A low-rise is a building that is only a few stories tall or any building that is shorter than a high-rise,^[1] though others include the classification of mid-rise.^[2][3]

Emporis defines a low-rise as "an enclosed structure below 35 metres [115 feet] which is divided into regular floor levels".^[4] The city of Toronto defines a mid-rise as a building between four and twelve stories.^[5] They also have elevators and stairs. Shorter structures may only have stairs.

Low-rise apartments sometimes offer more privacy and negotiability of rent and utilities than high-rise apartments, although they may have fewer amenities and less flexibility with leases. It is easier to put fires out in low-rise buildings.^[6]

Within the United States, due to the legal-economic and modernist perspectives, low-rises can in some cities be seen as less luxurious than high-rises, whereas within Western Europe (for historical identity and legal reasons) low-rise tends to be more attractive. Some businesses prefer low-rise buildings due to lower costs and more usable space. Having all employees on a single floor may also increase work productivity.^[7]

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  Flats in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England
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  A deck-access apartment houses in Seinäjoki, Finland
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  Typical German Fachwerkhäuser in the Hanseatic harbour of Stade, Germany
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  Low-rise house Alte Pforzheimer Hütte near the Pforzheimer See, in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Northern Italy
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  Modern style flat in Hannover, Germany
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  Low-rise flat with balconies in Florence, Italy
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  Low-rise apartment complex in Inglewood, Western Australia
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  Modern low-rise apartment block in Braddon, Australia
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  Low-rise apartment in Paris, France
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  Low-rise apartment blocks in Israel
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  Low-rise apartments in Alicante, Spain