infill housing densifying suburbia definition
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Since 2000 minimum density regulations have resulted in the average speculative housing estate rising from 15 houses/hectare to 35. However if the number of houses is to meet an annual demand of 250,000, the capacity of existing cities must be increased. The Urban Task Force Report directed new developments to brownfield land as a first option, and recent planning policy loosened restrictions upon ‘greenbelt’. However there is a third, and until recently under-explored, measure: densification of suburbia. Densifying suburbia will most likely be achieved through a range of interventions, including high-density development of infill sites, redundant commercial premises and re-use of existing buildings. The ‘suburb’ – Ebenezer Howard’s fusion of town and country – must change, replacing low-density sprawl with compact urban space. This project explored options for retrofitting suburbia: examining what typologies may be applicable, how to find ‘lost’ spaces, and how to increase density without destroying the positive aspects of suburbs. Tutor: Dominic Wilkinson
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7 Architecture 2016
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