Density is hugely important in eco-town design. More people
living closer together means...
walking and cycling become the preferred modes
of transport.
a wider variety of shops and services can be supported near to
homes.
a more vibrant street life.
public transport gets more riders so everyone gets a higher
quality service.
more of the surrounding countryside is left intact.
Row Housing
Housing occupies over 70% of the land within the eco-town; you can't
have a compact, walkable eco-town without raising housing density.
But with high-quality architecture and improved sound insulation between
buildings, such housing can be very attractive.
Most people would live in row
houses with their own gardens. Houses would average 2.5 storeys
high - some
would be 2 storeys high, some would be 3 storeys high, and others would
be 2 storeys with loft living.
Row houses not only save space, but by sharing party walls with their
neighbours, they limit the heat given off to their surroundings and so
save energy too.
Semi-detached Housing
Medium-density housing does not absolutely require row houses.
Semi-detached houses would benefit cyclists, who could wheel their bikes
straight onto the pedestrian streets from their back gardens.
Those back gardens would be slightly smaller, however. More
importantly, semi-detached houses have only half the number of party walls and so
are less energy efficient than row houses.
Neighbourhood Centres
Neighbourhood centres would be built more densely, with
blocks 4 storeys high. Blocks in the town centre would be up to 6
storeys high.
Apartments would be built over
shops and offices, with each block arranged around a central courtyard
to give residents access to green space.
Schools would also take the form of 4 storey blocks.
Clean Industry
Clean industry would be built to the same density as the
neighbourhood centres but,
since daylight is less important, buildings can be built wider and
so only need to be 2-3 storeys high.
F.A.R
F.A.R is a measure of density, and is found by dividing the total
areas of all the floors by the area of the ground occupied (including
the building plots, gardens and streets.) The higher the F.A.R, the
higher the density.
Housing in the town should have a F.A.R of at least
0.75. The F.A.R of neighbourhood centres and clean industry would
be 1.5 or more.
