There has always been a debate between which one is better, life in the city or life in the suburbs? And although there are thousands of reasons to choose one or the other, it is worth reviewing the panorama a bit before making the big decision to move.   Urban and suburban densification has been a frequent topic when discussing the growth of the city of Toronto and its surroundings.   When the provincial government rejected the City of Toronto's plan to set tolls on the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway, those who lived in the suburbs applauded. We already paid for this through taxes on gasoline and the costs of license plates and licenses, was a popular comment.   A report by Sustainable Prosperity, a group of experts in ecological economics, found that taxes on fuels and license fees cover a little more than half the cost of building and maintaining roads. The Canadians subsidize the rest, which at the time of the report amounted to $ 13 billion a year.   Suburban development costs taxpayers much more than urban densification. The study, using Halifax as an example, estimated that the annual cost of the city per household for urban development was approximately $ 1,400. While for the suburbs, the cost increased to $ 3,400 per household.   The cost of infrastructure, such as drains for storm and sewage, roads and electricity supply, for example, was considerably higher in the suburbs, as were budgets for fire, police and transportation services.   People live in the suburbs for a variety of reasons, but the main one is the price of housing. But while suburban residents save on the initial cost of their homes, they must also pay for the increased use of their car, to name a case, as well as hidden costs, such as increased emissions from cars, increase in the risk of traffic accidents, increased fatigue to travel to the city, which translates into a reduction in labor productivity and deterioration of the quality of life and family time, the report says.   Living in the city is not for everyone and many residents of the suburbs would not want to give up the large houses and fenced yards that can be arranged to live far from the core of the city.   Other often cited benefits of life in the suburbs include the perception that crime is less, there is more privacy, schools are better and there are fewer problems when looking for parking.   It's time to challenge the myth that expansion is cheaper, adds the report's author. The total cost and compensations are not always obvious, but they are real and can have unintended economic and environmental consequences.   I am 100 percent in favor of urban and suburban development, the growth of neighboring cities and the expansion of work centers as a way to boost our country towards a stable economy that does not depend on a single resource. What do you think? Comment your ideas below.