Abstract
<strong>Highlights</strong> Urban densification is increasingly accepted as a necessity and is important for no-net land take. Densification occurs in many places, especially fast-growing cities with a combination of demographic change, economic pressure and large transport infrastructure projects. The costs and benefits of density require a nuanced understanding: potential direct, indirect and cumulative effects (environmental, economic and social), both on- and off-site. The optimisation of densities implies a need to identify the conditions that can create the most value for the city, specify the places most appropriate for future inhabitants and activities, and promote spatial justice. The papers published in this special issue converge in depicting urban densification as a complex, nonlinear process, which has to be addressed at various scales. Multifactorial metrics of density are superior to aggregated ones because they offer a better understanding of the urban forms and how they are experienced by inhabitants and users. Both hard and soft densification have to be duly monitored and regulated if cities are to avoid overcrowding of places and buildings, which can be detrimental to urban resilience. The relation between urban densification and housing affordability is a critical factor that policymakers must address.
Highlights
Several cities and regions have adopted planning policies dedicated to fostering urban densification, through in-fill development and urban consolidation, in order to prevent a further expansion of urban areas and the concomitant artificialisation of open/green spaces
At the building and block scales, density is related to typologies and urban forms, while at the neighbourhood and agglomeration level it is primarily associated with the settlement structure, the provision of green spaces and the relation with transportation systems
Urban densification is associated with a reduced land take, which has a positive effect on the availability of land for agriculture, nature and biodiversity
Summary
The expansion of built-up urban areas leads to a loss of agricultural land and green spaces Its implementation will require the densification of existing urban areas to accommodate new households, new economic activities and new infrastructures This special issue investigates the specific challenges, impacts and fragilities that urban densification creates in many cities and the different scales where these can be found. Urban densification may provide several social, economic and environmental benefits, it is argued that densification requires assiduous monitoring and regulating by public authorities and urban planners to promote resilience and reduce fragilities. This special issue’s call for papers sought contributions that investigate, analyse and provide evidence on urban densification in a multidimensional perspective, considering economic, social and environmental factors that impact at different scales. Most articles dedicated to the measure of urban density and densification propose a multifactorial set of indicators so as to disentangle the different dimensions of density, and their evolution over time
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