Space Syntax Measures Research Articles

Associations of built environment attributes with bicycle use for transport

An increasing number of studies have examined neighbourhood built environment attributes associated with cycling. Some of them suggest non-linear relationships between built environment attributes and cycling. This study examined the strength and shape of associations of cycling for transport with objectively measured built environment attributes. Data were from 9146 Australian adults who took part in the 2009 South-East Queensland Travel Survey. Participants (aged 18–64 years) completed a 24-hour travel survey, in which they reported modes of travel. Residential density, Walk Score and a Space Syntax measure of street integration were calculated at a neighbourhood level using geographic information systems. Multilevel logistic regression analyses examined associations of bicycle use with each built environment attribute, which was modelled continuously and categorically. All continuous measures of the built environment attributes were associated with bicycle use. Each one-decile increment in residential density, Walk Score, and street integration was associated with 13%, 16%, and 10% higher odds of bicycle use, respectively. However, the associations appeared to be non-linear, with significant odds ratios observed only for the higher categories of each built environment attribute relative to the middle category. This study found that adults living in high-density neighbourhoods with more destinations nearby and well-connected streets were more likely to cycle for transport. However, medium-level density, access to destinations and street connectivity may not be enough to facilitate bicycle use. Further studies are needed to investigate urban design threshold values above which cycling can be promoted.

Cognitive Function of Elderly Persons in Japanese Neighborhoods: The Role of Street Layout.

Objectives:The aims of this study were to examine (a) associations of two metric and space syntax measures of street layout with the cognitive function of Japanese older adults and (b) the extent to which objectively assessed physical activity mediated such associations.Methods:Cross-sectional data from 277 older adults who lived in Japan were used. Street layout attributes were objectively calculated for each participant’s geocoded home location. The Mini-Mental State Examination was used to evaluate cognitive function. Physical activity was objectively assessed with accelerometers.Results:There was a statistically significant negative association between street integration and the odds of having cognitive impairment. Objectively assessed physical activity did not attenuate this relationship.Conclusions:Our findings provide unique evidence regarding the importance of the topological aspects of street layouts in (re)designing neighborhoods to support mental illness.

Natural movement: A space syntax theory linking urban form and function with walking for transport.

Walking to get to and from local destinations including shops, services, and transit stops is a major source of adults' health-related physical activity. Research has been using space syntax measures in examining how urban form is related to such routine walking for transport. This paper proposes to apply a theory of space syntax, natural movement, which posits street layout as a primary factor influencing pedestrian movement. Discussing how this theory can link urban form (street layout) and function (land use) with walking for transport, we propose a research agenda to produce new insights and advance methods in active living research.

Risk perception during urban cycling: An assessment of crowdsourced and authoritative data

Subjective risk perception during urban cycling has been mostly investigated through questionnaire studies. However, newly available data sources promise extended possibilities for the investigation and understanding of the underlying factors. We validate the rationale for using both opportunistically available crowd-sourced data (i.e., volunteered geographic information or VGI) as well as more established but rarely investigated authoritative data as predictors of subjective cycling risk. We achieve this by correlating indicators of cycling risk extracted from both VGI and authoritative data for two different German cities with participants’ risk estimates assessed in laboratory-based virtual reality experiments. In Case 1, 15 participants (mostly undergraduate students with a mean age of 22 years old; nine of them females) were tested as a sample representing frequent and experienced cyclists, but unfamiliar with the 19 tested locations and less likely to be affected by the virtual reality setup. In Case 2, 24 new participants (mostly undergraduate students; mean age 24 years; 13 of them females) were experienced cyclists and mostly familiar with the 40 test locations located in their city of residence. For both cases, our findings provide evidence that parameters extracted from VGI (e.g., the semantic severity of the contribution and the reception by other citizens) as well as from authoritative data sources (e.g., accident statistics or Space Syntax measures) represent valid indicators for the subjectively perceived risk of cycling at a specific location. On the basis of this validation, future research can use these data sources to investigate the sources of risk perception during urban cycling in greater detail.

Analysing the Spatial structure of the Street network to understand the Mobility pattern and Landuse - A case of an Indian city - Mysore

Settlements grow and develop their unique spatial structure, subject to the factors influencing them. Later, the spatial structure starts influencing the functions of a settlement, like mobility, land-use, spatial expansion, etc. To understand the dynamics of the spatial structure and its influence in a rational way, a scientific analysis is necessary. So, space syntax measures are chosen as the principal theoretical postulates for analysis, because of its quantitative and scientific approach. In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyse the spatial structure of the street network in an Indian city – Mysore – by a comprehensive application of space syntax techniques. The study has been conducted by breaking down the structure into components and by analysing the use of different measures, like integration and choice, using Depthmap software (Turner, 2012). The analysis is then related to the existing mobility pattern and land-use to construe how the spatial structure influences the mobility pattern and land-use.

THE STATICS OF SPACE SYNTAX: ANALYSIS FOR STATIONARY OBSERVERS

Space Syntax is a set of techniques for the analysis of spatial configurations of all kinds including architectural designs. Traditional Space Syntax has been devoted to analysing dynamic views of an observer moving through space, which is the case in most building spaces. However, some architectural spaces are usually experienced from static viewpoints. Consequentially, the way this space is viewed has a significant impact on the spatial cognition and experience of the occupants. Examples of such buildings where the occupant may observe spaces from mostly static points of view are religious spaces such as mosque or churches’ prayer halls. This paper presents an analysis of a typical “static space” in terms of its spatial logic. A typical configuration for a prayer hall consisting of a bilateral symmetry space with four columns is considered. This configuration is manifested in many religious buildings and is assessed using visibility graphs, axial lines as well as various isovist field properties and measures. This paper shows how the most basic alterations to the configuration of the plan can affect the spatial experience and cognition of the place. In addition, special Space Syntax measures that are relevant to the design of the static spaces are extracted and discussed as well as the consequences of an omni-visual observer of typical Space Syntax in comparison to the directional observer in a static space. The analysis presented in the paper has implications for both architectural designs of spaces with similar configurations as well as for research on Space Syntax focusing on stationary observers.

Meta-analysis of the relationships between space syntax measures and pedestrian movement

ABSTRACTAmple research has been conducted investigating the built environment impacts on pedestrian movement (PM). A clear division is also evident in the literature on this topic: one group tends to use geographic measures (metric distance) of the environment to explain pedestrian behaviour; the other group uses syntactic measures (visual distance). Many review articles have been published on the former. However, relatively little is known about the effect size (ES), directions, and consistency of syntactic measures in explaining PM. This paper fills this gap through a meta-analysis of published and unpublished studies on this topic spanning over 1975–2016, and answers the following five research questions: (a) What are the different measures used in the space syntax literature to explain PM?; (b) What are the magnitudes and directions of associations between space syntax measures and PM?; (c) Which space syntax measure has a more consistent relationship with PM?; (d) To what extent do the explanatory powers of different measures vary between their derivation methods?; and (e) What are the likely causes of variations of the reported results in prior studies? This research examined four syntactic measures (integration, connectivity, choice, and control) in a random effect model with 95% confidence interval (CI). The choice and integration measures were further investigated based on their operational approaches (topological, angular and metric). Results show that integration (ES = 0.206, 95% CI = 0.173–0.238, p < 0.001), choice (ES = 0.481, 95% CI = 0.391–0.561, p < 0.001), and connectivity (ES = 0.305, 95% CI = −0.225–0.696, p = 0.257) measures positively influence PM with choice being the strongest predictor. Both connectivity and control (ES = −0.001, 95% CI = −0.117–0.115, p = 0.990) were found to have a statistically insignificant impact. The choice and integration measures show stronger effects when derived using the angular approach (ES = 0.493 for choice, and ES = 0.502 for integration) compared to topological approach (ES = 0.374 for choice, and ES = 0.124 for integration). However, the reported results of all measures are highly heterogeneous, perhaps due to the differences in research design. The significance, magnitude, and consistency of integration and choice measures justify their relevance in built environment interventions to promote PM.

Estimating pedestrian demand for active transport evaluation and planning

This article presents a recently developed walkability-based approach to evaluating the built environment’s relationship to pedestrian activity, as well as the application of this evaluation in generating a model of pedestrian demand across London derived from built environment indicators. The approach is novel in its integration of space syntax measures to evaluate network accessibility and the use of volume area ratios to measure land use intensity. It utilises high-resolution geographic data surfaces for the generation of the built environment variables. The advantage of using this method is that it allows greater analytical flexibility in transport policy and practice, where the ability to compare the analytical results to other social and spatial indicators is vital for decision-making. Pedestrian density data covering the whole of Greater London are used to test the performance of the variables. The best performing variables are then analysed to determine their weighting in a model of pedestrian demand for London based on the selected built environment indicators. Randomised testing shows that the model is capable of reliably predicting pedestrian demand. It can be used to estimate pedestrian demand both currently and for future scenarios by quantify future changes to the built environment, and thus enabling walking to be quantitatively assessed in the same way as motorised modes. The model can be applied to active travel infrastructure planning and policy evaluation, from the scale of the street or intersection, to larger administrative units. The model also has wider theoretical and policy implications that relate to the spatial structuring of London.

Built environmental factors and adults' travel behaviors: Role of street layout and local destinations

Street layout is consistently associated with adults' travel behaviors, however factors influencing this association are unclear.We examined associations of street layout with travel behaviors: walking for transport (WT) and car use; and, the extent to which these relationships may be accounted for by availability of local destinations.A 24-h travel diary was completed in 2009 by 16,345 adult participants of the South-East Queensland Household Travel Survey, Australia. Three travel-behavior outcomes were derived: any home-based WT; over 30min of home-based WT; and, over 60min of car use. For street layout, a space syntax measure of street integration was calculated for each Statistical Area 1 (SA1, the smallest geographic unit in Australia). An objective measure of availability of destinations – Walk Score – was also derived for each SA1. Logistic regression examined associations of street layout with travel behaviors. Mediation analyses examined to what extent availability of destinations explained the associations.Street integration was significantly associated with travel behaviors. Each one-decile increment in street integration was associated with an 18% (95%CI: 1.15, 1.21) higher odds of any home-based WT; a 10% (95%CI: 1.06, 1.15) higher odds of over 30min of home-based WT; and a 5% (95%CI: 0.94, 0.96) lower odds of using a car over 60min. Local destinations partially mediated the effects of street layout on travel behaviors.Well-connected street layout contributes to active travel partially through availability of more local destinations. Urban design strategies need to address street layout and destinations to promote active travel among residents.

Walkability and walking for transport: characterizing the built environment using space syntax.

BackgroundNeighborhood walkability has been shown to be associated with walking behavior. However, the availability of geographical data necessary to construct it remains a limitation. Building on the concept of space syntax, we propose an alternative walkability index, space syntax walkability (SSW). This study examined associations of the full walkability index and SSW with walking for transport (WT).MethodsData were collected in 2003–2004 from 2544 adults living in 154 Census Collection Districts (CCD) in Adelaide, Australia. Participants reported past week WT frequency. Full walkability (consisting of net residential density, intersection density, land use mix, and net retail area ratio) and SSW (consisting of gross population density and a space syntax measure of street integration) were calculated for each CCD using geographic information systems and space syntax software. Generalized linear models with negative binomial variance and logarithmic link functions were employed to examine the associations of each walkability index with WT frequency, adjusting for socio-demographic variables.ResultsTwo walkability indices were closely correlated (ρ = 0.76, p < 0.01). The associations of full walkability and SSW with WT frequency were positive, with regression coefficients of 1.12 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.17) and 1.14 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.19), respectively.ConclusionsSSW employs readily-available geographic data, yet is comparable to full walkability in its association with WT. The concept and methods of space syntax provide a novel approach to further understanding how urban design influences walking behaviors.

スペース・シンタックス指標を導入した都心域の土地価格指標の形成要因の時代間比較分析&lt;br&gt;―戦前と戦後の名古屋都心域を事例として―

The purpose of this research is to clarify usefulness of Space Syntax (SS) measures quantifying street network in factor analysis for prosperity. 1. We focus Nagoya CBD between 1935 and 1965 that the city planning projects include war damage revival planning were executed, and analyze land price indicators by multiple regression analysis using the distance to streetcar stop, commercial and office use intensity, street width and SS measures in two times. 2. We compare the two estimated models focusing on change of the factor variables rank. As a result, we point out the implication concerning influence of city planning project.

Allometry in the Syntax of Street Networks: Evolution of Adriatic and Ionian Coastal Cities 1800–2010

Urban growth is discussed according to the impact of size on metric and topological space syntax measures that describe street networks. The quantitative analysis of three historical stages of cities on the Adriatic and Ionian coastline is supported by a unique database of historical maps and axial map representations. The empirical evidence demonstrates strong and significant allometric relationships of total length of lines to the area of urbanized territory, and total length, total connectivity, overall depth, total choice (betweenness), and total depth entropy to axial map size. In this paper allometric equations are derived for the measures and it is shown that comparative analysis based on means of measures traditionally used in space syntax does not comply with the observed ontogenetic relationships. The allometric trends of length to area and of connectivity to network size are shown to have sublinear scaling exponents, whereas allometric relationships of length, depth, choice, and entropy to network size are expressed with superlinear exponents. The comparison among three historical stages shows that allometry of depth to axial map size maintains statistical equivalence at the ontogenetic scale that transcends various types of street patterns, growth models, and physiographic conditions. In contrast, allometric relationships of depth, choice, and entropy to size reveal distinct universality classes between cities on the Italian and Balkan coasts, and between cities with and without gridiron street patterns.

Effect of neighbourhood space syntax on the frequency of walking in Edmonton, Canada

Introduction: The walkability of a neighbourhood has traditionally been determined based on a combination of destinations (attractions), design (street layout), and density of the neighbourhood (e.g. the 3d measures of walkability). Recently, space syntax measures have been introduced to public health to assess walkability based on the spatial layout only. Our aim was to elucidate the effects of neighbourhood walkability on walking within the International Physical Activity and the Environment Network (IPEN) framework.

Public Open Space and Walking

This study examined how proximity and attractiveness of public open spaces (POSs), perceptions of the surrounding built environment, and street configuration were associated with walking to and within POSs. Residents from three neighborhoods in Melbourne ( N = 335) completed a questionnaire about walking and perceptions of their neighborhood, and geographic information systems and space syntax measures were used to assess proximity of POSs and street configuration. Proximity and attractiveness of POSs were not associated with POS-related walking. However, several perceptual qualities of the built environment, including safety from crime and traffic and aesthetics, were associated with greater walking. As well, persons living in areas with the most integrated street configurations reported less POS-related walking. Neighborhood perceptions and street configuration are key urban design issues to consider in promoting residents’ use of POS for walking.

Association of the spatial layout of the home and ADL abilities among older adults with dementia.

We investigated the relationship between architectural space syntax measures describing the spatial layout of a home and activities of daily living (ADL) among people with dementia. We visited the homes of 82 participants in a dementia care comparative effectiveness clinical trial and measured the space syntax variables intelligibility and convexity along with several clinical variables, including ADLs. In regression models, we estimated the cross-sectional association between space syntax measures and ADLs. Higher convexity was associated with worse performance of basic but not instrumental ADLs (adjusted β =19.2, P = .02). Intelligibility was not associated with ADLs. These results imply that enclosed rooms with a clearly legible meaning and function might be better memorized and associated with the spatial layout of the home resulting in better basic ADL performance. These results warrant further research on space syntax measures in the home environment of people with dementia, including longitudinal study, which we are pursuing.

Space Syntax and Walking in a New Urbanist and Suburban Neighbourhoods

Prevailing measures of street design have largely ignored the relational properties between local and global street design as correlates of walking behaviour. This study contributes to understanding relationships between the syntactical properties of street design and walking behaviour by examining whether space syntax measures in New Urbanist and conventional suburban neighbourhoods are associated with the walking patterns of residents in these communities. Relying on geographic information systems, survey data and travel diaries, the study relates control, local integration and global integration to walking behaviour, while adjusting for the effect of individual- and household-level characteristics. It finds significant relationships between the number of leisure trips and all three syntactical measures. It also finds a consistent positive relationship between total utilitarian walking and two of the space syntax variables, control and global integration. By explaining individuals' walking behaviour using relational measures of street design, urban designers and planners are encouraged to expand their consideration of how street design may influence walking beyond the local purview.

The Applicability of Space Syntax to Bicycle Facility Planning

With the emergence of bicycles as an increasingly viable form of urban transportation comes the need for improved design and planning tools. Existing methods for evaluating bicycle facilities and for prioritizing their construction and maintenance are reviewed. Two components are necessary for such an analysis: one for assessing the quality of the segments that make up the network, and one for assessing the overall network itself. Space syntax analysis is evaluated as a tool for network assessment on the basis of its potential to predict patterns of travel over different network configurations. The theory behind space syntax is evaluated and then tested by using data from the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts. A good model for predicting bicycle volumes within a network can be constructed by using only census data and the space syntax measure “choice.” Unlike existing bicycle suitability measures, space syntax describes the importance of segments to the connectivity or completeness of the network.

Scaling and universality in city space syntax: Between Zipf and Matthew

We report about the universality of rank–integration distributions of open spaces in city space syntax similar to the famous rank-size distributions of cities (Zipf’s law). We also demonstrate that the degree of choice an open space represents for other spaces directly linked to it in a city follows a power-law statistic. Universal statistical behavior of space syntax measures uncovers the universality of the city creation mechanism. We suggest that the observed universality may help to establish the international definition of a city as a specific land use pattern.

Space and exclusion: does urban morphology play a part in social deprivation?

There is currently a growing interest in the spatial causes of poverty, particularly its persistence. This paper presents methodological innovations that have been developed for investigating the relationship between physical segregation and economic marginalization in the urban environment. Using GIS to layer historical poverty data, contemporary deprivation indexes and space syntax measures of spatial segregation, a multivariate system has been created to enable the understanding of the spatial process involved in the creation and stagnation of poverty areas as well as to analyse the street segment scale of configuration.

Space syntax as a determinant of spatial orientation perception

This paper shows space syntax as a useful tool for evaluating buildings as well as for research on environmental perception. With this methodology, the spatial organization of a building was measured, obtaining a quantitative description of the relationships among the spaces within the building. This measurement is given in terms of how closely each space of the building is connected with the others. We analysed the relationship between the level of integration of each space and the perception of the settings in terms of way finding, communication, and ease of displacement. The results showed that 39% of the variance of perception is explained by the spatial configuration of the building. It suggests that space syntax measures could be helpful in foreseeing how people perceive spatial orientation. Cet article montre que la syntaxe spatiale peut être un outil utile pour évaluer les bâtiments ainsi que pour la recherche sur la perception environnementale. Cette méthode fut employée pour mesurer l'organisation spatiale d'un bâtiment, ce qui a permis d'obtenir une description quantitative des relations entre les espaces dans le bâtiment. Cette mesure permet de faire ressortir jusqu'à quel point chaque espace dans le bâtiment est connecté aux autres. Nous avons analysé la relation entre le niveau d'intégration de chaque espace et la perception de l'organisation des lieux en termes de façon de retrouver, de communication et de facilité de déplacement. Les résultats indiquent que 39% de la variance de la perception est expliqué par la configuration spatiale du bâtiment. Ceci suggère que les mesures de syntaxe spatiale peuvent être utiles afin de prévoir comment les gens perçoivent l'orientation spatiale. Este trabajo muestra la sintaxis espacial como una herramienta útil para evaluar edificios, así como para la investigación en percepción ambiental. Con esta metodología, se midió la organización espacial de un edificio, obteniendo una descripción cuantitativa de las relaciones entre los espacios dentro del edificio. Esta medida es proporcionada en términos de la cercanía con la que cada espacio del edificio está conectado con el resto. Analizamos la relación entre el nivel de integración de cada espacio y la percepción de los escenarios en términos de encuentro del camino, comunicación y facilidad de desplazamiento. Los resultados mostraron que el 39% de la varianza de la percepción es explicada por la configuración espacial del edificio. Se sugiere que la medida de la sintaxis del espacio puede servir de ayuda para prever cómo la gente percibe la orientación espacial.