HK, I agree, but in the case of NYC, there are no real geographic constraints to sprawl. It's more about land use and concentration of jobs.
You will see that density in the West Bronx is about the same as in Manhattan, and the Bronx is on the mainland. The density isn't from physical constraints but from agglomeration of jobs.
Most of the time, physical constraints play little role in land use framework. It tends to be more regulatory, economic and cultural. Toronto has no constraints either, but looks and functions quite different from Detroit.
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