A new perspective on urban form with the integration of Space Syntax and MCDA – An exploratory analysis of the city of Xi’an, China

Abstract

The research on urban form and its related socio-economic activities have been undertaken for long, while the evolution of research approaches and tools are limited by the conventional medium such as maps to interpret the built environment. Emerging new urban data has equipped urban morphologists with innovative datasets for urban form studies. This thesis aims to explore and interpret the urban form from a new perspective, which integrates spatial patterns generated from Space Syntax analysis with new urban data in GIS using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). Xi’an, as one of the most renowned historic cities in China, is selected as the case since the city has undergone an unprecedented transformation of urban form in the last decades. In this research, the space syntax model of Xi’an is built primarily based on the OpenStreetMap (OSM) with further refinement by the Baidu Map. The Point of Interests (POI) data acquired from the Baidu Map API serves as the main datasets for the criterion of MCDA. The social data of human movement flow is gathered by the gate observation in five representative districts in Xi’an. The correlation analysis with observation data is employed to compare the result of the original Space Syntax analysis and MCDA to consolidate the understanding of urban form. This research provides urban researchers with new insights into urban form in terms of the application of new urban data, the invention of a new research method, and the new perception of the City of Xi’an. The findings suggest that the new perspective can facilitate the quantifying process and enhance the comprehensive understanding of urban form. Based on the research, recommendations for further studies and urban planning of Xi’an are discussed.