DENSITY AT A HUMAN SCALE

A modest photo essay illustrating some good

practices

All taken from Fairview Slopes area

8th Ave West in Vancouver BC

Increased urban density, is at the same time, represented as the solution to urban living and a fearedas a threat to the quality of urban life

West 8th Avenue is an example of how urban infill or intensification can be done well, make better use of resources, and create a very high quality of life.

This is repeatable in small and large cities and towns

Housing examples from West 8th Avenue in Vancouver between Oak and Ash

HOW DENSE IS DENSE?

0.6 floor area / land area – the original Fairview Slopes about 1.5 floor area / land

area

2+ floor area / land area

Not just housing.

4 storey office building for doctors, dentists other therapists and labs – parking is below or on the street

Other uses in this 6 block length of West 8th include:Tea room, restaurant, mosque, Jehovah’s Whitness Hall, Language School, Regional Girl Guides Headquarters, Law office and other offices, Hair salon, Gym …

Even the taller buildings have a human scale with row houses fronting the street with higher buildings set back behind

Car traffic is low, unlike on major traffic streets so the problem of traffic noise typical of apartments over the store does not arise

Pedestrian space is adequate (could be better here) and well appointed

Amenity, Comfort and Safety:

Benches, planters and trees soften the space, provide visual interest, shade and a place to sit or wait. Generous, well appointed pedestrian areas make it comfortable inviting and safe

It provides a comfortable transition from public through semi-private to communal to private space. The addition of of communal space is a bonus over detached houses or standard apartment buildings

The “garden apartment” is an old and adaptable form

Even the row of parked cars helps define and protect the pedestrian space, comfort and safety, much like a residential street with detached houses

These are useful examples on several forms for creating compatible infill projects or “incremental density increases”

The scale is unthreateningThe use of land is efficientThere are no shadow issuesMost do not require significant land assemblyWood frame construction is less expensive than concrete

Ian Cooper MCIP RPP

I hope you have found this little essay interesting and useful