Urban density is fundamental principle of sustainable development. Density supports economic and creative vibrancy, social integration, and a healthy, environmental sustainable development model. As the world’s population continues to urbanize, our cities have two options for growth: densify or sprawl. The private-car dependent sprawl model of the 20th century must change, and move away from a reliance on private cars, to accommodate a more populous, and more prosperous world.

In this charming video featuring a mix of animation, stats and video, the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) & Streetfilms have teamed up to bring you the most important reasons for building dense. By 2050 about 75% of all the world's population will be urban so it is vital for the health of the planet we choose correctly and do it now.