Problem
There is abundant evidence to show that high buildings make people crazy.
Solution
In any urban area, no matter how dense, keep the majority of buildings four stories high or less. It is possible that certain buildings should exceed this limit, but they should never be buildings for human habitation.
Related Patterns
… within an urban area, the density of building fluctuates. It will, in general, be rather higher toward the center and lower toward the edges — City Country Fingers (3), Lace of Country Streets (5), Magic of the City (10); however, throughout the city, even at its densest points, there are strong human reasons to subject all buildings to height restrictions.
Within the framework of the four-story limit the exact height of individual buildings, according to the area of floor they need, the area of the site, and the height of the surrounding buildings, is given by the pattern Number of Stories (96). More global variations of density are given by Density Rings (29). The horizontal subdivision of large buildings into smaller units, and separate smaller buildings, is given by Building Complex (95). Housing Hill (39) and Office Connections (82) help to shape multi-stories apartments and offices within constraints of a four-story limit. And finally, don’t take the four-story limit too literally. Occasional exceptions from the general rule are very important — High Places (62).
Alexander, Christopher. A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. Oxford University Press, 1977, p. 114.