Save Our Suburbs - Ryde Rally

The Ryde Rally was a great success. Brilliant preparation by the oganisers, the Coalition Against Private Overdevelopment (CAPO) resulted in the area being jam-packed by protesters. There was a Sydney Morning Herald report on page 4 of Monday's edition. Let us hope the politicians take some notice.

Popular wisdom is confirmed by Professor Cumming’s finding that high density living is not good for people’s sense of wellbeing ("Welcome to the seat of suburban angst", February 13). In decades past high-rise developments were also called suicide towers. The State Government Architect quotes a massive overseas study that shows why. The researchers found that denser areas have much higher rates of psychosis and depression. High density is bad for mental health. In spite of mental health disorders being a huge problem in our society the Government relentlessly continues to force high density onto unwilling communities.

Note for Editor:
The study mentioned is discussed in Healthy Environments, 11 essays published by the NSW Government Architect in 2004, edited by Chris Johnson. The reference to the actual study is Sundquist K, Frank G & Sundquist J, Urbanisation and incidence of psychosis and depression, British Journal of Psychiatry, 184, 287-288, 2004. The researchers studying 4.4 million Swedes found that the rates for psychosis were 70% greater for the denser areas and there was a 16% greater risk of developing depression.