The pressure exerted on cities in recent decades isextremely evident. There is no need for one to consult officialstatistics to realize that cities are turning into theplace where most of the population prefers to live andwork. Residing downtown or in inner city areas, wherebusiness and cultural activities are to be found, is verypractical and with more advantages than those that wereto be had in suburban areas only a few years ago.Employment is also concentrated in urban areas, and thisexplains the progressive population decline in rural areasof developed countries. High Density Housing. Verticalurban architecture shows different types of multi-residentialbuildings situated in urban centers as a metaphor forthe growing overcrowding of cities and for what some callthe ¿new global lifestyle¿. These pages document sometwenty-five low and high density residential projects incities such as Istanbul, New York, Tokyo, Mexico City andSydney.Editor: Sergi Costa