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Urbanisation and Densification

There is now an increasing pressure for global cities like London to respond to a current and urgent momentum of urbanisation as well as the demand for increasing efficiency. Aedas’ Chairman Keith Griffiths recently wrote CITY, a short summary in which he presented his thoughts on urbanisation and densification of cities.
He believes that cities may best respond by densification at existing transport nodes where the infrastructure can be readily upgraded. It is always easier to develop manageable tracts of land around transport interchanges at high density than it would be to spread medium density across the entire city.

Around these major transport nodes with upgrading capacity, we can build to greater density to alleviate population pressure. Modern mixed-use development models that integrate open space with mixed commercial, residential and recreational usages can be the new urban model. As an international city where time is of the essence and accessibility is key, clusters of building types that are necessary for everyday living within a relatively small site can significantly shorten journey times to work and play.

We can also explore the advantages of porous mixed-use developments with multiple ground planes that promote activities and life at all levels of the buildings. Even within a single high-density building, it is possible to cluster multiple complimentary and symbiotic uses around environmentally protected public spaces. These multilevel public spaces are additions to traditional streets and provide an enhanced and extended public realm, which in turn lead to an intense and invigorating city.

Aedas’ experience designing for the many new and urbanising cities of Asia convinces us of the urgent reality of densification whilst warning us of the limitations to change our existing urban infrastructure. We are convinced through experience that densification is best achieved by well planned interventions at existing robust hubs able to accommodate and to maximise the value of such change. We are similarly convinced that densification is a complex exercise requiring a city’s central planning, analysis and support.

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