This paper deals with the problems involved in housing people in a densely populated area whilst maintaining adequate environmental conditions. In addition to the usual problems associated with residential building programmes in a developing country, such as limited resources, Shanghai is unique in that there are as many as 1,500 people per square hectare. Hence, rather than applying overseas solutions, the development of a housing strategy must be specific to the area. The inability of extant buildings to cope with a rapidly increasing population and the lack of a public transport system that could cater for urban sprawl signalled the need for high density urban development. An evaluation of the housing construction methods in China over the last three decades was made as a means of finding a solution to the problem. The use of strip blocks was found to be unsuccessful as it entailed a compromise of the ideals of an urban quality of life in order to cope with the numbers that needed to be housed. Similarly, high-rise buildings had many disadvantges, such as high maintenance costs, increased energy consumption in both cost and maintenance and greater time taken to complete buildings than when traditional building methods were employed. Alley-type residences were also found unsuitable, both aesthetically and environmentally. The most successful buildings for Shanghai were found to be step-type apartments. These buildings have been derived from traditional Chinese design. Their design incorporates natural lighting and temperature control and provides visual stimulation.
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