Demand for housing has been rising steeply in almost all European cities for many years, according to the October 2015 Market Tracker by Catella Research, leading to ever higher property prices. The firm predicts that this urbanisation trend will see a continued rise in population density in towns and cities and that by 2050, two-thirds of all people worldwide will be living in them.

There is expected to be a considerable increase in the population density of towns and cities in the years to come, which means even less living space, unless the amount of high-rise housing being built is dramatically increased to compensate.

The report states that as the number of urban dwellers has grown, the space available to each resident has declined significantly in most European towns and cities over the past 15 years and this trend is set to continue. 'The implication is clear - we will see a massive increase in urban population densities, a process which can be described as 'inward development'. This increase in density is rising apace in major cities such as London, Paris, Frankfurt and Stockholm, and the same can be said of traditional university towns. In contrast, Copenhagen, Vilnius and Riga are experiencing the opposite development.'