Introduction
Today, urban centers around the world are driving forces for the vast majority of the global economy. With the opportunities these large urban areas offer, more and more people are moving into densely populated areas. In 2014, the United Nation’s reported that around 54% of the global population live in an urban area. In America, the urban population is over 80% of the total population, and is growing at the rate of 1% per year, which equates to over 3 million new urban Americans annually. This large population growth is putting a major strain on large cities due to the lack of adequate housing for all of the new residents. The traditional high-density residential buildings cities once depended on to house their citizens can no …show more content…
There have been many negative side effects of these inadequate living conditions in low-rise, high-density housing including health issues, an increase in crime rates, and overall breakdown of the buildings and infrastructure. Studies show in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and other major cities in the United States, traditional low-rise, high-density housing have been deteriorating without the city governments doing much about it. (What studies?) Units in some cases are overrun with cockroaches, had poor insulation, mold, and other negative findings that all led to increased health risks. There is also evidence to support that crime in low-rise, high-density housing is rising due to these poor living conditions
Furthermore, injuries and deaths due to the construction of these high-demand hig-density apartments have increased 53% in New York since the last fiscal year (Roberts). The more safety precautions workers take during the construction phase the longer and therefore costlier the project is. Due to New York’s intense need for more adequate housing, projects are often rushed and safety measures are looked over to accommodate the city’s need for a faster schedule and lower
Today, urban centers around the world are driving forces for the vast majority of the global economy. With the opportunities these large urban areas offer, more and more people are moving into densely populated areas. In 2014, the United Nation’s reported that around 54% of the global population live in an urban area. In America, the urban population is over 80% of the total population, and is growing at the rate of 1% per year, which equates to over 3 million new urban Americans annually. This large population growth is putting a major strain on large cities due to the lack of adequate housing for all of the new residents. The traditional high-density residential buildings cities once depended on to house their citizens can no …show more content…
There have been many negative side effects of these inadequate living conditions in low-rise, high-density housing including health issues, an increase in crime rates, and overall breakdown of the buildings and infrastructure. Studies show in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and other major cities in the United States, traditional low-rise, high-density housing have been deteriorating without the city governments doing much about it. (What studies?) Units in some cases are overrun with cockroaches, had poor insulation, mold, and other negative findings that all led to increased health risks. There is also evidence to support that crime in low-rise, high-density housing is rising due to these poor living conditions
Furthermore, injuries and deaths due to the construction of these high-demand hig-density apartments have increased 53% in New York since the last fiscal year (Roberts). The more safety precautions workers take during the construction phase the longer and therefore costlier the project is. Due to New York’s intense need for more adequate housing, projects are often rushed and safety measures are looked over to accommodate the city’s need for a faster schedule and lower