Higher occupancy humanism : the trade-offs for encouraging middle income housing in a global city

摘要

In high density urban areas where the land acquisition and construction cost components are significant relative to total development costs, the market typically supplies a high-income housing product in order to justify the risks for new construction. In places such as New York, Tokyo, London and other land supply restricted cities, the effect of these rising costs has forced the unsubsidized middle-class to migrate further and further from the center of the city where most of the infrastructural area amenities and jobs are located. This causes extended commuting times that result in the exacerbation of pollution and wasted allocation of resources. In effect, the overall function of the city grows more inefficient. All the while, the demographic texture of the central city becomes a polarized gathering of the wealthy elite and the service oriented subsidized poor. The lack of income diversity results in a spatial built form that also mimics this polarized condition. In these circumstances, might there be a strategy for encouraging a housing prototype that specifically targets the broad middle class market in order for cities to maintain diverse communities, a tapestry of spatial form, and a more efficient competitive city. The hypothesis is that if housing occupancy levels can be doubled from what is currently allowed within spaces that are tighter than typical American standards, then middle-income affordability can be achieved without diminishing design quality. This thesis investigates what flexible spatial possibilities there may be for middle-income housing based on a series of design priorities that are underpinned with an approach that advocates for a more intense occupancy use per unit of housing. Due to the augmented use intensity, flexibly designed elements are built within the spatial form of each unit. Each design variation is subsequently tested against a private sector based feedback mechanism that measures the affordability range that the design can offer. This iterative tool reveals what income groups can be supplied due to the design changes put forth by the varying design priorities. It is the hope that this tool will enable architects, developers, and the capital markets to understand the trade-offs made from both a spatial form perspective as well as a market perspective in order to ultimately enhance the condition of the built environment.