Few things are more controversial in a community than high-density housing. In Charlotte, it's often meant ugly apartment complexes near highways, badly designed and maintained. But the last few years have seen much better high-density developments in the center city and elsewhere, offering new lifestyle choices to our rapidly changing population. Density is no longer "a problem"; it's the solution to many of our urban woes. In Charlotte's fight against suburban sprawl, and our quest for more sustainable patterns of urban life, this denser development, in the right place, is our most important weapon. Two notable developments, one in Dilworth, the other in SouthEnd, show how Charlotte can build more smartly. The difference in their reception by their neighborhoods also reveals how much education citizens need about what's at stake. Urban myths can often overpower urban facts.

The SouthEnd project on the tracks has gone almost unheralded -- and unopposed -- while its Dilworth counterpart, Latta Pavilion, has become the focus of much community anger. In SouthEnd, the L-shaped building at the junction of the light rail line and Park Avenue is squeezed in between the rails, the street, and the mid-block parking deck it shares with offices on South Boulevard. It's the first high-density project directly on the light rail line to be occupied, and it provides an excellent model: sensible planning (high density along a transit corridor), good urban design (defining the public spaces of the street and rail corridor), and decent architecture (well-planned units and facades that are free of historical cliches).

The site was developed with little fuss, largely because there was no wealthy neighborhood to oppose its density. SouthEnd is eager for new residents. It's a different story in Dilworth, where neighbors pillory Latta Pavilion on East Boulevard, and rally to stop further high-density infill. Earlier this year, I profiled Latta Pavilion in Creative Loafing as one of the best developments in Charlotte. The urban muse graces its courtyards. The ambience is worthy of sophisticated European cities, with coffee shops and restaurants within easy walking distance. The only downside is too much fake stucco, America's worst building material.

Why the great gulf between professional and lay opinion? Density, that's why. Dilworth plays a crucial role in Charlotte's smart growth future. Adjacent to its historic district, the community is dissected by Scott and Kenilworth Avenues, taking over 30,000 cars a day in and out of Uptown, mostly crowds of commuters from far south Charlotte, Ballantyne and beyond. With the advent of pedestrian-friendly high-density housing, Dilworth has a chance to reclaim these streets, create a pedestrian heart where the car now rules, and do its part for smart growth by building affordable new homes for people living close to Uptown. High land prices mean high densities, but in-town residents produce one-third the environmental pollution of their suburban cousins. The more people living centrally, the better our community's air and water.

The best and only practicable way of calming the traffic on busy streets like Kenilworth and Scott is to change their character, from thoroughfares where small buildings are set back from traffic (which encourages drivers to speed) to streets with larger buildings close to the sidewalk, with stoops, porches and on-street parking. This creates an urban character, and sends clear messages to drivers: Slow down, you're driving through an urban neighborhood! The presence of pedestrians on the sidewalks reinforces this message. Where do these pedestrians magically come from? They're walking to a grocery store or coffee shop from their new apartments and condos.

Higher densities suit thoroughfares like Scott and Kenilworth because the streets have public transit and new developments are near centers of employment, shopping and recreation. Dilworth stands to benefit greatly from a new sense of urban life in its commercial core. A revitalized center, with more homes, businesses and stores, can improve property values along corridors that will otherwise deteriorate.

But against the evidence, neighbors fear the opposite. They fear more traffic and an influx of newcomers, and fight high density tooth and nail. But traffic engineers' computer models show that people who typically rent or buy into these developments use cars on average one-third as often as folks in single-family homes. These new residents walk and use transit more often -- not because they're "poor," but because it suits their lifestyle.

A recent housing survey showed 40 percent of Americans live in apartments by choice, not because of their financial situation. Traditional families with two parents and kids now make up less than one quarter of all households. The conclusions are obvious: We are a nation of more numerous, smaller households, and we increasingly prefer an urban lifestyle. This confluence of demographics, lifestyle choices, development opportunities, planning and design reveals an overriding logic. New high-density housing and its occupants create a center for the community, slow through-traffic, support local businesses, and increase property values.

Dilworth residents are a bright bunch. When they deal with facts they make good choices. But when they fall prey to urban myths, like lesser mortals, they can make mistakes.