# The anatomy of density

By [Brandon Donnelly](https://brandondonnelly.com) · 2019-11-11

anatomy-of-density, density, dhaka, hong-kong, housing, london, new-york, population-density, the-economist, urban-density, urbanism

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Urban environments can be dense in many different ways. This is a topic that we have discussed on several occasions here on the blog. But [this working paper](https://marroninstitute.nyu.edu/uploads/content/Anatomy_of_Density_I.pdf) by Solly Angel, Patrick Lamson-Hall, and Zeltia Gonzales Blanco -- called _The Anatomy of Density_ -- is a more scientific way of looking at it. They have come up with six measurable factors that, when combined, define urban density.

What this means is that cities achieve urban density through different kinds of built form. Hong Kong, for example, gets its density from _height_, even though only about 4% of its land area is occupied by residential buildings. Dhaka, on the other hand, does it through low building heights and high residential _coverage_. Homes occupy about 20% of the city's area. Another dimension is _crowding_.

But here's something that may surprise you. Most cities are actually becoming less densely populated. And, despite our best efforts to encourage more sustainable forms of development, sprawl has continued to outpace densification in the vast majority of the urban agglomerations that were studied as part of this working paper. The wealthier we become, the more space we want to consume.

Here's a graph from [The Economist](https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/10/05/modern-cities-become-less-dense-as-they-grow#) that speaks to this trend:

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/6a1aedca3619a24c2b214c353efd87f7.png)

To download a copy of the working paper, [click here](https://marroninstitute.nyu.edu/uploads/content/Anatomy_of_Density_I.pdf).

_Image:_ [_The Economist_](https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/10/05/modern-cities-become-less-dense-as-they-grow#)

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*Originally published on [Brandon Donnelly](https://brandondonnelly.com/the-anatomy-of-density)*