Towards a multimodal space syntax analysis: A case study of the London street and underground network

In an age where citizens are connected in an endless city of intertwining social, transport and communications networks, there is a need for space syntax analysis to look beyond the street network in exploring how different networks impact upon today’s society. Through the use of Depthmap (Turner, 2007) and geographic information system, this study continues previous space syntax research on public transport network analysis such as London Underground network (Chiaradia, 2005) and the National Railway network. (Schwander, 2007) The study develops a bi‐modal network model of London within the M25 that combines the street and the Underground network as a proof of concept for a multi‐modal space syntax network analysis. This model is validated through a statistical analysis with empirical data of station usage in Underground stations. (TfL, 2008) The results suggest that an integrated bi‐modal network analysis is able to capture more accurately the spatial advantage of town centres that are well connected by non street‐based modes of transport than a traditional space syntax street‐only network analysis. This provides an extra layer of understanding London, where the advancement of communication and transportation technology allows for the emergence and growth of the metropolis. In parallel with the latest space syntax research on origin and destination weighting and place syntax accessibility analysis, the study continues the dialogue between geometric analysis of space syntax and geographic accessibility analysis. (Jiang, 1999