A street corner cafe in Paris, France.

With less area to occupy, the denser city will obviously have more choices regarding where development occurs. At 25,000 people/sq mi (the density of a Lyon, France or parts of New York City — but only about a third of a very liveable Paris), only 20 sq miles is needed for 500,000 people, compared to the 125 sq miles at conventional car-dependent densities, affording much greater opportunity for staying out of zones of greater hazard.