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Visualizing Density in Central New York Presented by Gabriel Holbrow, Cayuga County Department of Planing and Economic Development Cayuga County Planning Board Land Use Training Series July 25, 2012 Density is measured as counts of something per measure of area. For example, Population Dwelling Units Parcels Businesses Vehicles Farm Animals Water Service Floor Area Etc. Acre Square Mile Square Kilometer Etc. Per ---PAGE BREAK--- Illustration from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy: http://www.lincolninst.edu/subcenters/visualizing-density/ If you measure density as square feet of building floor area per square feet of total ground area, you get a ratio: the Floor Area Ratio (FAR). FAR gives a sense of the bulk or mass of structures, which is often what we mean by “density”. FAR is useful for measuring the density of commerical, industrial, or other non-residential uses. FAR ---PAGE BREAK--- Poplar Ridge Town of Venice In the built-up area along the roads, approximately... 100 people 40 dwelling units 50 acres Density: 2 persons per acre ---PAGE BREAK--- Poplar Ridge In the total area of this photo, approximately... 100 people 40 dwelling units 120 acres Density: 0.8 persons per acre ---PAGE BREAK--- Poplar Ridge Including the surrounding farmland, approximately... 210 people 2100 acres Density: 0.1 persons per acre ---PAGE BREAK--- In the total area of this photo, approximately... 2050 residents 280 acres Density: 7.3 persons per acre Downtown Syracuse In the highlighted area, approximately... 393 residents 118 acres Density: 3.3 persons per acre But much higher density of non-resident workers on weekdays, and high FAR. ---PAGE BREAK--- Hoopes Park City of Auburn In the highlighted block, approximately... 99 people 36 dwelling units 8.85 acres Density: 11.2 persons per acre ---PAGE BREAK--- Hoopes Park Including the park and surround roads, approximately... 134 people 49 dwelling units 34.39 acres Density: 3.9 persons per acre