Density in urban form is defined as the number of people or housing units per land area and influences which of the following?

• A. Density is the number of buildings per square kilometer only.
• B. Density has no impact on housing or services.
• C. Density measures people or housing units per land area and supports efficient land use and transit.
• D. Density is the total population of the city regardless of area.

Answer: (C)

Density is the number of people or housing units per unit of land. This measure matters because it shows how tightly or loosely a place is organized, which directly affects how land is used and how transit can operate. When more people or housing units are packed into a given area, services, shops, and workplaces tend to cluster nearby, making it practical to share infrastructure and reduce travel distances. That concentration also makes transit more viable and frequent, since there are enough people to justify running buses or trains and to support walkable, bike-friendly neighborhoods. If you only count buildings, you miss the actual number of residents or housing units; if you claim density has no impact on housing or services, you overlook how higher density shapes demand and the arrangement of amenities; if you use total city population without considering area, you ignore how large or small the city is and how dense or sparse it is. So density, defined as people or housing units per land area, supports efficient land use and transit.