Sam Smith - Of all the urban areas in which I have lived, Washington's Capitol Hill - much of it built in the late 19th, early 20th, century is the one that stays with me as the best. The secret: compact in being, yes, but also neighborly in feeling. Key to this was a lot for three story apartment buildings complete with basement units as well. One of the effects of this is that folks of different incomes could live on the same block. Further, the mixing of commercial and residential units, allowed you to walk a block or two to go to the cleaners or buy some lunch.
This article discusses the English basements (although we never called them that) one can find not only on the Hill but throughout the city. (I even found my wife in one of them). It shows how density does not have to be the enemy of delight.
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