Some theoreticians speculate that personal rapid transit might coax people from their automobiles, and yet effectively serve intermediate densities, but this has not been demonstrated. The conventional solution is to use buses, but these and light rail systems may fail where automobiles and excess road network capacity are both available, achieving less than 1% ridership. Most such areas were actually developed in response to trains in the middle 1800s, and have historically high ridership that have never used automobiles for their work trip.Ī widespread problem is that there is a range of residential densities between about two and five that causes severe traffic jams of automobiles, yet are too low to be commercially served by trains or light rail. Innovations such as car-pool lanes and rush hour-use taxes may get automobiles to neighborhoods with plot ratios as high as 2.5.ĭensities above 5 are well-served by trains. City authorities may try to encourage lower densities to reduce infrastructure costs, though some observers note that low densities may not accommodate enough population to provide adequate demand or funding for that infrastructure.Īutomobiles are well suited to serve densities as high as 1.5 with basic limited-access highways.

Higher densities tempt developers with higher profits. Skyscrapers easily achieve densities of thirty or more. Walk-up apartments with basement garages can easily achieve a density of three. Most exurbs are below two, while most city centers are well above five. Plot ratios above five are very high density. Floor area ratios below 1.5 are low density. For example, some cities permit commerce and multi-storey apartment buildings only within one block of train stations and four-lane boulevards, and accept single-family dwellings and parks further away.ĭensities are usually measured as the floor area of buildings divided by the land area, or in a residential context, by the number of dwellings divided by the land area. Good planning attempts to place higher densities of jobs or residents near high-volume transport. Development beyond a certain density can quickly overcrowd transport. Good quality transport is often followed by development. In urban planning, there is a direct, well-researched connection between the density of an urban environment, and the amount of transport into that environment. The importance of Transport in Real-life Urban Planning One of the most important aspects of urban planning, both in real life and in SimCity, is transportation.

Sim city 4 transportation