Keynote speech: Directions in Space Syntax. Space Syntax modelling of pedestrian flows for sustainable urban development

Modelling pedestrian flows has been one of the main directions of Space Syntax since its introduction,but what we see in the last years is that it has also become a central interdisciplinary objective withinthe Sustainable Development research agenda. The agenda calls for promotion of sustainable mobility(i.e. walking, cycling, public transport) and a clear shift from car-oriented development. There is anacknowledged need in the broader fields of urban development to model pedestrian flows: to explainand assess the functioning of existing built environments, to predict future situations and assistscenario analysis when planning new areas and infrastructural changes and support decision-making.The keynote argues that Space Syntax can claim expertise for this emerging interdisciplinary field ofstudy, having built a relevant and comprehensive theoretical and methodological framework andhaving provided sufficient and solid empirical evidence that it is an appropriate methodology to modelpedestrian flows. What is more, it is perfectly aligned with the main tenets of SustainableDevelopment. The keynote continues to lay out the opportunities created for Space Syntax research bythe Sustainable Development research agenda, but also the needs for further development. Usingrecent and current projects from the Spatial Morphology Group (SMoG) at Chalmers University ofTechnology, three research priorities are identified and exemplified further