ABOUT SPACE SYNTAX
Space syntax is both a theory of urban planning and design and a software-based technology which can be used to analyse the relationship between human behaviour and spatial morphology. It is an evidence-based approach to planning and design, with a focus on the role of spatial networks in shaping patterns of social and economic transaction. Through a configurational analysis of a street network, the Space Syntax methodology investigates relationships between spatial layout and a range of social, economic and environmental phenomena. These phenomena include patterns of movement, awareness and interaction; land use density, land use mix and land value; urban growth and societal differentiation; safety and crime distribution. Research using the space syntax approach has shown how: movement patterns and flows in cities are powerfully shaped by the street network; this relation shapes the evolution of the centres and sub-centres that affects the well-being of people in the city; patterns of security and insecurity are affected by spatial design; spatial segregation and social disadvantage are related in cities; buildings can create more interactive and organisational cultures.
With the increasing influence of big data brought through the fields of urban design and planning, scholars and practitioners around the globe are becoming increasingly aware of the value of Space Syntax. This symposium will offer a great opportunity to exchange knowledge on both national and international level between researchers, software developers, practitioners, and academics from a wide range of disciplines.
The international Space Syntax symposia were initiated in London in 1997, and have been held every two years in cities around world since then: London (1997), Brasilia (1999), Atlanta (2001), London (2003), Delft (2005), Istanbul (2007), Stockholm (2009), Santiago (2012), Seoul (2013), London (2015), Lisbon (2017), Beijing (2019) and Bergen (2022). Space Syntax symposia provide the fora where the Space Syntax research network comes together to present and discuss new work and to debate the future of their discipline.