Urban density is the number of people living in a particular urban area and is an important aspect of how cities function. When cities have high density, they tend to be more walkable and have better transportation options. When cities rely on single-passenger vehicles as their primary means of transit, they lack sustainability and quality of life choices that can only come about when urban communities are built for their human users rather than their cars.
Density is a key quality for sustainability, but excessively high density or poorly managed density can negatively impact a city’s health and social wellbeing.
Poorly managed density leads to overcrowding. There may be a minimum threshold of square footage of dwelling space per person required to not be considered overcrowded, but generally, overcrowding is linked to management and perception.
From a management perspective, overcrowding is the result of inadequate management and provision of resources such as water, electricity and housing.
