USE OF LAND IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS

Abstract

Residential land is the spatial stage on which most human activities unfold: shelter, mobility, recreation, consumption and increasingly home-based work. How that land is allocated among private lots, streets, green infrastructure and community facilities critically shapes environmental outcomes, housing affordability and social wellbeing. This article reviews theories and empirical evidence on land use in residential areas, drawing on urban morphology, planning history and contemporary sustainability debates. A mixed-methods study of eight medium-sized cities is presented to explore (i) the proportional balance among principal land-use components, (ii) the relationship between parcel density and per-capita energy demand, and (iii) land-use responses to post-COVID hybrid working patterns.