Urban scholars have long pointed out that building upwards could result in a decline in street life and community ties. American-Canadian journalist and author Jane Jacobs, for one, often described the high-rise modernist apartments that were increasingly in vogue in the 1960s as “towers in the park” that reduce street-level activity and isolate residents in higher floors.
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Riken Yamamoto also recently pointed out that large scale urban developments can erode the social fabric of smaller neighbourhoods. In contrast to rural neighbourhoods, Yamamoto argued that most modern apartment buildings lack the civic and communal spaces necessary for fostering community ties among people.
