Is Density Good or Bad?

There is a clear movement toward increasing residential development densities.

1 minute read

August 15, 2000, 8:00 AM PDT

What is density? Is it good or bad? The answer, of course, is relative. Four dwelling units per acre may be dense in Montana, but 400 units in Manhattan may not. Looking at it another way, the density of Pruitt-Igoe, the infamous public housing complex in St. Louis (now demolished), was roughly the same as that of New York Citys eminently livable Greenwich Village. "There is an anxiety about density," notes San Francisco, California, architect Alexander Seidel, who specializes in housing. But, Seidel concludes, it is not density itself that is the issue, but rather, "good or bad solutions to density."

Thanks to Chris Steins

FULL STORY: By Design

Monday, July 31, 2000 in Urban Land Magazine

Land Use California

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.