Some cities address the demand for houses by constructing vertical buildings, while others build landed houses in large areas. This essay believes that the best solution is building apartments because it requires a smaller area of land and the remaining land can be used for green areas.
First and foremost, vertical mass housing provides more room for people. For smaller areas of the land, it can provide multiple homes for people compared with traditional houses. In cities where the housing demands are high, such houses will be offered at higher prices. It will be difficult for low-income individuals to afford a shelter. Apartment rooms usually are cheaper than the regular home, thus allowing them to have the opportunity to own a home. For example, in Surabaya, the average price of a landed house is around IDR 1 billion. Meanwhile, apartment developers sell their rooms at around IDR 350 million, a lot cheaper.
Moreover, the city has a limited area and it is very populated. Thus it will be more beneficial to develop tall housing buildings to make room for green areas within the city. An overpopulated city has a high demand for housing, however, if every corner of the city is developed for landed houses, it will not have any parks and public places. This situation will disrupt the environment. For instance, Singapore is a small nation in terms of the area. Its authorities built apartments for their residents to provide enough houses for all of them. If they build landed houses, there is not enough area.
In conclusion, the most suitable answer to address the housing demand in the cities is by building high-rise buildings. In addition, this allows the limited area to be utilized for public spaces such as parks.