Space Syntax Space Configuration Navigation Space Syntax Laboratory

Space Syntax: Space, Configuration & Navigation Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Nick S Dalton sdalton@cs. ucl. ac. uk

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Why are architects interested in graph theory?

Creating successful buildings & urban spaces Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Broadgate city of London

Building level Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • Stopping/meeting behavior – How creative environments work (research laboratories, Media) – Interaction and information flow through an organization – Navigation wayfinding (hospitals/airports) What space seeks to do is separate the spatial component out from these complex social systems.

Urban level Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • Interested in pedestrian movement – Passing trade important for retail – Relationship between space, design and crime – Avoiding nightmare projects (Oxford Leys, Docklands) – Archeologists interested in historic function

Questions Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • Despite the high value of ‘village’ properties and many attempts. Developers seem incapable of creating a ‘village feel’. • Yet historic villages themselves where created by people ignorant of urban design.

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL 1970’s work began at the unit for Advanced Architectural studies (UAAS) Bartlett School of architecture University College London Looking for a ‘language’ or ‘grammar’ of space. 1983 - Architectural Morphology by J. P. Steadman 1984 - The Social Logic of space Hillier &Hanson

Process Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • Buildings • Derive maps of ‘discrete space – (space==node) • Where spaces intersect create link – (link == edge) • Build measures of structure of graph • Visualize the results back on the space map

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Because space is intrinsic to human activity, we shape space in ways which reflect this. So we must start from this when we seek to analyse space.

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • We can use this simple technique to show culture manifests itself in the layout of space. For example we can analyse house plans in terms of the shape of justified graphs from rooms with different functions

networks of domestic spaces Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • And colour the results up so we can see that different functions have different degree of integration into the layout as a whole

Are these buildings ‘similar’? Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Axial Lines Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

The axial network Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Traffic (node and link) a b axial a c b

A ‘Beady Ring’ Settlement Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Line Representation of Spatial Configuration Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Axial Lines Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

‘Justified’ Graphs Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Mean depth = 2. 29 Mean depth = 1. 43

‘Axial Integration Map’ Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Oxford Axial map (out of date) Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL You are here

Central Oxford (out of date) Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL You are here

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Oxford City Center

Central Oxford (out of date) Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL You are here

images of London Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Observing of patterns of movement Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Spatial Configuration Correlates with Movement Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL The correlation between the log of observed adult pedestrian flows and radius 5 integration, (r=. 726, p<. 0001, n=466) Correlation between normalised vehicular flows and a fitted variable including radius 3 integration and net road width, (r=. 91, p<. 0001, n = 395) Axial map of London, 17, 000 lines, coloured by radius 3 integration.

Just a reminder Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • • • Just a pure graph No ‘attractors’ (shops) No ‘sources’ (housing, stations) No ‘resistances’ (congestion, traffic) No distances (pure topology) Ideal model for early design stage master planning.

Spatial Configuration Embodies Culture in Co-presence Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Shiraz Den Haag Manchester Axial map of Tokyo, 70, 000 lines, coloured by radius-n integration.

Relativisation Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL But people don’t walk across the length of London. How to compare London with historic London or other cities with different numbers of lines ( different sizes)

‘Justified’ Graphs Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • Radius ‘ 3’ exclude include Mean depth = 2. 29 Mean depth = 1. 43

Radius subgraphs Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • Each sub graph (up to a radius) has access to different numbers of nodes. • Need a method to permit comparison of structure of different sized graphs. – Subgraphs from a node – Different houses buildings or urban systems • Does anyone else look at cumulative path length sub-graphs (Social networks? )

Relativisation Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Normalization

Normalization Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL maximum total depth minimum total depth

Relativisation Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Normalization Integration = 1/RRA

Radius 3 Mean depth Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Oxford Street

Radius 3 Integration Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Oxford Street

Social: Teenage Socialization Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL 1970’s housing in North London has found problems of youth socialisation Adult movement patterns are centre to edge Spatial segregation and complexity freeze out through movement Teenagers’ and children’s space use patterns colonise strategic but isolated spaces

Spatial Layout Drives Communication & Innovation at Work Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Moving and static space use in HHCL All line analysis of spatial layout Perceived usefulness and frequency of being seen for all staff Perceived usefulness and frequency of being seen for ‘creative’ staff

The End Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • • Further information www. spacesyntax. org http: //bat. vr. ucl. ac. uk/webmap/ The Social Logic of Space [Hillier & Hanson] • Space is the Machine[Hillier] • The Social Logic of Housing[Hanson]

Extra Time Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • Small world or not small world ? • Intelligibility (measure) – ‘nameing’ places • More localization methods • Highly non planar mapping

Is it a Small world? Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • Mean path length is typically low • Degree distribution more Poisson than power law • Axial maps are highly clique free (Watts and Strogatz) definition of small world • Also lack of cliques means not scale free. • Cities Have structural hubs (high street) but tend to be more robust to blockage.

Is a city a small world? Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • Path length distribution is also wrong for a small - world ( but consistent across all axial maps)

Extra Time Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • Intelligibility • Correlation between – Connectivity( Degree) – Global integration (normalized cumulative path length ) • The relation between what I can see and how I can go in the system • Appears to be strong for historic neighborhoods and weak for dysfunctional housing estates

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Maiden lane estate

degree Maiden lane estate Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Barnsbury integration Correlation between Radius 3 and Radius Infinity

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • Intelligibility Mapping

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Camden town Summers town

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Oxford

Extra time Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • Local cumulative path length • Radius ( count of onion rings) – Relativisation only works with rational steps – Needs strong scaling structure • Vicinity (new) • Decay (new)

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Vicinity vs Radius • Ordered J-graph sequence 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6 • V 9 = [1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4] • R 3= [1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3] • 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, • R 3=[1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3] • V 9=[1, 2, 2, 2, 2]

Extra time Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • K eccentricity appears to be the reverse of Vicinity • Is there a ‘proper’ mathematical term for vicinity?

Empirical Evidence Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Non planar graph Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Random grand final thought Possible to layout non planar graphs in a planar way ?

Planar representation Tuft would be proud of Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Convex Spaces Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Convex Spaces Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Convex Spaces Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL Mutual awareness Intervisibility Co-presence Potential for social interaction antonymous Exclusion Concealment Isolation No potential for social interaction

Mean Shortest Paths & Mean Out-of-group ‘Utility’: Numbers for Nine Organizations Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

UCL Departments Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Density of Internal Phone Traffic Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Sample Building Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL

Cognizing Urban Spatial Configurations Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • To decide how to navigate the urban grid, we must have some ‘picture’ of its geometric and topological properties. • This is why we say that before cities are social products, they are human products. They reflect how our minds read their ambient space and use it to guide both their actions and their bodies in space. • Moreover, insofar as cities are human products, they tend to be universal, and insofar as they are products of culture, they tend to be differentiated. The individuality of cities arises because both of these are partial orderings against a random background, so a large number of idiosyncratic facts also shape cities.

Towards a Theory of Urban Configuration & Cognition Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • Our theory of how we cognize urban configurations requires that human beings interact with spatial complexity in their ambient space by building a ‘picture’ of its geometry and topology. Is this possible? • We have recently had some very strong evidence that this is the case, but showing quite unambiguously that people use the geometry and topology of their spatial environment as the main guides to navigation, rather than, say, simple distance minimisation or landmarks.

Conclusion Space Syntax Laboratory The Bartlett, UCL • This has a consequence of huge importance for urbanism. It means that people are reading the architecture of the grid in order to move and animate the city. They are not responding like automatons to the simplicities of location and distance. • The architecture of the large scale urban network is then the prime determinant of how the city functions, and how they become the diverse and wonderful things they are. • The implication is that we have to reclaim the large scale architecture of the city for careful and knowledgeable design.