This area has many low-rise houses.
A shopping street lined with low-rise buildings.
noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
Figurative use for social class, rank, or level. Less common than the architectural sense.
Improvement of living conditions for low-level workers is demanded.
低層 specifically describes low-rise buildings or low altitude layers, while 下層 is broader and also covers social classes.
low-rise residential zone
Compound of 低 (てい, 'low') and 層 (そう, 'layer, story'). The architectural sense is primary; the figurative sense extends the idea of low layers to social or abstract levels.