Row houses in Taiwan - A study of sustainable dwelling usage and size under environmental crisis

Since the UNCED Conference was held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, the concept of sustainable development has gained more attention. A series of concrete activities are performed to protect the environment. One of the most important requirements is to treasure our resources. Building land is just a kind of resources that cannot be increased. As a small island within her restricted geographical conditions Taiwan has to pay more attention to this topic than other countries, particularly as the environmental crisis is getting more serious. In view of the ideal of sustainable development this research wishes to look for an appropriate size of habitation in accordance with the usage of the residences in Taiwan and without hurting the comfort of the dwellers as well as the load ability of building land.