Space syntax is a science-based, human-focused approach that investigates relationships between spatial layout and a range of social, economic and environmental phenomena.

These phenomena include patterns of movement, awareness and interaction; density, land use and land value; urban growth and societal differentiation; safety and crime distribution.

Synonyms

Space Sytax

Definition

Space Syntax theory studies the intrinsic properties of the configuration of space (Hillier and Hanson 1984). At an urban scale, the way streets are structured as set of relationships amongst parts creating a whole, has been defined as ‘spatial configuration’ (Hillier et al. 1987b, Hillier 1996b). As an analytical theory, Space Syntax offers a methodology to study the ‘syntactic properties’ of the spatial configuration of the street network. Depthmap software is used to quantify the syntactic values (Turner 2004, Turner 2007, Varoudis 2012).

Axial Lines

The syntactic analysis is based on the configuration of the axial lines, which are the fewest longest straight lines that cover the street network (Hillier and Hanson 1984).

Integration and Choice

The main syntactic properties are ‘integration’ and ‘choice’ (Hillier et al. 1993). Integration indicates the degree of accessibility of an axial line, by measuring how deep or shallow is the axial line in relation to all the others; it is the best predictor of to-movement (Hillier and Hanson 1984). Choice measures how likely each axial line is used on the shortest routes from all lines to all other lines in the system; it is the best predictor of through-movement (Hillier et al. 1987).

Segment Line

Space Syntax research has evolved from using axial lines to segment lines, a more disaggregated segment-based measurement (Hillier and Iida 2005). A segment line is the section of axial line lying between two intersections. Hillier and Iida (2005) argue that movement in a street network is best explained by its geometrical and topological rather than its metric properties, because people try to minimise distance reading the urban network in geometrical and topological rather then metric terms.

Natural Movement

The syntactic properties of integration and choice have been found to correspond strongly with pedestrian and vehicular movement within cities (Hillier et al. 1993). Furthermore, space syntax research has identified the importance of the study of movement in order to understand the social, economic and spatial patterns of cities (Hillier and Hanson 1984). The spatial configuration of the street network has been found to have the syntactic properties to encourage the presence of local inhabitants and strangers on the street, which has been called ‘co-presence’ (Hillier and Hanson 1984). Hillier et al., (1993) argue that the configuration of the street network might enhance the co-presence and therefore movement on the streets according to their accessibility. This configurational property of the urban systems has been called ‘natural movement’. According to the authors, the degree of movement on the streets first corresponds to the degree of integration of each street within the system and then movement can be multiplied by ‘positive’ attractors like shops or decline by ‘negative’ attractors such as enclosed housing estate (Hillier et al. 1993).

Movement economies

According to Hillier (1996a), the interrelated structure of the urban grid explains its natural movement and it generates a process of micro-economic activity that shapes the city. Therefore, he proposes to think cities as ‘movement economies’. He argues that land uses tend to be located according to the accessibility of its location, so the commercial activity, which is benefited from large amount of movement, tends to be located in the most integrated streets of the network.

Multiplier effect

The relationship between land use distribution and spatial configuration creates a ‘multiplier effect’ (Hillier et al. 1993, Hillier 1996a) in which the commercial land uses reinforce the initial movement and co-presence of the area and therefore the natural movement of the street increases.

Foreground and Background Network

Hillier argues that cities are structured by a ‘foreground network’, which “is made up of a relatively small number of longer lines, connected at their ends by open angles, and forming a super-ordinate structure within which we find the ‘background network’, made up of much larger numbers of shorter lines, which tend to intersect each other and be connected at their ends by near right angles, and form local grid like clusters” (Hillier 2009, p.8). On the one hand, the foreground is characterized by integrated streets with commercial activity that maximise natural co-presence and link centres at all scales (Hillier 1996b, Hillier 2002). On the other hand, the background is outlined by less integrated streets, residential activity and a relatively restricted co-presence of in-habitants and strangers (Hillier 1996b, Hillier 2002).