Abstract
Okulicz-Kozaryn’s article “Natural Sprawl” analyzes the link between happiness and place. This research suggests that suburbanites are happier than city dwellers and that there is an independent effect of sprawl/density on well-being/health. He concludes that people in lower density (suburbs) are healthier. I argue that residential happiness does not depend on place but is based on individual-level factors such as lifestyle, worldview, preference, economics, and opportunity. In addition, the idea of “natural sprawl” is not new but resembles Howard’s Garden City model. Regional planning is a path toward creating diverse housing opportunities within an environmentally sustainable and socially equitable framework.
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