How might concepts of ‘value’ and ‘population’ illuminate the present and future of urban density? The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a public debate on density in the city. While some initially blamed density for the spread of the virus, others rightly cautioned against those claims. As the pandemic progressed, an imaginary of density-as-pathology gave way to a more nuanced geographical understanding of the urban dimensions of the crisis, focused on connections, spatial conditions, domestic ‘overcrowding’ and poverty. Throughout, an interrogation and reflection on urban density and its future unfolded, throwing into question the historical relationship between ‘value’ and ‘population’ in understandings of density. I argue for a new politics of value based on shifts in three interconnected domains – governance, form and knowledge – and identify implications for research on density in urban studies.

“价值”和“人口”的概念如何阐明城市密度的现在和未来？COVID-19 大流行引发了关于城市密度的公开辩论。虽然一些人最初将病毒的传播归咎于密度，但其他人正确地警告了这些说法。随着大流行的发展，密度作为病理学的想象让位于对危机的城市维度的更细致入微的地理理解，重点是联系、空间条件、国内“过度拥挤”和贫困。自始至终，对城市密度及其未来的质疑和反思展开，对密度理解中“价值”和“人口”之间的历史关系提出质疑。我主张基于三个相互关联的领域——治理、