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03 Mapping Techniques - Space Syntax

Space Syntax is a research program developed at University College London to analyze spatial configurations using topological techniques. It views the environment as independent variables and investigates spatial complexes to identify their structural properties at the configuration level. The method analyzes spaces as networks of choices that can be represented as maps and graphs describing connectivity and integration. Space Syntax has grown internationally and is used in architecture, urban design, planning, and transport to quantify and describe navigability and predict social effects like crime rates based on spatial layouts.

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Vinil Rajendran
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118 views2 pages

03 Mapping Techniques - Space Syntax

Space Syntax is a research program developed at University College London to analyze spatial configurations using topological techniques. It views the environment as independent variables and investigates spatial complexes to identify their structural properties at the configuration level. The method analyzes spaces as networks of choices that can be represented as maps and graphs describing connectivity and integration. Space Syntax has grown internationally and is used in architecture, urban design, planning, and transport to quantify and describe navigability and predict social effects like crime rates based on spatial layouts.

Uploaded by

Vinil Rajendran
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Space Syntax

Space Syntax deals with topologically derived configuration and has techniques that allow the
environment to be considered as independent variables.

Space Syntax, or simply Syntax is a research program that was developed by a team led by Professor Bill
Hillier in the unit of Architectural Studies in University College London (Hillier, 1996; Hillier, 1984). Since
then, it has grown into an independent research area with an increasing international community.
Primarily, Syntax is a method of investigating spatial complexes in an attempt to identify its particular
structure that resides at the level of the entire configuration.

 The method is based upon the theory that the form-function relation in buildings and cities
passes through the structural properties of its configuration (Hillier, 1998). Space Syntax is
useful in describing and analyzing patterns of architectural space, at both the building and the
urban level. Such descriptions of spatial configuration then serve as independent variables in
various kinds of architectural research.
 The term space syntax encompasses a set of theories and techniques for the analysis of spatial
configurations. It was conceived by Bill Hillier, Julienne Hanson and colleagues at The
Bartlett, University College London in the late 1970s to early 1980s as a tool to help urban
planners simulate the likely social effects of their designs.
 The general idea is that spaces can be broken down into components, analyzed as networks of
choices, then represented as maps and graphs that describe the relative connectivity and
integration of those spaces.

Figure 1 : Isovist analysis of M.O Road(above) and M G Road(below) in all angles from 90 degree to 360
degree in 2012.
By observing the distribution of syntactic values of historical urban streets throughout the radii
even in 2012 it is clear that the prevailing high values are still for the historic cultural streets which holds
the maximum cultural events of the city. An isovist is the field of view from a particular point in the
spatial configuration. A comparison of isovists following the people’s movement shows how the views
along the routes became more and more defined over the years. Their patterns became more
directional, approximating a visual axis. What the map of isovists also reveals are the areas that
remained constant in the transformation of the visual field along the procession and major event routes.
A comparison across the years shows the transformation of the most overlays of isovists from a wider
visual field to a more linear visual axis. It is possible to say that the view was becoming more controlled.
However, the route of the rituals and festivals remained more or less the same. This indicates that the
ritualistic practice of the major celebrations followed a spatial pattern that was pre-determined and
present in space. The spatial pattern of the ritual existed before the creation of that space. It
demonstrates the prevalence of mental representation of space over space itself.

History
Space syntax has grown to become a tool used around the world in a variety of research areas and
design applications in architecture, urban design, planning, transport andinterior design. In general, the
analysis uses one of many software programs that allow researchers to analyse graphs of one (or more)
of the primary spatial components.

Applications
From these components it is thought to be possible to quantify and describe how easily navigable any
space is, useful for the design of museums, airports, hospitals, and other settings where wayfinding is a
significant issue. Space syntax has also been applied to predict the correlation between spatial layouts
and social effects such as crime, traffic flow, and sales per unit area.

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