Space Syntax and the City

A few weeks ago Ana and Maria from Define took part in a bespoke two day training course learning about Space Syntax in London. The course started with a City Walk that gave an overview of Space Syntax principles within the built environment. The strong relationship between the spatial layout of the city and the way people navigate, interact and behave within urban spaces were experienced. Successful and unsuccessful spaces were visited to test the principles how people move, interact and perceive changes in visual fields within the city were observed.

The training continued at Space Syntax offices - located in a lovely and stylish workspace in Shoreditch. During that session the group learned how to implement the theory in practice and were introduced to relevant software tools, such as DepthMap and QGIS as well as exploring some of the possibilities that they offer. After the training, it was great to explore Shoreditch and get to know our hosts - the welcoming Space Syntax team - and make the most of the lovely weather.

Without doubt, Space Syntax is a both complex but fascinating tool with a huge potential for Define’s existing and future projects. The tools can help us be more robust in our approach and justify key design decisions particularly around the placement and configuration of local centres, as well as choices around density and where to position key active travel routes within schemes. We cannot wait to start implementing all this knowledge in our projects!