Sidebar: Density Explained There are a number of ways to measure density in order to understand and plan for the right amount of people, jobs, housing, businesses and community services within a given area. The three most common approaches are: Floor space Index (FSI) / Floor Area Ratio (FAR) • This approach is used to measure the intensity of a site being developed. It can be applied to any land use (i.e. residential, employment). It is a ratio of the total floor area of the building(s) in relation to the area of the lot upon which it is constructed. • For instance, an FSI of 2.0 would indicate that the total floor area of a building is two times the area of the lot on which it is constructed. This may take the form of a building that is two storeys in height and occupies the entire area of the lot, or a building that is taller than two storeys, but occupies less than the total lot area. Population Density (PPH) • This approach is used to measure the density of people (or jobs) within a given area. This measurement is useful to plan for a wide range of municipal services, and to design for transit supportive communities. The measure can be applied to any land use, and is calculated by dividing the total population by the given area. • For instance, if it can be expected that two residents typically occupy each apartment unit within a development, than the total population is obtained by multiplying the number of units by 2 residents. Once obtained, the total population can be divided by the area of the development to determine the population density.
Residential Density – (UPH / UPA) • This measure is typically used to calculate the number of housing units within an area of land. It can be applied at a variety of scales, to measure the density of a single lot, block, or neighbourhood. • The measure is usually applied to units per hectare of land (UPH), or units per acre of land (UPA).
Net-to-gross: Residential densities vary according to how much land is included in the calculation. A large area, containing a great deal of roads, parking and open space will have a lower density than a small area that is covered primarily by housing. In municipal planning and development, residential density is typically measured as “net” or “gross.” “Net density” refers to the number of housing units in a given area of land devoted to residential development. While it includes driveways, private yards, ancillary structures, and other elements intended for private use, it does not include public rights of way and park land. “Gross density” refers to the number of housing units in a given area, but includes infrastructure such as streets, sidewalks and public spaces. This report uses ‘net density’ to ensure that measurements are more easily comparable to one another, excluding as much as possible the unique characteristics of topography and infrastructure beyond the boundary of each private development lot.
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