Even in my short lifetime I can remember at least twice reading some very well regarded source claiming we would hit a max population soon. Both times technology enabled us to breach the max. I believe the simple reality is the population will expand until the planet is gutted to an extent it can support no one. The human race has repeatedly shown it is incapable of considering 50 years in the future when making decisions. We aren't like other animals because we can strip mine, clear cut, damn, drag net, etc.
I don't believe the open space will become all that more restricted. Right now it is incredibly popular to live 30 miles from work, 15 miles from a grocery store, 20 miles from the kids soccer practice, and 10 miles from the nearest Starbucks. Transportation cost almost have to rise even if we don't hit peak(supply) oil. Demand is climbing at an incredible rate. More cars worldwide every year and more and more products made from petroleum. Corn ethanol is incredibly inefficient and absurdly subsidized. There are major bars to even 25% of the population switching to all electric vehicles, and even then range limits the spread of the population from city centers.
Most people would limit their behavior now if they realized how much money they were spending driving. Most people don't think about anything more than the cost of gasoline. Gasoline isn't even a fourth of the price of driving a sedan. The federal government reimburses at 57.5 cents a mile and that is usually considered a joke. Most Sedans only cost about $.07 a mile for gas.
There is a book called $20 a gallon. I don't agree with it in detail, but there is a lot presented which made me think about the way Americans live. I think it far more likely the majority of our planets population will be living in planned mega-cities than significantly increased sprawl.
Those outside the cities will be those working in industries outside cities like agriculture, mining, energy, and those who can telecommute.
in places where people cluster together, they must do so because generally they're not self reliant and must count on someone else for certain aspects of their own survival. there are a few exceptions, very few.
I know a lot of people who live in the country who can't take care of themselves if the power goes out for more than a couple days. I may not like dealing with going to a show on Broadway, let alone paying $10+ for a beer plus $10+ for my wife's wine before/after and $50 to park, but I like living ten minutes from a theater that has touring Broadway productions at reasonable prices with little to no traffic.
I'm drinking a Mountain Dew bottled by someone somewhere, on a couch made by someone much farther away, posting on a laptop made by someone even farther away, cooled by an air-conditioner drawing electric arriving via magic wires. Far less than 1% of the population is anywhere close to self-sufficient, and I doubt any of those people have the technology to regularly post on this forum. Must people everywhere rely on someone else for some aspect of their own survival.