Dwelling with density

Abstract

The extrapolation of current population trends indicates that the future will experience a huge influx of population that will return and settle in the city (Gallagher, 2013). This thesis is an investigation that attempts to incorporate the desirable qualities of rural living into the urban living condition and result in an alternative high-density residential solution for the future. The issue of urban densification and high-density development has become highly debated in the past decade – this thesis engages with the debate through a critical examination of the current status quo approach towards high-density residential development. A comparative study of the living conditions of the glorified rural idyll, the criticized suburban sprawl and the concentrated contemporary urban condition was undertaken in order to identify the advantages and disadvantages of these living environments. This comparison assisted in the creation of a set of design criteria and design elements which emerged from the research and were further investigated through a series of diverse precedent studies. The critical inquiry into the status quo and the varying living environments was used to define a humane design approach in a reinterpretation of high-density residential living in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.