Abstract
Urban parks are one of the most common spaces for social interactions in modern cities. The design of park spaces, especially space configuration, has significant influences on people’s social behaviors in parks. In this study, the associations between space configurational attributes and social interactions were investigated using space syntax theory. An observation analysis of social behaviors was carried out in two urban parks in Beijing, China. Nine space configurational attributes, including depth to the gate, depth to the main road, connectivity, normalized angular integration (NAIN), and normalized angular choice (NACH) with three radii, were calculated using a segment model. The variance analysis and regression analysis reveal the strong joint effect of space type, space scale factors, and space configurational attributes on social interaction behaviors in parks. The personal interaction group contained 23% of the total observed people involved in social interactions. Pathway length, zone area, and NACH-10K (NACH with a radius of 10,000 m) are positively associated with the number of people involved in personal interactions. For the social interaction group (77% of the total observed people), the space scale and depth to main city road were found to have a positive and negative influence on social interaction intensity.
Highlights
The design of park spaces, especially space configuration, has significant influences on people’s social behaviors in parks
To address the aforementioned gaps, this study aims to investigate the effect of space configurational attributes on social interaction activities in urban parks using space syntax theory
A larger number of involved people (3824, 77%) indicates that social groups are more active than personal groups in urban parks
Summary
The design of park spaces, especially space configuration, has significant influences on people’s social behaviors in parks. The associations between space configurational attributes and social interactions were investigated using space syntax theory. For the social interaction group (77% of the total observed people), the space scale and depth to main city road were found to have a positive and negative influence on social interaction intensity. An essential component of the urban open spaces, were suggested to have the potential to improve physical activity and social interaction [4,5,6]. Numerous studies have been carried out to investigate the associations between park characteristics and the behavior of people in urban parks, which can inform park planning and design. Quantitative analysis of space configurational attributes could provide valuable guidance
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