Aspects of Density

This article takes four town houses and a number of associated urban design projects as the basis for a discussion of the practical issues raised by the drive for greater density in Flanders . It is my contention that these projects, which demonstrate facets of an evolutionary, piecemeal approach to urban development, offer several valuable lessons in relation to questions of density: on the utility of house types which tolerate or support proximity; on the intimate relation between architecture and urban design in realising quality and quantity; and, in passing, on the relativity of density as a concept and the importance of a mixture of residential with other uses. These lessons may be of interest to neighbouring regions, but deserve particular consideration in Flanders , where it would be all too easy to overlook their local significance.

The density question: the specificity of Flanders:
The ambition to build at higher densities in the regions of northwest Europe - Flanders, the Dutch Randstad, Southeast England - is driven by a number of factors: population growth, the tendency to smaller households, the decreasing supply of undeveloped land, and the ambition to manage urban growth in a more sustainable framework. In Flanders' neighbouring regions, the first of these issues - rapid population growth - dominates and distorts the agenda, to the point that the currency of debate is 'housing units' in their hundreds if not their thousands. Flanders' situation is distinguished by less intense pressure from population growth, and by the relatively light market pressure on its cities. Te relative absence of these pressures can either serve as an opportunity for the creation of exemplary solutions or as an excuse for complacency.

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