Architekturtechnik

Abstrakt

Issue Related to Vertical Growth and Development

Sehba Saleem

The whirlwind of urbanization which the world witnessed in recent times has swallowed most of the land that was available to humans. In some way or the other, this phenomenon has contributed to consumption of land either as a means or as an end of change. With passage of time, as land started to fall short in comparison to the demands of urbanization, urban planners took the vertical direction, which meant building structures with dazzling heights. In its inception the tall buildings did come across as a reprieve to the perennial problems of horizontal expansion, since it offered more space with least land consumption. Not only did it occupied less space than low rises or horizontal structures, it also offered quite a few services at the same place which intrigued both planners and dwellers alike. But the concept of vertical construction or tall buildings is not without drawbacks. There are issues which are both inherent to them and consequent of them. There are issues like social isolation, environmental pollution, complexity of construction arise due to living in a tall building and also due to the very existence of the same. Not only is the construction of the tall building is problem but if not properly planned or managed, its very existence can become a menace to the urban dwelling. This paper shall attempt to bring to fore the drawbacks of vertical growth in light of threats and challenges it poses to urban dwellers.