Residential+Density

media type="file" key="Residential Density.mp3" width="240" height="20"  [|Residential Density.mp3]  We've discussed urban structure, now we're going to have a closer look at the types of residential buildings you can find and their impact on the density of population in these areas.

 Let's rank the types of housing there are by how much land they take up. We'll start with the MOST land taken up PER PERSON and move to the LEAST land taken up PER PERSON.

 1. Single Family Detached. This is a separate house with it's own yard. They range from old homes of 100 years or more, to the brand new construction of the suburbs  2. Semi-detached. Two houses joined by a wall.  3. Duplexes. Buildings containing two or more dwellings (one on top of the other or side by side).  4. Townhouses. Houses attached together in a row.  5. Apartments. Condo or rented. Apartment buildings containing multiple dwelling units low-rise or high rise. They can be very small to quite large (but not as large as a house)

 This is residential density, which refers to the number of housing units per hectare. Two factors influence residential density. The first is the cost of land. Where land values are low, usually on the outskirts of cities, single-family homes are built on large lots. Here the residential density is low. Where land is more costly, usually downtown or along major transportation routes, large apartment buildings or condo buildings are built because they generate enough income to pay for the high cost of the land. Here, the residential density is high.

 1. What kind of house do you live in?  2. If we were concerned about our farmland disappearing in southern Ontario, what 2 types of housing would be best? Why?  3. Can you think of one advantage and one disadvantage to living in a single family detached home?

