Many people assume that in order to achieve a compact, sustainable, prosperous city, it is necessary
Evidence indicates that one of the most optimal urban forms is a relatively continuous building volume with a height of between two and ten stories – what we may call the “level city”. Yet in the last half-century, many cities have taken on a discontinuous and disruptive form, with significant long-term negative impacts on the quality and resource efficiency of city life.
Therefore:
Maintain a building height limit of typically no more than ten stories, together with incentives for maximizing infill of buildable sites, aiming to produce a continuous and efficient urban form. Allow taller structures when they are civic monuments and public buildings, and when they assist with wayfinding. Allow variations in density, while assuring a continuous walkable urban fabric.
When … Within the Polycentric Region (p. 24), create variations in density, but following a relatively continuous building volume...
Then Use Perimeter Building (p. 116) to maximize continuous fabric along the street. Cluster housing and other activities within Density Rings7
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