Horizontal expansion of a city is somewhat of a traditional way of building residential units on land. A huge land area is necessary for developing residential units. Vertical development, as the name suggests, means more high-rise residential buildings in cities and skyscrapers built in a smaller area. In this way, it can help reduce the disturbance of natural resources. And also provide more suitable accommodation for a large population. Mentioned below are the main benefits of vertical cities.
Community Living
The benefit of building vertical cities in Pakistan is that it supports promoting community living. People share multiple amenities that apartments offer. Further, in an apartment, people dwell together in a closely-knitted neighborhood. This helps in greater bonding and improved security. In highly populated cities, tall buildings can help address the issue of shortage of land and space and also fulfill the growing demand for housing.
Neighborhoods
Another advantage of having high-rise buildings is that there is more space for other structures that could benefit a community. For example, instead of twenty houses in a row, all those twenty families can live in a flat. They can utilize space to have a pharmacy, a retail store, and a family park. The expansion of a city vertically can better utilize the space which would otherwise have been spent in building a luxury house. If you want to shop in supermarkets, you do not need to take out your car for it. You can simply walk into the neighborhood.
Environmental Benefits
The benefits of vertical cities in Pakistan and around the world aren’t just urban development. The development of vertical cities also helps with environmental sustainability. With taller buildings, there is quite more space left on the ground, which you can utilize for adding more green spaces. Apartment living promotes sustainability as people share many amenities, which otherwise they would own individually in a bungalow or a house.
Accommodating more People
One of the many benefits of vertical cities is that they can accommodate more people. To help cater to the ever-increasing housing needs, vertical cities come to the rescue. Urban planners assume that with more flats or shared space and fewer houses or individual living, the issue of overpopulation can very much be easily addressed. In a single apartment, thousands of people can dwell together, and in a house, only a family of typically 4 to 5 members can live peacefully.
Budget-Friendly Housing
Vertical cities can help create budget-friendly houses for people. The vertical expansion of a city in a land-scarce world will not only have a more significant environmental impact but will also cut down on the costs to build a bungalow.
Many urban planners who support the concept of urban development of cities vertically argue that high-rise buildings can accommodate more people, giving them a better standard of living, while reducing costs.
It is expected that the future of urban development is by vertical expansion in Pakistan. The government of Pakistan has eased some rules and regulations when building skyscrapers. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Imran Khan is quite optimistic about building more affordable houses under the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme.