compensation, safety, climate change, sustainability)
Densifying is the only option if we want to maximize finances, the environment and social inclusion

