In Pakistan, the urban population is increasing at a rate of 2% per annum. It’s largely due to the influx of residents from rural areas to big cities.
The rising population means there’s a growing need for building more houses, healthcare facilities, educational institutes, and so on. Building more houses is a serious concern because it puts extreme strain on every aspect of the urban areas.
However, there’s a simple, effective, and proven way to deal with the growing need for housing without disturbing the environment and existing planning of urban areas. The solution is to focus on vertical housing, high-rise buildings, and apartments.
This article discusses why high-rise buildings are important for us today and to best prepare for the challenges ahead.
5 benefits of high-rise buildings or vertical housing
From accommodating more people in less space to building communities, high-rise buildings or vertical housing can benefit in a lot of ways. Let’s discuss.
Benefit #1: Accommodates more people
The first benefit of high-rise buildings is that they can accommodate more people.
High-rise buildings use equal, or a little more space than traditional houses being built in Pakistan but allow for accommodating a much higher number of people.
The current population density of Pakistan is 296.23 people per square kilometer. Nonetheless, it is far greater than the population density of developed countries. But their rural and sub-urban areas are better developed so people don’t have to move to urban areas.
While government should focus on improving the quality of life in rural areas, developers should focus on building vertical housing to accommodate more people in less space.
Benefit #2: Minimal effects on the ecological system of the environment
High-rise buildings use less space than low-rise buildings. This means that high-rise buildings can be constructed in areas where land is scarce or expensive. Whereas large plots of land will be required to accommodate an equal number of people.
With fewer people per square foot, there’s less land needed to support them. Less land means fewer resources used, a smaller carbon footprint, and lower emissions.
Less pollution means fewer carbon emissions (which contribute to climate change).
Benefit #3: Walkable neighborhood
High-rise buildings also spare more space for important structures like family parks and green areas. When it’s easy to access the neighborhood on foot, there’s lesser pressure on transportation.
In addition, the height of a building provides ample opportunities for community gatherings. Events and festival celebrations can be arranged in the community center of the building.
Benefit #4: Affordable housing
There are many benefits to high-rise buildings, but perhaps the most significant of them all is affordability.
The cost-effectiveness factor goes even further when compared to other building types like single-family homes or apartments. Because high-rise buildings use less land space per person, it will cost less money overall for each unit manufactured as well as its maintenance over time.
When you build a house, you have to purchase land and construct a house on it. However, high-rise buildings need only one plot of land big enough to provide affordable housing to a large number of families.
Benefit #5: Prevent expansion of the urban areas
High-rise buildings are an effective way to prevent urban areas from expanding. Urban areas are expanding rapidly, and this is a major problem for cities all over the world. A high-rise building can be used as an alternative to existing buildings in order to prevent further expansion of these areas.
The expansion of the urban areas poses potential risks to scarcity of agricultural land. In addition, urban expansion calls for increasing administrative staff at the district, provincial, and federal government level. In times when the country is already unable to meet the basic demands of a developing nation, adding more people to state machinery will only make things worse.
Most real estate projects are introduced in big cities, which potentially adds to urban expansion. However, there are projects like New Metro City Gujar Khan that are introduced in developing areas of districts to provide affordable and convenient accommodation in suburban areas.
Conclusion
High-rise buildings are important in today’s world. They are built to meet human needs, and the demand for space is growing day by day.
There is a lot to be said about the benefits of high-rise buildings or vertical housing. We hope that this article has made you think about what the future of urban living looks like and how we can make it happen.
