An example (though probably not the best one) of the "canyon effect" on Sheridan Road.

LET'S DRAW THE LINE ON CROWDING.

Edgewater, as we mentioned on our home page, is the most densely populated neighborhood in Chicago.

According to Wikipedia, Edgewater has a density of 23,783.2 people per square mile. That's almost double the population density for Chicago as a whole.

Many urban planners will tell you that density is a good thing. Density, they will tell you, is what makes cities work as "machines for living."

What they don't mention is that density is a pain in the you-know-what to live with.

Higher density means more noise, more traffic, more pollution. It means that traveling short distances takes longer than it should. And higher density means more opportunities for criminals, and therefore, more crime.

The Andrew would have 288 dwelling units. That's the number you'd find in 14 city blocks of less densely-populated sections of our city. And the 5600 block of North Sheridan Road already has over 700 dwelling units-or 35 city blocks' worth. Add it all up, and, if The Andrew is built, you'd have the equivalent of 49 city blocks compressed into one.

That's quite a crowd. Of people, and of buildings.

What's more, the crowding of buildings brings about what is commonly called the "canyon effect." If you want to know what that means, check the picture at the top of this page. The street is dark. It's visually confined. And when it's windy, you have to fight to stay on your feet.

Edgewater is like this already, of course, and we can't change it. But there's no reason it has to get worse.