Think Vertical

This is sort of a continuation of the theme from the previous post about planned Indian urbanization. As I look around Hyderabad and the hundreds of apartment complexes being built almost anywhere you look, I wonder why isn't each one of them taller - I mean why don't they have more floors? Given the exorbitant (unaffordable to most including yours truly) prices of houses in Hyderabad and the scarcity of land, one would think the best strategy would be to build more houses per square foot. If not skyscrapers at least some or most of the four or five floor apartment buildings should at least be doubled or tripled in height. I am sure it has something to do with building codes and the speed with which the construction companies would like to move on to the next project. But given the fact that most people cannot afford individual houses (single family homes as opposed to flats or condominiums) the public policy should be such that the land use is optimized and building tall buildings is encouraged.

I once went to a place in Hungary on business called Tiszaújváros. It was a small industrial town that was barely a couple of square miles in area. But it had a large population of nearly ten thousand and one thing that struck me odd - especially going from the US to Hungary - was how thin and slim the people in that town were. But the other interesting thing was how most residential buildings were tall with many floors and since that reduced the overall size of the town while maximizing the number of people in the town, people preferred to either walk or use the bicycle to get around. This made them healthier while keeping automobile traffic to a minimum which of course results in a host of fringe benefits. Mind you this city is in no way special - it may just be one example of the efficient use of space and energy that is a hallmark of Europe. And the worry for India is that we seem to be aping the US in creating the environmentally unfriendly Indian version of the American dream.