The one- and two-dimensional isovists analyses in Space Syntax

This article aims to show the spatial properties for indicating degrees of street life, safety and economical attractiveness in urban areas through analysing the one- and two-dimensional visibility analyses of the space syntax method. The space syntax method is able to calculate the spatial configuration of built environments and can be applied on a wide scale level in research on built environments - from the organisation of furniture in a room up to the metropolis, making possible, in the first instance comparison of built environments with one another from a spatial point of view. Similarly, the method is a useful tool for comparison of the spatial changes in a before and after situation of structural urban changes in an area.However, while the method is a tool for explaining the physical spatial set up of buildings and cities, the interpretation of the results from the spatial analyses must be done in correlation with understanding of the societal processes and human behaviour. The most known method is to calculate how spatially integrated a street is in relation to all others in terms of direction change and degree of angular deviation. It is able to identify the streets’ spatial features for vital shopping areas, crime distribution, various social classes’ spatial preferences when choosing a dwelling area, and the spatial features of the location of various institutional buildings. The space syntax method’s elements are based on visual sight lines. Examples from Delft and Alkmaar will be used for showing the correlations between the spatial analyses and socio-economic data