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How we measure urban density has a direct effect on how city districts are designed and how inclusive they are. This study proposes new measures for urban density to animate development around transport hubs.
Urban planners most frequently measure density by the number of 'dwellings per hectare'. But this crude measure of the density of housing does not adequately reflect social and demographic change, with more fluid patterns of living and working, changing family structures, ageing populations, more people living alone and shifts in cultural identity. This project in partnership with a quartet of leading London architectural firms set out to explore alternative ways to measure urban density, which go beyond a prescriptive numerical representation towards a more animated description of densely planned urban living.
How we measure urban density is critical to making the city more inclusive. As Jan-Carlos Kucharek wrote in the RIBA Journal: "The definition of density and how it is measured is important, because interpretations can lead to wildly varying design approaches." A particular issue concerns how planners address high-density urban environments around transport nodes. The project focused on this issue to investigate measures that bring such environments alive and make them destinations rather than dead, dormitory-like districts.
The study began by looking at different aspects of London - its historic growth, urban planning controls, employment and development trends, and future plans for transport. A picture was built up of a dynamic, multicultural city straining to break free of conventional planning - a view reinforced by a programme of user consultations at the individual, community and local area scale, and a series of interviews with experts to relate the picture to national and global factors. London's King's Cross, set to become an international transport hub, was chosen as a research site to play out some of the emerging design scenarios.
The Metricity study resulted in four new principles for measuring urban density and supporting a greater animation of dense city development: Intensity, Amenity, Autonomy and Frequency. Intensity responds to the changing socio-economic dynamics of an area as a measure of density - and the design implications of its use relate to building typologies. How can we make better use of vertical stacking to create more flexible mixed use developments that combine living, working, retail and leisure?
Amenity responds to changing household structures and its design implications relate to providing a diversity of housing types with provision of services and open space. How can we provide better living space around transport nodes? Autonomy responds to changing patterns of employment and its policy implications relate to land use, public consultation and zoning. How can we create developments that sustain local jobs and economic activity? Frequency responds to changing patterns of movement in the digital city and its policy implications relate to providing new technology infrastructures for a more mobile population.
Collectively, these new principles give architects and planners a new perspective on how we might measure urban density more imaginatively in the future. Without a change in approach, London will continue to measure new development with old, single-minded metrics. As Richard Rogers has written: "Open-mindedness has given way to single-mindedness and in its wake we are witnessing the destruction of the very idea of the inclusive city."
