An increasing number of people live in urban areas. UN-Habitat's World Cities Report 2022 reveals that this share rose from 25% in 1950 to over 50% in 2020, with projections indicating it will reach 58% over the next five decades. The survey also indicates that by 2070, the number of municipalities in low-income countries will increase by 76%, while in high- and lower-middle-income nations, this growth will hover around 20%. Furthermore, the study notes that this scenario highlights the urgent need for cities to be designed and managed so that future growth does not overwhelm existing infrastructure, open spaces, and services—which would lead to unsustainable sprawl.
In this context, the key question arises: how can cities accommodate these new residents while ensuring access to high-quality environments and housing close to retail, work, and leisure? Consequently, the debate over urban densification has once again taken center stage in urban development policies and real estate planning. Today, dense and compact areas are widely seen by urban planners and researchers as essential to regional sustainability and economic evolution, according to an article published in Vitruvius. The piece recalls that, in the late 1960s, writer and activist Jane Jacobs was already warning of the negative impacts of low density in American cities, citing urban sprawl, the segregation of low-income groups, and the lack of street vitality.
