Densities and the resulting urban form in urban planning for life and social interaction: the case of Alicante

Abstract

Urban and population density is one of the factors that define the quality of life of cities because it favors life and social interaction. Urban planning sets densities through an urban form that seeks to achieve the complex collective disposition of urban life. The article investigates the possibilities of human interaction derived from the development of the different Master Urban Plans in the urban center of Alicante and beyond suburbanization processes. The result shows the loss and uneven distribution of population densities following strong urban development that breaks the correlation between urban density and population density. The loss of population densities, in combination with an urban form that does not benefit urban complexity, does not guarantee the highest chances of making life and social interaction effective.