tætbefolkede

Tætbefolkede is a Danish term used in geography and urban planning to describe areas with high population density. Such areas are typically urban or peri-urban, where housing, jobs, and services are concentrated and buildings are closely spaced.

Population density is usually expressed as the number of inhabitants per square kilometer (or mile). What counts as dense varies by country and context, and planners often apply density thresholds along with minimum population and continuity requirements to distinguish tætbefolkede areas from rural or sparsely populated regions.

Common characteristics include dense housing (apartment blocks and townhouses), mixed-use development, good access to public transit, amenities, and employment, and a compact street network. This setup can enable shorter travel distances and higher per-capita use of infrastructure, but also places greater pressure on housing supply, traffic, and environmental resources.

Uses: The concept guides regional planning, zoning, and infrastructure investment. It helps identify priorities for transit-oriented development, housing policy, and urban renewal. Critics note potential downsides such as affordability pressures and social segregation in very dense environments.

Origin and usage: The term tætbefolkede combines tæt (dense) and befolkede (populated). In Danish and broader European planning discourse, it is used to categorize and compare urban areas by how densely people are distributed across space.