Housing density

["martin butterfield" <>]

Geoffrey

 

An excellent chart.

 

You said

• "I notice one curious sentence:  ' almost invariably avian abundance declined at housing densities below which the UK govt requires new developments to be built'.  Given the rest of the abstract, surely 'below' should be 'above'.  I assume that the govt requirements are for a fairly high level of density and there are less birds when it is even higher (?)."

 

How I interpreted this was that the Government says the minimum density will be "X houses per acre".  Lets say x is 10.  I think what the author is saying is that avian abundance declines at a lower density (say, 8 houses per acre).  The inference is that the Government rules force a bird poor environment to be built. 

 

In Canberra at present I suspect the issue is not the number of houses, but their size relative to the size of the block, which does not permit gardens. If the blocks were bigger (ie lower density), the McMansions would be inflated to fit.  The Government policy on the issue probably just about defines "laissez-faire".

 

Martin