Designing High-Density Cities

Compact living is sustainable living. High-density cities can support closer amenities, encourage reduced trip lengths and the use of public transport and therefore reduce transport energy costs and carbon emissions. High-density planning also helps to control the spread of urban suburbs into open lands, improves efficiency in urban infrastructure and services, and results in environmental improvements that support higher quality of life in cities. Encouraging, even requiring, higher density urban development is a major policy in the European Community and a central principle of growth management programmes used by cities around the world. However, such density creates design challenges and problems. This book lays open for debate these related environmental and social issues, and maintains that high-density cities are the more sustainable form. The second and third sections present the work of a collection of experts in each of the related architectural and planning areas, who provide design strategies for each architectural and planning challenge, to form a definitive guide to designing successful high-density areas. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in sustainable urban development.