The Four-Story Maximum
This pattern is shaped by
Problem
When buildings exceed four stories, something changes: residents can no longer see the faces of people on the street, children can no longer be called in from upper floors, and the building requires an elevator — transforming it from a house-scale dwelling into an institutional structure with common corridors, mechanical ventilation, and a fundamentally different relationship between inhabitant and ground.
Evidence and Discussion
Research on residential satisfaction consistently shows a threshold: above four stories, satisfaction with the building and the neighborhood declines. The reasons are spatial: at four stories, a walk-up is feasible, every unit can have a window on two sides, the building casts shadows proportional to the street width, and the facade maintains a human scale.
Therefore
in residential neighborhoods, limit building height to four stories. At this height, elevators are optional (walk-ups are viable), every unit can have light on two sides, the building relates to the street without dominating it, and parents on the top floor can still see and communicate with children in the garden. Higher density, where needed, should come from coverage (more four-story buildings) rather than height (fewer tall towers).