Public Housing Projects – Basics of Planning and Building

Housing, literally, refers to the arrangement and designated use of residential buildings or homes collectively, for the public purpose of sheltering human beings within a defined area, with various sociological implications. A group of residences or units, often stretching for a number of miles along a boundary, is termed a “site.” A lot of houses can be seen on just one site. A city, town or suburb may contain a wide variety of housing from single-family detached homes to sprawling estates of multiple dwelling units.

The term “density” pertains to the number of people who can be seen on a piece of property. More dense, usually, is a more expensive housing development, because it implies a higher percentage of total housing units in a defined urban area than in more rural areas. One can distinguish between medium density (a medium number of housing units per lot’s lot), high density (a maximum number of housing units per lot) and extremely high density (a maximum number of housing units per lot). The availability of housing is usually determined by various legal considerations, including zoning, building age, proximity to main streets, easement rights, and easement easements, to name a few. An example of a density requirement is, if a property is to be built next to an elementary school, then the density of the lot must be greater than that of a single family house, regardless of how many units it is actually composed of.

The term “exclusionary zoning” refers to a condition in which some areas of the property are set aside for a specified reason. The usual reason given is to provide access to low-income or disabled persons. In certain circumstances, an excluded area may also include areas zoned as agricultural, manufactured housing, accessory dwelling, or vacant land, such as a farm. Zoning varies by state, and is subject to change periodically. Certain localities may, under state statutes, have additional restrictions on when an area can become Excluded from Prospective Tenancy.