Probing different centralities in city regions: a space-syntactic approach
This paper presents preliminary findings from the first attempt at extending the spatial-configurational analysis of individual cities’ street network to the city-regional scale street network, hoping to capture simultaneously the inter- and intra-settlement spatio-functional dynamics that may exp...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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UTM
2005
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| Online Access: | http://eprints.utm.my/6177/ http://eprints.utm.my/6177/1/Chau_5SSS_FAB.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848891209459695616 |
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| author | Chau, Loon Wai |
| author_facet | Chau, Loon Wai |
| author_sort | Chau, Loon Wai |
| building | UTeM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This paper presents preliminary findings from the first attempt at extending the spatial-configurational analysis of individual cities’ street network to the city-regional scale street network, hoping to capture simultaneously the inter- and intra-settlement spatio-functional dynamics that may explain different centralities – historically evolved centres, planned centres, emergent metropolitan centres at various spatial scales – in rapidly expanding city regions. This involves the analysis of aggregate space-syntactic properties, multiple-radii integration and choice measures of the complete spatial network of two rapidly developing, geo-morphologically varied, Malaysian city regions – Penang Island and Johor Bahru District. It is demonstrated that spatial network analysis is an effective tool for studying different centralities in mostly planned, spatially non-contiguous city regions. The spatial network approach aptly encapsulates cityregional morphological variations; gives effective spatial accounts of centres of different hierarchies and sizes at various spatial scales; identifies the presence of global and intermediatescale spatial relations that may define centres’ global significance and regional strength; depicts the nesting of local centres within larger centres as well as overlapping centralities across spatial scales; and accounts for the “alternative� global-oriented location pattern of emergent metropolitan centres in city regions. More specifically, it is found that historically evolved centrality tends to be more intelligible and synergetic than planned centrality; that higher ratio of planned centrality in city regions may possibly have aggregate weakening effects on their overall intelligibility and synergy levels; and that modern metropolitan shopping/commercial centres are spatially emergent under a different spatio-functional logic that is best captured by choice analysis. Within the paper’s restricted analytical depth and specificity, it is asserted that spatial network analysis effectively describes inter-settlement centrality patterns and potentially complements economic geography and regional science’s spatial interaction modelling of regional/urban centrality, with the crucial advantage of not losing sight of centres’ internal spatial structure. However, more in-depth quantitative analyses and detailed micro-structure studies are necessary to substantiate this claim. The paper concludes by opening up more questions that need further addressing in future studies. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T20:54:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | utm-6177 |
| institution | Universiti Teknologi Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T20:54:20Z |
| publishDate | 2005 |
| publisher | UTM |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | utm-61772017-09-06T04:22:14Z http://eprints.utm.my/6177/ Probing different centralities in city regions: a space-syntactic approach Chau, Loon Wai H Social Sciences (General) This paper presents preliminary findings from the first attempt at extending the spatial-configurational analysis of individual cities’ street network to the city-regional scale street network, hoping to capture simultaneously the inter- and intra-settlement spatio-functional dynamics that may explain different centralities – historically evolved centres, planned centres, emergent metropolitan centres at various spatial scales – in rapidly expanding city regions. This involves the analysis of aggregate space-syntactic properties, multiple-radii integration and choice measures of the complete spatial network of two rapidly developing, geo-morphologically varied, Malaysian city regions – Penang Island and Johor Bahru District. It is demonstrated that spatial network analysis is an effective tool for studying different centralities in mostly planned, spatially non-contiguous city regions. The spatial network approach aptly encapsulates cityregional morphological variations; gives effective spatial accounts of centres of different hierarchies and sizes at various spatial scales; identifies the presence of global and intermediatescale spatial relations that may define centres’ global significance and regional strength; depicts the nesting of local centres within larger centres as well as overlapping centralities across spatial scales; and accounts for the “alternative� global-oriented location pattern of emergent metropolitan centres in city regions. More specifically, it is found that historically evolved centrality tends to be more intelligible and synergetic than planned centrality; that higher ratio of planned centrality in city regions may possibly have aggregate weakening effects on their overall intelligibility and synergy levels; and that modern metropolitan shopping/commercial centres are spatially emergent under a different spatio-functional logic that is best captured by choice analysis. Within the paper’s restricted analytical depth and specificity, it is asserted that spatial network analysis effectively describes inter-settlement centrality patterns and potentially complements economic geography and regional science’s spatial interaction modelling of regional/urban centrality, with the crucial advantage of not losing sight of centres’ internal spatial structure. However, more in-depth quantitative analyses and detailed micro-structure studies are necessary to substantiate this claim. The paper concludes by opening up more questions that need further addressing in future studies. UTM 2005 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://eprints.utm.my/6177/1/Chau_5SSS_FAB.pdf Chau, Loon Wai (2005) Probing different centralities in city regions: a space-syntactic approach. Jurnal Alam Bina . ISSN 1511-1369 |
| spellingShingle | H Social Sciences (General) Chau, Loon Wai Probing different centralities in city regions: a space-syntactic approach |
| title | Probing different centralities in city regions: a space-syntactic approach |
| title_full | Probing different centralities in city regions: a space-syntactic approach |
| title_fullStr | Probing different centralities in city regions: a space-syntactic approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Probing different centralities in city regions: a space-syntactic approach |
| title_short | Probing different centralities in city regions: a space-syntactic approach |
| title_sort | probing different centralities in city regions: a space-syntactic approach |
| topic | H Social Sciences (General) |
| url | http://eprints.utm.my/6177/ http://eprints.utm.my/6177/1/Chau_5SSS_FAB.pdf |