Spatial Network Dynamics

Spatial Network Dynamics

We propose a series of subjects in continuous interaction leading to an improvement of our cities. As a matter of fact, we shall be prepared to foster an attitude to carry out a smarting of our cities, rather than considering them as smart artifacts.

Which are the qualities that improve us as urban citizens, as well as suggesting a continuous improvement of the cities in which we live?

The program we offer proceeds from simple notions to other issues open to debate, with the aim of providing tools required by architects that should operate in a different way, within a society which is already operating differently.

Contents

1. Founding Notions: Connectivity and Depth. Topological descriptions and their duals. Applications to the analysis of settlements.

2. Different measures: metric, topological, angular. Things described as we perceive them.

3. Design and movement. Some examples of architectural and urban design. Fuzzy boundaries, pervasive centralities, spatial sustainability.

4. Topological description of place. Anthropological and architectural examples. Compound, Settlement, Village, Configuration. Urban complexity. Symmetric, Asymmetric / Distributive, Non Distributive occupations of place.

5. Operative Models: Relations between intelligibility, integration, control and choice. The historic evolution of Barcelona as excuse. Archaeological and anthropological examples. Its application in different modern cities.

6. Software available. From analysis to proposal in architectural/urban design.

7. Scattergrams, the logic of place and usage. Evaluation of indexes.

8. Absolute and Relative Centrality, Similarity/Disparity of architectural/urban tissues.

9. Development of study cases.

Bibliography

Hillier, Hanson 1984: The social logic of space.

Hillier 1996: Space is the machine: A configurational theory of architecture.

www.spacesyntax.com/symposia. All the information required is available in the internet.