What is meant by density when talking about the built environment?
The density of an area is usually measured in units such as the number of habitable rooms per hectare or the number of dwelling units (homes) per hectare. In some of Europes most successful urban centres, such as Barcelona, average density is 400 dwellings per hectare, whilst most new development in this country is at an average of 25 dwellings per hectare, which often results in areas that are lacking in vitality and have poor access to local services such as public transport or schools. Current government policy and design thinking suggests that new development in this country should be denser than it is at present. This would create more vibrant and sustainable communities that can be serviced by more viable public transport links and have easier access to local shops and services without relying so heavily on the private car. The Urban Task Force report, produced for the government in 1999 suggested that all new development should be built at a density of 30 dwellings per hectare o
