Space Ratio: A Measure of Density Potentials in the Built Environment

Urban design and planning are increasingly geared toward increasing density, viewed by many as a way of achieving socio-economic and environmental sustainability. The quantitative measurement of density from the building-level to the area-level presents a challenge to practitioners. This paper demonstrates a new measure, Space Ratio, for the purposes of measuring and mapping the density potential of buildings and areas in London. Space Ratio describes the ratio of the existing density to the permissible density. It is a multi-variable tool that can potentially incorporate a range of measures of building, people or perceived density. Space Ratio can be utilised to test multiple density measures and scenarios. A tool for visualising density potentials, the 'Space Ratio Chart', has also been illustrated as part of this study. Drawing on three-dimensional data on building density and several upward density scenarios, Space Ratio has been measured and mapped in the London case study areas of Balham and Kensington. Although Space Ratio and the Space Ratio Chart are contingent on high-quality data, this study argues that they could aide the design and scenario planning of sustainable densification.