Quote:
Originally Posted by lakegz
I'm pretty sure it means you can develop 30 times the amount of square feet that the lot has at ground level.
If you have a 1,000 square foot lot, then your building there can have a maximum square footage of 30,000 feet.
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Correct. Also, you can arrange that square footage in any way in accordance with the other restrictions, so the developer can chose to maximize the FAR in the most efficient manner (squat box) or go for a taller building.
Using FAR limits the density of a building thus the resultant demand on city services, so it is a way of controlling how a city functions. NY also has those setback zoning guidelines that combine to make it rather difficult to be free to design a building without limitations. The setback laws are there to prevent the city from becoming too dark and imposing on the street.
It seems that FAR zoning is used in japan and has been criticized there for resulting in stunted skylines as developers aim to maximize FAR with boxy buildings that maximize the space in the most efficient way possible. I suppose it is cheaper to build a squat box than building a taller office building that does not use the entire area of the plot but instead compensates with height.
Why don't cities like London and Shanghai use FAR. Perhaps the lack of this zoning system results in more interesting designs?