Handling 'Superdensity'
In the coming age of "superdensity", planners and architects are going to have to rethink the way they plan new developments, according to a recent study.
"More robust mechanisms are needed to manage the new breed of 'superdense' residential schemes across London and other big cities, according to a report by four architects."
"Recommendations for Living at Superdensity, written by HTA, Levitt Bernstein, Pollard Thomas Edwards and PRP, deals with the social problems associated with superdense development."
"The report says a category of superdense development ought to be created that is higher than 150 homes per hectare. This is the threshold above which applications used to be referred to the housing minister."
"While such schemes are becoming common, the authors conclude that planners lack the tools and experience to handle them. 'Guidelines are not equipped to deal with the issues that arise from such densities, and there is little evidence of a move to impose higher standards of management on developers as a prerequisite for approval.'”
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Parts of LA are quite residentially dense, and have been
Though there is plenty of low-density housing here, to say that "southern California has very much resisted any type of higher-density schemes" ignores some very dense pockets of multi-family housing developed in the early 1900s in some districts of Los Angeles. Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire, and the Crown Hill area flout the stereotype of an early LA housed only in low-density.
-Citizen
Observing This Issue From Southern California
Somewhat ironically, I am observing the issue of dealing with "super-density" in London from my perch here in the Los Angeles area where we are pushing local governments to allow greater housing densities at a significantly lower range of densities. Traditionally, southern California has very much resisted any type of higher-density schemes that encouraged walking as the primary mode of transport over the automobile.
Los Angeles and the surrounding region is certainly years away politically from any type of discussion that would even entertain the allowance of the types of densities described in the article. We will certainly watch with great interest to see how the London and the UK continue to address this issue.
David M. Long, Esq.
Principal
Smart Growth Development Advisors, LLC
www.sgdadvisors.com