This document discusses densities and compactness in developing country cities. It finds that densities are much higher than in developed countries, facilitated by smaller dwelling sizes, mixed land uses, and higher densities near city centers. While central city densities are higher, overall city areas are larger in developing countries. Higher densities support more diverse transit options but congestion is also higher. Compactness provides some environmental and infrastructure benefits but does not necessarily correlate with better environmental quality. Lessons are that developing country transportation cannot be directly replicated and compactness results less from planning than from economic factors.

1. Compact Cities in Developing
Countries:
Assessment and Implications

2. Introduction
 The aim of assessment and implication in developing
countries city are:
I. to collect data on densities
II. To evaluate the costs and benefits of compact cities
III. to discuss the concept of sustainable urbanization
with respect to compactness explores the
implications
IV. The high densities have obvious consequences in
terms of the choice of transportation modes, living
conditions, congestion and pollution.

3. Densities and compactness
 Densities in developing country cities are much higher
than in developed countries, especially in the core city.
I. It have been facilitated by automobiles.
II. Lower incomes have meant much smaller dwelling
sizes and tiny lots
III. Housing preferences have favoured high-rise
apartments rather than single family housing.
IV. The prevalence of mixed-use structures and
neighbourhoods has resulted in residential densities
becoming higher the closer they are to the city
centre.

4. Data on urban densities
Central city densities tend to be much higher
in developing countries.
The ratio of central city to suburban densities
tends to be much higher in cities in developing
countries, reflecting both compactness and
the slower rate of decentralisation.
On the contrary, core cities in developing
countries are larger in area overall (882km2)
than cities in developed countries (449km2).

5. Transportation
 The more diversified modal split found in developing
country cities might reasonably be explained by their
higher densities.
 Motor vehicle ownership rates appear to be more
closely associated with GDP per capita than with
densities
 The rich in developing countries have automobile
ownership rates not much lower than those in
developed countries
 Developing country cities in general have much higher
congestion levels than their developed country
counterparts.

6. Environmental externalities
The great urban economist and demographer,
William Alonso pointed out the fallacy of
correlating densities with environmental quality
variables
The correlation between SO2 levels and densities
is -0.18 hardly encouraging for those with faith in
densification strategies as a pollution control
device.
High population densities reduce the unit costs of
infrastructure and services

7. Sustainability and urbanization
 Its urban aspects have focused heavily on non-
automobile dependence and on ecological footprint
 More compactness at the metropolitan area level
would imply economies in land consumption.
 Encroachment of urban development on prime
agricultural land has been much more serious in
developing countries.
 living in crowded developing country cities is more
social and convivial, and perhaps even more fun—
despite low living standards and the rigours of daily
life—than living in the pleasurable suburbs

8. Lessons and inferences
The transportation systems of developing
countries cannot be replicated in developed
countries.
The compactness of cities in developing countries
is the product less of strict land use planning.
Cities in developing countries tend to have higher
levels of traffic congestion (reflecting inadequate
highway capacity, accelerating automobile
ownership growth rates, mixed road uses and
poor, and often non-existent, traffic
management).