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Symposium Themes

The 9th International Space Syntax Symposium especially invites papers on the following themes, while other Space Syntax themes are also certainly welcome.

Spatial Analysis and Architectural Theory

This theme focuses on spatial analysis and architecture as theory, developing, expanding, and sharpening the spatial, architectural and urban concepts and ideas upon which Space Syntax is founded. This includes setting Space Syntax theory in relation to other fields, and especially how these fields can strengthen one another by deepening our understanding of the role of space in society.

Modelling and Methodological Development

Space Syntax has not the least been driven by constant emphasis on new ways of description and analysis of space. This specifically concerns how to model space in ways that brings forth key issues or characteristics of syntactic kind. This evolution needs to continue, and we invite papers that develop new methods of description and modelling, or that explore unfound potentials or interpretations of existing models.

Urban Space and Social, Economic and Cultural Phenomena

One central focus is making use of Space Syntax as analytical theory and tool for understanding, predicting, or explaining urban patterns or emergent behaviour in urban settlements. The theme covers a wide range of issues where the common denominator is understanding urbanity in its various forms and expressions, and includes how Space Syntax as an urban research approach can work together with other models to analyse specific or complex urban problems or situations.

Building Morphology and Performativity

As spatial structures, buildings and architecture, are inhabited and appropriated by users, but also express or materialise ideas and architectural intention. This includes both analysis of architectural morphology and spatial configurative typologies and the relation between building morphology and different kinds of behaviour or programmatic use.

Architectural Design and Practices

Space Syntax as theory and model can be used as a research tool in general architectural research-by-design or in architectural and urban design practice, as tool for predicting performative outcomes, generating or inspiring new solutions, or as a way of formulating architectural problems or concepts from a spatial syntax point of view. This theme also welcomes theoretical or practical laboratories on emergent spatial design. The focus is further developing Space Syntax as analytic-generative theory for design practice.

Historical Evolution of Built Form

In line with the tradition of urban morphology, Space Syntax has always paid special attention to the historical aspects of urban form, that is, how the physical form of a city changes over time and how different cities compare to each other. In particular, Space Syntax has provided urban morphology with a powerful methodological toolbox in describing street, plot and building patterns. This theme hopes to continue and strengthen the relationship between the two fields.

Spatial Cognition and Behaviours

Recently, there has been a burgeoning of interdisciplinary collaboration between cognitive science and Space Syntax, which have raised many promising but difficult issues on how spatial patterns and their intelligible properties can be mapped into the cognitive process of individual human beings. We hope to advance this collaboration further by bringing together the requirements and benefits of both fields more adequately.

Green Urbanism and Sustainable Developments

Current forms of urbanism are being epitomized with the idea of 'zero or low carbon green cities.' But it is not clearly understood yet how much and in what way the amount of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission could be reduced by the modification of urban form. In this special theme, we invite papers that investigate how Space Syntax can help to realise these cities by suggesting enlightened strategies of sustainable urban design.