Search Results (257)

As urbanization accelerates, urban greenery, particularly street greenery, emerges as a vital strategy for enhancing residents’ quality of life, demanding attention for its alignment with pedestrian flows to foster sustainable urban development and ensure urban dwellers’ wellbeing. The advent of diverse urban data has significantly advanced this area of study. Focusing on Chengdu’s central urban district, this research assesses street greening metrics against pedestrian flow indicators, employing spatial autocorrelation techniques to investigate the interplay between street greenery and pedestrian flow over time and space. Our findings reveal a prevalent negative spatial autocorrelation between street greenery and pedestrian flow within the area, underscored by temporal disparities in greenery demands across various urban functions during weekdays versus weekends. This study innovatively incorporates mobile phone signal-based population heat maps into the mismatch analysis of street greenery for the first time, moving beyond the conventional static approach of space syntax topology in assessing pedestrian flow. By leveraging dynamic pedestrian flow data, it enriches our understanding of the disconnect between street greening plans and pedestrian circulation, highlighting the concept of urban flow and delving into the intricate nexus among time, space, and human activity. Moreover, this study meticulously examines multiple street usage scenarios, reflecting diverse behavior patterns, with the objective of providing nuanced and actionable strategies for urban renewal initiatives aimed at creating more inviting and sustainable urban habitats. Full article

In the context of intensive urban development, urban complexes have emerged as crucial public spaces that address the needs of urban populations. However, current research on urban complexes is predominantly qualitative and lacks a rigorous scientific and quantitative analysis. Therefore, this study employs the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to construct a standardized system encompassing five dimensions: spatial function, spatial perception, architectural style, surrounding environment, and energy-saving technology. The objective is to determine the weights of the indices that influence people’s use of urban complexes under the goal of “humanization”. Additionally, the study quantitatively analyzes key indices using spatial syntax and other analytical methods. Subsequently, we employ multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) analysis to examine three real-world cases in China, aiming to validate further the importance of the AHP + MCDM approach, which incorporates the TOPSIS method based on grey correlation. This methodology considers both the subjective factors of crowd evaluations of urban complex usage and the interrelationships among indicators, ensuring that the statistical calculations of the indicators remain objective and scientifically robust. The results indicate that (1) the degree of facility improvement has the greatest impact on the crowd’s use of urban complexes; (2) there is a discrepancy between the results of the TOPSIS method and the MCDM evaluation model, with the MCDM evaluation method aligning more closely with real-world scenarios; and (3) the Shanghai MOSCHINO received the highest evaluation score, while the Nanjing Central Emporium received the lowest. Finally, we discuss the experimental results and propose targeted strategies for optimizing the design of urban complexes to achieve the goal of “humanization”. Full article

Located in the vast Algerian Sahara, Bechar has experienced over the years uncontrolled urban growth. It has evolved from a simple oasis and ksar (traditional settlement) to a city with a contrasting center and segregated outskirts. This growth has led to significant urban fragmentation that affected residents’ quality of life. This research uses space syntax theory to analyze Bechar’s urban configurations and their impact on functionality and sustainability. The study examines integration, connectivity, control, and intelligibility through axial maps and syntactic measures. Findings reveal that areas with high integration show better accessibility and reduced vehicle reliance, while segregated areas face accessibility challenges and limited services. Global integration values range from −1 to 1.192, averaging at 0.767, which indicates different accessibility among neighborhoods. These insights are crucial to identify areas where sustainable urban planning can mitigate adverse effects and enhance city efficiency. We created an axial map using DepthmapX v0.8.0 software and a modified digital QGIS map to collect data and measure Bechar’s urban properties. The methodology we used translates social behaviors into spatial representations, generating interpretative models for social and spatial phenomena. This article provides valuable information on the infrastructure and service needs, guiding strategic resource allocation. The proposed urban design strategies include urban canopies and optimized building ratios to reduce energy consumption and promote sustainability. To conclude, we recommend practical solutions to enhance the sustainability and functioning of urban areas similar to Bechar. Full article

With the expansion of Chinese university campuses, electric bikes (E-bikes) have become the most sustainable and effective commuting option because they are a flexible and energy-saving travel mode. Consequently, campus E-bike charging piles have become one of the most essential public service facilities on campuses. However, since most Chinese campuses are closed and independent, the principles of urban public service facilities cannot be simply applied to the layout and use of campus charging facilities. Thus, this study focuses on Zijingang Campus at Zhejiang University, and proposes an optimization strategy for the spatial and temporal layout of E-bike charging piles on the campus. First, trip chain demand models are constructed to examine the travel patterns of E-bike users on campus and the demands for charging areas and time. Second, a space location model is constructed to locate the charging piles in areas with high demand. Finally, according to the charging times of different users, user charging time is integrated into the strategy. This study enhances the layout and utilization system of campus E-bike charging facilities by considering both temporal and spatial dimensions. Overall, this study contributes to the advancement of sustainable transportation infrastructure planning on a campus-wide scale, offering theoretical insights for the design and utilization of functional facilities in large-scale, semi-enclosed environments (e.g., university campuses). Full article

Public urban spaces are vital settings for fostering social interaction among people. However, understanding how spatial layouts can promote positive social behaviors remains a critical and debated challenge for urban designers and planners aiming to create socially sustainable environments. Space syntax, a well-established theory and research method, explores the influence of spatial configurations on social aspects. Despite its significant contributions, there is a lack of comprehensive systematic reviews evaluating its effectiveness in enhancing social interaction within urban public spaces. This study aims to identify the existing scientific gaps in the domain of space syntax studies, with a primary focus on sociability in public urban spaces. Following the PRISMA framework, a thorough literature search was conducted in the Scopus database, yielding 1107 relevant articles. After applying screening and eligibility criteria, 26 articles were selected for in-depth review. This review adopted a novel approach to synthesizing and analyzing the findings for identifying underexplored scientific gaps. The findings suggested a wide variety of research gaps to address, encompassing evidence, knowledge, practical, methodological, empirical, theoretical, and target populations to provide a thorough overview of the current state of knowledge in this field. In conclusion, by exploring the interplay between space syntax and design elements such as the urban infrastructure, landscaping, and microclimate in these areas, future research can bridge this gap, particularly when considering a cross-cultural lens. This study underscores the importance of space syntax in promoting social interaction in urban public spaces, offering a robust foundation for future research and practical applications to create more socially engaging environments. Full article

Changzhou is a city situated in the eastern region of China and serves as a pivotal juncture of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, the Grand Canal of China. The study employed spatial syntax foreground and background network analysis to examine the cultural landscape characteristics and determinants of the urban spatial context in Changzhou, influenced by the Grand Canal, with a focus on rivers, streets, and social networks. The findings revealed that: (1) Foreground network construction: serving as the fundamental framework of urban space, street and river networks exhibited distinct functionalities in terms of structural configuration, functional organization, and potential impact. (2) Background network construction: social networks identified through spatial structure recognition demonstrated sustainable characteristics, as their layout was not directly correlated to the foreground network but contributed to the identification of the identity and the traits of social networks. (3) Dual network adaptability to contemporary urban space: it was imperative to redefine the role of river networks to augment their potential impact in shaping scenic leisure systems. This study provides novel insights into preserving and acknowledging the urban spatial context while offering valuable references for safeguarding regional cultural landscapes. Full article

Street quality plays a crucial role in promoting urban development. There is still no consensus on how to quantify human street quality perception on a large scale or explore the relationship between street quality and street composition elements. This study investigates a new approach for evaluating and comparing street quality perception and accessibility in Shanghai and Chengdu, two megacities with distinct geographic characteristics, using street-view images, deep learning, and space syntax. The result indicates significant differences in street quality perception between Shanghai and Chengdu. In Chengdu, there is a curvilinear distribution of the highest positive perceptions along the riverfront space and a radioactive spatial distribution of the highest negative perceptions along the ring road and main roads. Shanghai displays a fragmented cross-aggregation and polycentric distribution of the streets with the highest positive and negative perceptions. Thus, it is reasonable to hypothesize that street quality perception closely correlates with the urban planning and construction process of streets. Moreover, we used multiple linear regression to explain the relationship between street quality perception and street elements. The results show that buildings in Shanghai and trees, pavement, and grass in Chengdu were positively associated with positive perceptions. Walls in both Shanghai and Chengdu show a consistent positive correlation with negative perceptions and a consistent negative correlation with other positive perceptions, and are most likely to contribute to the perception of low street quality. Ceilings were positively associated with negative perceptions in Shanghai but are not the major street elements in Chengdu, while the grass is the opposite of the above results. Our research can provide a cost-effective and rapid solution for large-scale, highly detailed urban street quality perception assessments to inform human-scale urban planning. Full article

Designing reasonable commercial transportation space is of great significance to enhancing the overall value of commerce. This study takes the classic cases of three typical plans of commercial wholesale centres (CWCs) as the research object, uses space syntax to analyse the connectivity of the architecture of the traffic space, simulates the current situation of the pedestrian flow distribution through ArcGIS, and constructs a multiple regression model for the association between connectivity and pedestrian flow distribution. The results of this study show that for CWCs with a single business type and a focus on traffic efficiency, the distribution of the pedestrian flow is most affected by the main entrance and the vertical traffic distribution. For different types of planes, when the commercial traffic space has strong symmetry, its group relationship is more concise. While a uniform form is more conducive to achieving a balanced distribution of commercial traffic, the asymmetry of the plan layout helps to establish a psycho-spatial map for the visitors. In addition, the commercial value of the first floor is greatly influenced by the layout of the building entrance, and the commercial value of the second floor is greatly influenced by the location of the vertical transportation. In conclusion, when commercial building development planning is in the stage of traffic flow design, the use of space connectivity traffic data can assist in the selection of construction plans and predict the distribution of the economic value in CWCs. Full article

(1) Background: Public space is an important carrier for maintaining the cultural values of a village and the production and living customs of the villagers, but the use rights and boundaries are in an unstable and ambiguous state, and it is not a completely open and inclusive public space. The study aims to deepen the understanding of the publicness of public space in traditional villages from the perspective of subjective and objective combination, which reveals the relationship between the space and villagers’ behavior. (2) Methods: The research established an evaluation framework for assessing the “publicness” of public spaces in traditional villages by integrating space syntax and cognitive surveys. This framework facilitates the analysis of the extent and dimensions of publicness, along with corresponding behavioral patterns, and explores the underlying mechanisms influencing publicness. (3) Results: The study reveals significant variations in the publicness of traditional village spaces. High-publicness areas tend to cluster, whereas low-publicness areas are more scattered, and riverfront regions exhibit greater publicness compared to mountain-adjacent ones. Villagers exhibit notable differences in their evaluations of public spaces, and individuals aged 14–18 and those over 66 rate the highest. The utilization rate of high-publicness spaces is significantly high, catering to a diverse array of activities. In spaces with lower publicness, the duration and variety of activities tend to be more constrained, often limited to rapid exchanges or brief respites, exhibiting a narrower scope of activities. (4) Conclusions: The study underscores the variability and complexity of publicness in traditional village spaces, which manifest not only in spatial layouts and types but also in villagers’ usage patterns and behavioral preferences. This may be influenced by objective factors such as spatial accessibility, social interaction, and richness of cultural activities. Full article

The increases in both the elderly population and urbanization present new problems for planning new cities and managing old cities. To solve this challenge, innovative ideas/proposals that encourage walkability and reduce fossil energy motor transport are needed, in line with the actions advocated by Sustainable Development Goal #11 (SDG11), Sustainable Cities and Communities. Opening passages that cross blocks, creating connections between the streets, is the proposal discussed in this paper, as seen in cities like Paris, Prague, Milan, and Juíz de Fora, which have passages in their urban fabric. These can be implemented in a building’s rehabilitation or when a new building replaces it. New architectural project designs should have several characteristics that promote walkability in the city, including passages and galleries. Although previous research has obtained promising results, extending the research to different urban fabrics and block sizes is needed. Using space syntax and data analysis, we simulated and quantitatively assessed the walkability of three neighborhoods in Lisbon, Portugal. The comparison of all simulations and the discussion of the results show that the passages improve walkability. It is also noticeable that there is higher walkability in orthogonal urban fabrics than in non-orthogonal fabrics. The results for block size are inconclusive. Full article

This study focuses on the streets and spatial networks of the historic urban area in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, China, by mainly investigating the evolution of their geometric and topological characteristics. It draws on the theories and methods of urban morphology and space syntax, combines the digital historical maps at different times, and uses methods such as historical map spatial interpretation, geographic information system (GIS), sDNA tools, and urban morphological parameter analysis to explore and sort out the evolutionary process of the street and alley network in Changsha from the early modern period to the present. The paper constructs a parameter system for analyzing the street and alley network of historic urban areas from a geometric and topological perspective. It introduces the indicators of road density, road orientation, intersection density, and approaches such as closeness, betweenness, and intelligibility in space syntax into the parameter analysis framework of street and alley network morphology and spatial characteristics evolution. By comparing the changes in various parameters at different spatial scales, the process of the spatial order evolution of the street and alley network in the historic urban area is analyzed, and the evolutionary rules of the various periods’ morphological characteristics are extracted. Full article

With the process of urban expansion, the urban road infrastructure gradually develops and improves, and the urban fringe tourism area gradually receives the attention of tourists, meaning there may be a mismatch between the demand and the early transportation planning for the urban fringe tourism area. In order to explore the relationship between urban road network structure characteristics and urban fringe tourist areas, this study chose Kunming Lake in Xi’an City as the research object and obtained the consumer development characteristics of urban fringe tourist areas through a comparison of POI data. We explored the traffic development trend in urban fringe tourist areas based on a spatial syntactic model by quantifying the road network structure characteristics using the indexes related to depth, integration, and choice. The results of the study show that the consumer development level of the urban fringe tourism area is poor compared with that of the built-up scenic area, and tourists tend to travel in the scenic area but do not live in this neighborhood. The average normalized depth values in the axial and segmental maps were 0.52 and 0.42, respectively, indicating that expressways and ring roads can improve the accessibility of urban fringe tourist areas. The expansion of motorized transportation activities gradually increases the importance of urban fringe tourist areas. There is a significant correlation between the road network density and route selection, although the correlation between the two gradually decreases as the measured radius increases. The conclusions drawn from this study provide methodological references and research paradigms for the development of city fringe tourist areas and urban transportation planning. Full article

Accessible and high-quality urban green space (UGS) can provide significant benefits to refugee children for their development, health, and well-being. However, few studies have examined the actual accessibility of UGS from refugee children’s perspectives (i.e., with restricted walking radius, particular vulnerability towards barriers such as traffic infrastructures and disconnected road forms) and related them with other environmental or social burdens under the context of environmental justice. It is necessary to explore related evidence and investigate the underlying causes since refugee facilities are primarily located in areas with restricted social and environmental resources strongly related to attributes of environmental justice. This paper investigated (1) availability, accessibility, and attractiveness of UGS in 30 refugee accommodation locations in Berlin using GIS and Space Syntax, (2) environmental burdens using the Berlin Atlas of Environmental Justice, and (3) neighbourhood characteristics. Findings indicate that 63% of refugee accommodations have availability of green space that is above average official standards, but from refugee children’s perspectives, 60% of the locations have limited access to UGS, lower attractive green spaces, and most locations face multi-environmental burdens. Currently, little guidance focuses on ensuring equal access to and the usability of UGS for specific socioeconomic and demographic groups, such as refugee children. Therefore, this paper has contributed empirical materials to begin such research and develop inclusive decision-making strategies in environmental and health policy to ensure the provision and high quality of UGS for refugee children who need it. Full article

An “Innerburb” is an urban structure that emerged between the 1950s and 1980s, settled in rural areas, and is considered the first periphery of the Latin American city. This structure results from socio-spatial and territorial evolutionary processes, constituting the pinnacle of informal evolution. However, despite offering a comprehensive perspective on the informal problem, innerburbs have been scarcely reviewed in the literature. This article explores the Latin American innerburb by adopting as a method a comparative study of the public/private interface in the cases of San Cosme in Lima, Villa Rodolfo Ricciardelli in Buenos Aires and Vila Heliopolis in São Paulo, evaluating their adaptation and interconnection with the city through morphological indicators, using morphological mapping through satellite images as an analytical tool, and using Space Syntax as a topological approach in the analysis of connectivity and visibility indicators. The objective of the research is the detection of morphological patterns that alter the functioning of the public/private interface in innerburbs. The results show that the existence of impermeable facades, the lack of public spaces and the illegal appropriation in the development of informal practices are transgressive adaptability patterns at the micro-scale that affect the interface, drastically limiting the interconnection between the innerburb and the formal fabric, restricting its morphological openness and affecting the development of socioeconomic activities. As a discussion and conclusion, corrective measures for progressive improvement in innerburbs are established, focusing on the adaptability of housing and road space as a means of interconnection between the innerburb and the city. Full article

Assessing urban service locations is a key issue within city planning, integral to promoting the well-being of citizens, and ensuring effective urban development. However, many current approaches emphasize spatial analysis focused solely on physical attributes, neglecting the equally vital social dimensions essential for enhancing inhabitants’ comfort and quality of life. When social factors are considered, they tend to operate at smaller scales. This paper addresses this gap by prioritizing integrating social factors alongside spatial analysis at the community level. By employing space syntax theory, this study investigates urban service suitability in Hajjah, a Palestinian urban community, presenting a novel approach in the literature. The research identifies good spots for essential governmental facilities like health clinics and fire stations using axial map analysis. It also suggests reallocation for some schools. Additionally, it shows ways to improve the placement of community amenities, finding ideal park locations but suboptimal mosque placements. Commercial services also exhibit areas for enhancement including gas stations and shops. The insights from this research can offer policymakers and planners insights to create more efficient, equitable, and accessible cities. The research approach incorporates social behavior dynamics into spatial analysis, promoting inclusive urban planning. Full article