Rapid urbanization has intensified public housing development and building density, posing significant challenges to residents’ well-being and urban sustainability. With the population of the Greater Bay Area on the rise, enhancing the spatial quality of public housing is now essential. The study proposed a quantitative framework to evaluate the relationship between the residential design elements and perceived density in high-density public housing neighborhoods. It employed a virtual reality perception experiment to analyze the relationship between significant spatial indicators and perceived density by investigating 16 high-density residential layout models in 3 configurations: Tower-Enclosed, Balanced Slab-Enclosed, and Staggered Slab-Enclosed. The results indicate that: (1) greater building height intensifies perceived density, leading to sensations of overcrowding and discomfort; (2) an increased sky ratio mitigates perceived density, fostering a more open and pleasant environment; (3) recessed residential facades enhance residents’ density perception; and (4) Staggered Slab-Enclosed Layout configurations receive the most favorable evaluations regarding perceived density. The authors attempt to go beyond current regulations to propose tailored solutions for Shenzhen’s high-density context, improving spatial efficiency and residential comfort in future public housing designs. The finding provides scientific evidence to support urban planners and policymakers in developing more resilient and sustainable high-density neighborhoods.

China’s rapid urbanization has accelerated the transition of residential development toward high-density models. As a critical interface between architecture and the urban environment, residential facades reflect evolving design strategies, living demands, and technological conditions. However, due to the complexity and diversity of facade components, the underlying influencing factors of facade evolution remain insufficiently explored. This study focuses on Shenzhen, a typical high-density city in southern China, and quantitatively analyzes 225 residential facades from 1980 to 2024 using HCA (Hierarchical Cluster Analysis). The results show that the development of residential facades in Shenzhen presents continuous and staged evolutionary characteristics, with a transition from simplified, function-oriented configurations to diversified and technology-integrated forms. Six clusters of facade types are identified, and the analysis reveals that this evolution is driven by the combined effects of policies and design standards (external factors), resident demand (internal factors), and technological development (technical support), rather than merely stylistic changes. This study establishes a quantitative classification framework to identify the evolutionary patterns and influencing factors of residential facades, enriches the research system of high-density residential facades, provides methodological support for facade analysis, and offers both theoretical and practical guidance for facade design in subtropical high-density cities.