In most overpopulated urban centers free space has become increasingly scarce as urban planners and construction companies attempt to create a balance between the limited space for expansion and the need for convenience and affordability as desired by today’s modern day consumer.
The result is the utilization of the concept of vertical urbanism wherein subsequent construction and expansion maximizes the use of limited space through the creation of high rise condominiums, apartment complexes and various other forms of modern day architecture which have increasingly followed the trend of vertical construction.
One of the reasons for using vertical urbanism theory is that it has been observed that high-rise buildings are able to allocate huge amounts of additional floor space while consuming small portions of land (Steele 2003, p. 24). The end result is the creation of an increasingly concentrated society with concentrations of individuals reaching several thousand per city block.
As a result this has created new societal problems in the form of subsequent increases in the amount of resources consumed, the proliferation of environmental pollutants and an increase in social isolation as more people tend to live in the seclusion of their apartments rather than socialize with their neighbors.
In effect vertical urbanism has changed the way in which society has begun to interact and affect the natural environment. In response to these sudden impacts new methods of construction are being implemented to address the various concerns that have cropped up as a result of the current trend in vertical urbanism.
These changes include the utilization of vertical landscaping and open spaces in order to encourage societal activity and the implementation of “green technologies in construction to reduce pollution. As such this paper will explore the concept of vertical urbanism and the various new concepts being implemented to improve it.
Reference List
Steele, P., 2003. Population Growth. London: Franklin Watts.