The Consequences of Living in High-Rise Buildings

Abstract

A full account of architectural science must include empirical findings about the social and psychological influences that buildings have on their occupants. Tall residential buildings can have a myriad of such effects. This review summarizes the results of research on the influences of high-rise buildings on residents' experiences of the building, satisfaction, preferences, social behavior, crime and fear of crime, children, mental health and suicide. Most conclusions are tempered by moderating factors, including residential socioeconomic status, neighborhood quality, parenting, gender, stage of life, indoor density, and the ability to choose a housing form. However, moderators aside, the literature suggests that high-rises are less satisfactory than other housing forms for most people, that they are not optimal for children, that social relations are more impersonal and helping behavior is less than in other housing forms, that crime and fear of crime are greater, and that they may independently account for some suicides.

Identifying Streetscape Features Significant to Well-Being

“…Basic human experience tells us that places in which we live and work exert an influence on our behavior (i.e., Gifford, 2007;Savitch, 2003). Theorists and researchers have identified aspects of the physical environment that affect individuals and communities (i.e., Jacobs, 1992;Leyden, 2003;Pikora, Bull, Jamrozik, Knuiman, Giles-Corti & Donovan, 2002;Srinivasan, O'Fallon & Dearry, 2003).…”

Towards sustainable urban development: the social acceptability of high-rise buildings in a Ghanaian city

“…Afterwards, in the 1970s, many of the criticisms of vertical development emerged (Yuen et al 2006). Most of the criticism were centred on the social effects of high-rise living (Costello 2005;Gifford 2007). The pace of high-rise development slowed down in many cities in the 1970s and few decades afterwards.…”

Neighbourhood Patterns in Istanbul: From Historical Form to Manhattanization

“…These problems have already been recorded in some developed countries, with the observation that people who live in single family-dwellings are considerably less neurotic than people who live in more crowded high-rise buildings. Additionally, people who live in high-rise buildings are reported to have fewer friends (Mehrabian, 1976;Gifford, 2007).…”