Density, floor area ratio and the newly developing residential districts in urban Shanghai (China)

Generally, this study is a response to the increasing pressure facing urban land use in China, brought on by the rapid urbanization of a very large population and an increasing living standard. Its objective is twofold: to show how the density of residential development can affect the whole urban scale and the general density distribution pattern, and to build a model reflecting this mechanism, so as to guide housing development toward broad urban sustainability and away from the danger of urban sprawl now often seen in major Chinese cities.; The research consisted of three steps. The first is a case study examining housing conditions in urban Shanghai, with current residential development positioned both diachronically with the historical overview, and synchronically within the broad context of social economic conditions. The second step is a comparison study focusing on density of residential development and resulting urban pattern in Shanghai and Singapore. The third step is based on findings from the second step. A concept model is built to reflect the relationship between housing density and the distribution of urban density pattern, and then is quantified as a mathematical model to demonstrate the possibility of actively modifying the urban pattern.; The basic purpose of massive new residential construction was found to be increasing the living standard, rather than accommodating population increases. Therefore, the current housing development, as guided by fixed FAR, will inevitably leads to a sharp decrease in land-use efficiency (i.e., the population density of the land use). Indeed, Shanghai was found to be closer to the pattern of cities suffering urban sprawl than has been recognized. There is much room for increases in residential density and overall urban land use efficiency. The model developed ensures that the density of residential development is attuned to the overall urban pattern at the macro level and the land value at the detailed level. Consequently, the FAR needs to be determined in a new fashion. In view of the pressure for rapid urbanization of a large population, this study advances a strategy of high-density urban development for China.