The shape of urban development can have a big impact on outcomes in our cities, including housing affordability, economic activity, access to social amenities, quality of life, carbon emissions and other environmental impacts, energy use, commuting costs, choice of transport mode, physical activity and people’s health. The researchers examined two urban development trajectories – compact (higher density, more diverse land use, infill-oriented) or dispersed (greenfield-oriented) development – in terms of these key outcomes.