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Prof. Dr. Akkelies van Nes
TU Delft

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0 Archaeology
0 Spatial Analysis
0 space syntax
0 ring roads
0 urban centres

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urban centres

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Journal article
Published: 21 May 2021 in Sustainability
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This contribution demonstrates how space syntax methods on various scale levels can be used to identify and describe the spatial features of a compact city. Firstly, the term urban compactness is discussed. A short discussion of some writings on the compact city are elaborated. As it transpired, urban compactness can best be approached from a spatial topological point of view, since compactness is a topological property. Secondly, urban compactness will be reconsidered in spatial configurative terms through the use of space syntax and urban micro scale tools. Examples from car-, pedestrian-, and public transport-based centres in Oslo and Bergen will be used throughout this contribution. Discussions of the examples in this contribution are discussed with references to other space syntax research results. As the case studies show, enhancing compact neighbourhoods with good walkability potential from a spatial perspective relies on spatial interaccessibility on all scale levels. Accessibility depends on spatial configurative compactness. Seemingly, it depends on the following complex set of sufficient conditions: a spatially integrated street network on all scale levels, short urban blocks and streets with building entrances with windows and doors on the ground floor level.

ACS Style

Akkelies van Nes. Spatial Configurations and Walkability Potentials. Measuring Urban Compactness with Space Syntax. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5785 .

AMA Style

Akkelies van Nes. Spatial Configurations and Walkability Potentials. Measuring Urban Compactness with Space Syntax. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (11):5785.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Akkelies van Nes. 2021. "Spatial Configurations and Walkability Potentials. Measuring Urban Compactness with Space Syntax." Sustainability 13, no. 11: 5785.

Journal article
Published: 01 April 2021 in Sustainability
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This contribution demonstrates how inner ring roads change the location pattern of shops in urban areas with the application of the space syntax method. A market rational behaviour persists, in that shop owners always search for an optimal location to reach as many customers as possible. If the accessibility to this optimal location is affected by changes in a city’s road and street structure, it will affect the location pattern of shops. Initially, case studies of inner ring road projects in Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Bristol, Tampere, and Mannheim show how their realisation affect the spatial structure of the street network of these cities and the location pattern of shops. The results of the spatial integration analyses of the street and road network are discussed with reference to changes in land-use before and after the implementation of ring roads, and current space syntax theories. As the results show, how an inner ring road is connected to and the type of the street network it is imposed upon dictates the resulting location pattern of shops. Shops locate and relocate themselves along the most spatially-integrated streets. Evidence on how new road projects influence the location pattern of shops in urban centres are useful for planning sustainable city centres.

ACS Style

Akkelies van Nes. The Impact of the Ring Roads on the Location Pattern of Shops in Town and City Centres. A Space Syntax Approach. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3927 .

AMA Style

Akkelies van Nes. The Impact of the Ring Roads on the Location Pattern of Shops in Town and City Centres. A Space Syntax Approach. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (7):3927.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Akkelies van Nes. 2021. "The Impact of the Ring Roads on the Location Pattern of Shops in Town and City Centres. A Space Syntax Approach." Sustainability 13, no. 7: 3927.

Journal article
Published: 19 March 2021 in Sustainability
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Bill Hillier’s space syntax method and theory enables us to describe the spatial properties of a sustainable city. Empirical testing of the space syntax method over time has confirmed the capacity and innovativeness of analyzing spatial relationships with the purpose of understanding and explaining the socio-spatial organization of built environments. However, the conceptual framework of space syntax elements is scattered around in various academic writings. This article, therefore, gives a holistic and compact overview of the various concepts that are used in space syntax, from its basic elements to various analytical techniques and theories. To achieve this compact overview, we reviewed all space syntax literature accessible since the 1970s for finding core references to various concepts used in space syntax. Following a short description of its foundation and evolution through the work of Bill Hillier, we explain its basic concepts and measures in the form of an extended glossary. Explanations are enriched with various space syntax analyses and scenario testing on various scales that were applied to the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. We conclude with a discussion about the advantages and limitations of space syntax and about how this method adds value to the creation of sustainable cities.

ACS Style

Claudia Yamu; Akkelies van Nes; Chiara Garau. Bill Hillier’s Legacy: Space Syntax—A Synopsis of Basic Concepts, Measures, and Empirical Application. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3394 .

AMA Style

Claudia Yamu, Akkelies van Nes, Chiara Garau. Bill Hillier’s Legacy: Space Syntax—A Synopsis of Basic Concepts, Measures, and Empirical Application. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (6):3394.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Claudia Yamu; Akkelies van Nes; Chiara Garau. 2021. "Bill Hillier’s Legacy: Space Syntax—A Synopsis of Basic Concepts, Measures, and Empirical Application." Sustainability 13, no. 6: 3394.

Journal article
Published: 04 November 2020 in Sustainability
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The municipality of Bergen in Norway aims to densify fifty per cent of new housing within the city’s central parts. The Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation ordered and financed an investigation to be carried out by the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and the consulting firm Asplan Viak to give research-based input to the densification strategy debate in Bergen. This article demonstrates how the Space Syntax method can be applied to urban densification strategies in urban planning and policy making. The Geographical Information System (GIS) is used to obtain, select, and aggregate operational information. First, the spatial attributes that constitute an area’s attractiveness were registered. Then, this analysis was modelled after the Spacescape® method. Next, the Space Syntax methodology was applied to predict to-movement and through-movement flow potentials. Finally, through weighting the relevant parameters, including impediments such as land ownership, twelve areas were identified as having major potential for transformation based on their overall score. As it turns out, the spatial structure of the street and road network is the underlying driver for how and where to densify. Now, the challenge is how to apply this knowledge into current planning practice.

ACS Style

Remco Koning; Hans Roald; Akkelies Nes. A Scientific Approach to the Densification Debate in Bergen Centre in Norway. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9178 .

AMA Style

Remco Koning, Hans Roald, Akkelies Nes. A Scientific Approach to the Densification Debate in Bergen Centre in Norway. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (21):9178.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Remco Koning; Hans Roald; Akkelies Nes. 2020. "A Scientific Approach to the Densification Debate in Bergen Centre in Norway." Sustainability 12, no. 21: 9178.

Journal article
Published: 02 October 2020 in Sustainability
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Energy usage in cities is intertwined with its spatial configuration—the denser and more compact the city, the more concentrated and efficient the energy usage is to be expected. To achieve sustainable communities, cities (and their inhabitants) must reconsider its spatial configurations in the context of rapid urbanisation and growth in light of limited resources and conflicting spatial claims. This article seeks to understand how spatial configurations affect transport energy usage in cities and propose an integrated assessment approach factoring spatial configurational analysis in relation to transport energy usage at the micro- and macroscale. Comparing Bergen, Norway, and Zürich, Switzerland, findings showed that spatial configurations were positively correlated to transport energy usage. Street structures suitable for walking and less suitable for car traffic tended to exhibit lower amounts of energy usage. Following this, nine typologies of transport and land use patterns are described to support planning for more sustainable means of transport.

ACS Style

Remco Koning; Wendy Tan; Akkelies Van Nes. Assessing Spatial Configurations and Transport Energy Usage for Planning Sustainable Communities. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8146 .

AMA Style

Remco Koning, Wendy Tan, Akkelies Van Nes. Assessing Spatial Configurations and Transport Energy Usage for Planning Sustainable Communities. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (19):8146.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Remco Koning; Wendy Tan; Akkelies Van Nes. 2020. "Assessing Spatial Configurations and Transport Energy Usage for Planning Sustainable Communities." Sustainability 12, no. 19: 8146.

Journal article
Published: 15 September 2020 in Sustainability
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There is a need for knowledge of how the spatial features of the urban environment can shape the potential for safe streets and a gender inclusive society. This research reveals the relationship between a built environment’s spatial features, the presence of various types of people, and gender-based sexual violence in the public space of four neighborhoods in Rotterdam. Detailed sexual violence data are obtained from the police on a street resolution level for correlation with the spatial data on a micro and macro scale level (the space syntax method) and registrations regarding human behavior on streets at different time periods. Pooled Poisson regression models were created to explain the number of sexual violence reports per street and per block. The result is that there are correlations between the occurrence of sexual crimes, the number of people and women on the streets, local spatial integration, the land use of streets, and temporal aspects. Non-residential streets are safe during the day but become dangerous at night, and mixed land use is safer than mono-functional areas. A high degree of inter-visibility for entrances generates high degree of natural surveillance, resulting in greater safety on streets. A residential street with higher flow of people has fewer incidents than mono-functional commercial blocks. Commercial blocks have higher numbers of incidents at night due to the lack of natural surveillance from windows on the ground floor after shops close.

ACS Style

Julia Miranda; Akkelies Van Nes. Sexual Violence in the City: Space, Gender, and the Occurrence of Sexual Violence in Rotterdam. Sustainability 2020, 12, 7609 .

AMA Style

Julia Miranda, Akkelies Van Nes. Sexual Violence in the City: Space, Gender, and the Occurrence of Sexual Violence in Rotterdam. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (18):7609.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Julia Miranda; Akkelies Van Nes. 2020. "Sexual Violence in the City: Space, Gender, and the Occurrence of Sexual Violence in Rotterdam." Sustainability 12, no. 18: 7609.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2020 in Sustainability
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The planning and building of sustainable cities and communities yields operational theories on urban space. The novelty of this paper is that it discusses and explores the challenges for space syntax theory building within two key research traditions: positivism and hermeneutics. Applying a theory of science perspective, we first discuss the explanatory power of space syntax and its applications. Next, we distinguish between theories that attempt to explain a phenomenon and theories that seek to understand it, based on Von Wright’s modal logics and Bhaskar’s critical realism models. We demonstrate that space syntax research that focuses on spatial configurative changes in built environments, movement and economic activities can explain changes in a built environment in terms of cause and effect (positivism), whereas historical research or research focusing on social rationality, space and crime or cognition seeks to develop an understanding of the inherent cultural meaning of the space under investigation (hermeneutics). Evidently, the effect of human intentions and behaviour on spatial structures depends on the type of rationality underlying these intentions, which is the focus of this study. Positivist explanatory models are appropriate for examining market rationality in cases that entail unambiguous intentionality and that are associated with a high degree of predictability. By contrast, other kinds of reasoning require a hermeneutic understanding.

ACS Style

Akkelies Van Nes; Claudia Yamu. Exploring Challenges in Space Syntax Theory Building: The Use of Positivist and Hermeneutic Explanatory Models. Sustainability 2020, 12, 7133 .

AMA Style

Akkelies Van Nes, Claudia Yamu. Exploring Challenges in Space Syntax Theory Building: The Use of Positivist and Hermeneutic Explanatory Models. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (17):7133.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Akkelies Van Nes; Claudia Yamu. 2020. "Exploring Challenges in Space Syntax Theory Building: The Use of Positivist and Hermeneutic Explanatory Models." Sustainability 12, no. 17: 7133.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2019 in Cubic Journal
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The first attempt to reinvent the public spaces, #WomenSpatialActivism, reclaims the women’s right to the city in India. Women Spatial Activism (WSA) proposes a gender-sensitive approach to urban design in the neighbourhood of Malviya Nagar in Delhi in India, that inspires the reappropriation of the front door by an old woman, the street by a working girl and the public park by mothers. The proposal is to reclaim women’s right to the city through the recontextualisation of their public spaces which have been lost or need to be developed in urbanised India. The project has three main components: bottom-up strategic spatial interventions, the creation of a strong coalition of local stakeholders, and the use of digital technology. The hashtag #WomenSpatialActivism or #WSA aims to spread this movement through social media. The Women Spatial Activism project calls for a spatial gender agenda for an inclusive urban future for all.

ACS Style

Sugandha Gupta; Luisa Calabrese; Akkelies Van Nes. #WomenSpatialActivism: Designging for the Re-appropriation of Public Spaces by Women in New Delhi, India. Cubic Journal 2019, 76 -99.

AMA Style

Sugandha Gupta, Luisa Calabrese, Akkelies Van Nes. #WomenSpatialActivism: Designging for the Re-appropriation of Public Spaces by Women in New Delhi, India. Cubic Journal. 2019; (2):76-99.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sugandha Gupta; Luisa Calabrese; Akkelies Van Nes. 2019. "#WomenSpatialActivism: Designging for the Re-appropriation of Public Spaces by Women in New Delhi, India." Cubic Journal , no. 2: 76-99.

Chapter
Published: 24 March 2019 in Mathematical and Numerical Foundations of Turbulence Models and Applications
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The aim of this chapter is to explain what Space Syntax is. Firstly, the types of spatial elements used in Space Syntax is discussed, secondly, the various mathematical formulas of various space syntax methods are elaborated, and finally Space Syntax’ contribution to theory building on built environments are discussed.

ACS Style

A. Van Nes. Applied Mathematics on Urban Space. Mathematical and Numerical Foundations of Turbulence Models and Applications 2019, 253 -270.

AMA Style

A. Van Nes. Applied Mathematics on Urban Space. Mathematical and Numerical Foundations of Turbulence Models and Applications. 2019; ():253-270.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Van Nes. 2019. "Applied Mathematics on Urban Space." Mathematical and Numerical Foundations of Turbulence Models and Applications , no. : 253-270.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2018 in The Journal of Interdisciplinary History
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The application of space syntax to the study of urban history—in this case, that of Tel Aviv and Jaffa (present-day Tel Aviv–Yafo)—can add a valuable, quantifiable component to the understanding of urban processes. However, it also demonstrates that historical spatio-syntactical analysis can prove misleading when interpreted separately from other types of historical evidence—for example, the ethnic conflicts that led to the formation of a strong divide between Tel Aviv and Jaffa despite their contiguous geography and interlaced street networks. A rigorous use of spatio-syntactic analysis in combination with “conventional” historical research methods can reveal the tensions and interplays between the spatio-physical and social forces that shape the life of cities, and it can invigorate our understanding of urban growth and transformationpatterns throughout history.

ACS Style

Or Aleksandrowicz; Claudia Yamu; Akkelies van Nes. Spatio-Syntactical Analysis and Historical Spatial Potentials: The Case of Jaffa–Tel Aviv. The Journal of Interdisciplinary History 2018, 49, 445 -472.

AMA Style

Or Aleksandrowicz, Claudia Yamu, Akkelies van Nes. Spatio-Syntactical Analysis and Historical Spatial Potentials: The Case of Jaffa–Tel Aviv. The Journal of Interdisciplinary History. 2018; 49 (3):445-472.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Or Aleksandrowicz; Claudia Yamu; Akkelies van Nes. 2018. "Spatio-Syntactical Analysis and Historical Spatial Potentials: The Case of Jaffa–Tel Aviv." The Journal of Interdisciplinary History 49, no. 3: 445-472.

Journal article
Published: 22 December 2016 in URBAN DESIGN International
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ACS Style

Yu Ye; Anthony Yeh; Yu Zhuang; Akkelies van Nes; Jianzheng Liu. “Form Syntax” as a contribution to geodesign: A morphological tool for urbanity-making in urban design. URBAN DESIGN International 2016, 22, 73 -90.

AMA Style

Yu Ye, Anthony Yeh, Yu Zhuang, Akkelies van Nes, Jianzheng Liu. “Form Syntax” as a contribution to geodesign: A morphological tool for urbanity-making in urban design. URBAN DESIGN International. 2016; 22 (1):73-90.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yu Ye; Anthony Yeh; Yu Zhuang; Akkelies van Nes; Jianzheng Liu. 2016. "“Form Syntax” as a contribution to geodesign: A morphological tool for urbanity-making in urban design." URBAN DESIGN International 22, no. 1: 73-90.

Book chapter
Published: 15 February 2014 in Spatial analysis and social spaces
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ACS Style

Akkelies van Nes. Indicating street vitality in excavated towns. Spatial configurative analyses applied to Pompeii. Spatial analysis and social spaces 2014, 277 -296.

AMA Style

Akkelies van Nes. Indicating street vitality in excavated towns. Spatial configurative analyses applied to Pompeii. Spatial analysis and social spaces. 2014; ():277-296.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Akkelies van Nes. 2014. "Indicating street vitality in excavated towns. Spatial configurative analyses applied to Pompeii." Spatial analysis and social spaces , no. : 277-296.

Journal article
Published: 01 February 2014 in Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology
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ACS Style

Frank van der Hoeven; Akkelies van Nes. Improving the design of urban underground space in metro stations using the space syntax methodology. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 2014, 40, 64 -74.

AMA Style

Frank van der Hoeven, Akkelies van Nes. Improving the design of urban underground space in metro stations using the space syntax methodology. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology. 2014; 40 ():64-74.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Frank van der Hoeven; Akkelies van Nes. 2014. "Improving the design of urban underground space in metro stations using the space syntax methodology." Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 40, no. : 64-74.

Conference paper
Published: 29 August 2008 in SUSTAINABLE CITY 2008
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In contemporary urban policy making, the term \“active frontages” of buildings is often used. However, a precise spatial definition in order to...

ACS Style

Akkelies van Nes. Measuring the urban private-public interface. SUSTAINABLE CITY 2008 2008, 117, 389 -398.

AMA Style

Akkelies van Nes. Measuring the urban private-public interface. SUSTAINABLE CITY 2008. 2008; 117 ():389-398.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Akkelies van Nes. 2008. "Measuring the urban private-public interface." SUSTAINABLE CITY 2008 117, no. : 389-398.

Conference paper
Published: 01 January 2008 in 2008 First International Conference on Infrastructure Systems and Services: Building Networks for a Brighter Future (INFRA)
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This contribution reveals the inter-relationship between road building and dispersal of economic activities in built environments. Initially, case studies of inner ring road projects at Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and Bristol show how their realisation affected the street net of these cities and, accordingly, the location pattern of shops. The topological presentation of according changes allows for a detailed analysis of their relevance in terms of road building and land use development. For this purpose the investigation primarily draws upon Space Syntax method. The results of its application are discussed with reference to planning processes and changes in land use. The way in which a ring road is imposed upon a street net and the specific manner in which it is connected to the relevant streets decides upon the resulting location pattern of shops. Hence, the spatial structure of infrastructures matters in the way it generates various degrees of accessibility and attractiveness to areas in its vicinity in urban centres.

ACS Style

Akkelies van Nes. A spatial configurative explanation of how inner ring roads affect the location pattern of shops in city and town centres. 2008 First International Conference on Infrastructure Systems and Services: Building Networks for a Brighter Future (INFRA) 2008, 1 -5.

AMA Style

Akkelies van Nes. A spatial configurative explanation of how inner ring roads affect the location pattern of shops in city and town centres. 2008 First International Conference on Infrastructure Systems and Services: Building Networks for a Brighter Future (INFRA). 2008; ():1-5.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Akkelies van Nes. 2008. "A spatial configurative explanation of how inner ring roads affect the location pattern of shops in city and town centres." 2008 First International Conference on Infrastructure Systems and Services: Building Networks for a Brighter Future (INFRA) , no. : 1-5.

Proceedings article
Published: 28 June 2006 in Sustainable Irrigation Management, Technologies and Policies
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ACS Style

Akkelies van Nes. The burglar as a space explorer in his own neighborhood. Sustainable Irrigation Management, Technologies and Policies 2006, 93, 1 .

AMA Style

Akkelies van Nes. The burglar as a space explorer in his own neighborhood. Sustainable Irrigation Management, Technologies and Policies. 2006; 93 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Akkelies van Nes. 2006. "The burglar as a space explorer in his own neighborhood." Sustainable Irrigation Management, Technologies and Policies 93, no. : 1.