Energy, Economics and Architecture
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October 29, 2025Assessing the oppressive impact of the form of tall buildings on citizens: Height, width, and height-to-width ratio
By Zarghami, E., Karimimoshaver, M., Ghanbaran, A., & SaadatiVaghar, P.
Full Citation
Zarghami, E., Karimimoshaver, M., Ghanbaran, A., & SaadatiVaghar, P. (2019). Assessing the oppressive impact of the form of tall buildings on citizens: Height, width, and height-to-width ratio. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 79, 106287.
Key Findings
While most research has focused on the impacts to the residents of tall buildings, their various negative effects on the surrounding environment and citizens who face them on a daily basis are usually ignored. According to this study, the most remarkable negative effects include a sense of oppression or visual-psychological impact on citizens, environmental effects, and a number of other social problems. The study uses an assessment framework as well as resident surveys to quantify these impacts. It was found that tall buildings with a height of 60 m or higher (197 feet or about 20 stories) and a width of 15 m or greater on streets which are 30 m wide or narrower impose the highest oppression on the observer.