heightare

Heightare is a hypothetical metric used in architecture and urban design to quantify vertical prominence within a defined area. It measures the average height of vertical elements—such as buildings, towers, chimneys, and large trees—within a chosen radius around a point.

Calculation involves selecting a radius r. All qualifying features inside the circle are identified; height_i is the height of feature i, in meters, and N is the number of features. Heightare is defined as the sum of height_i divided by N. If no features fall within the radius, the value is undefined. The unit is meters, representing a mean vertical dimension rather than a simple ratio.

The concept is informal and not standardized in planning practice. It can be used as a supplementary descriptor alongside established metrics like floor-area ratio, skyline density, and shadow studies. Heightare can aid quick comparisons of vertical massing across districts during early design stages, provided the radius, feature types, and data sources are clearly specified.

Etymology: heightare is a portmanteau of height and area, intended to evoke a vertical dimension within a defined spatial extent. The term is not widely standardized and appears primarily in speculative or exploratory discussions.

Limitations: Heightare is sensitive to radius choice and the set of features included. It can be biased by outliers or data gaps and should be used with caution, ideally in combination with other quantitative measures.