Take a look at this photo of Budapest from The Overhead Wire (republished with permission):
What's your gut reaction to it?
Do you see a place that is visually interesting, energizing, and socially, culturally and intellectually stimulating?
Or do you see congestion, overcrowding, noise, crime, and lack of privacy?
My guess is that you could accurately predict a person's stand on most land-use issues by his gut reaction to this picture.
This might also explain the dynamics of single-family neighborhood opposition to new density nearby. Most single-family homeowners are highly risk-averse, which makes them anxious about dense development. Some of these homeowners have a visceral distaste for density. Others have an equally visceral, positive reaction to it. You end up with one group that is anxious about home values and that dislikes density, and another group that is anxious about home values but likes density. The first group intensely opposes the development, while the second (probably smaller) group is more ambivalent, even if it supports it on balance. Presto! Neighborhood opposition.
OK, nothing profound here. I really just liked the picture.
