Abstract

Densification is today a popular strategy among planners and planning researchers to promote sustainable urban development. Some common arguments are that urban neighbourhoods with higher population den-sities can reduce car traffic and promote public transport, biking and walking – thereby reducing the environmental impact from transport. Densification is also presumed to provide a better economic basis for municipal services. The effects of densification has–however-seldom been evaluated and needs to be discussed in a nuanced and critical way. This paper discusses densification as a planning strategy mainly from a theoretical and conceptual point of view. Focus is on what kind of densification strategies and meanings that are to be found in differ-ent townscape areas in typical Swedish cities. We suggest a conceptual framework, developed from the main concept Functional Density.

Published in

The Nordic Journal of Architectural Research
2012, Volume: 24, number: 2, pages: 29-46

SLU Authors

• Granvik, Madeleine

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Hedfors, Per

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Social Sciences Interdisciplinary


Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/42264