Analysing the Visual Dynamics of Spatial Morphology

Abstract

Recently there has been a revival of interest in visibility analysis of architectural configurations. The new analyses rely heavily on computing power and statistical analysis, two factors which, according to the postpositivist school of geography, should immediately cause us to be wary. The danger, they would suggest, is in the application of a reductionist formal mathematical description in order to ‘explain’ multilayered sociospatial phenomena. The author presents an attempt to rationalise how we can use visibility analysis to explore architecture in this multilayered context by considering the dynamics that lead to the visual experience. In particular, it is recommended that we assess the visual process of inhabitation, rather than assess the visibility in vacuo. In order to investigate the possibilities and limitations of the methodology, an urban environment is analysed by means of an agent-based model of visual actors within the configuration. The results obtained from the model are compared with actual pedestrian movement and other analytic measurements of the area: the agents correlate well both with human movement patterns and with configurational relationship as analysed by space-syntax methods. The application of both methods in combination improves on the correlation with observed movement of either, which in turn implies that an understanding of both the process of inhabitation and the principles of configuration may play a crucial role in determining the social usage of space.

The Duality of Visibility: Does Visibility Increase or Decrease the Fear of Crime in Schools′ Exterior Environments?

“…To begin with, the exterior areas of elementary schools were investigated because, exterior areas are different from interior or urban areas in terms of morphology, scale, and interpretation of visibility (Turner, 2003). Furthermore, school exterior areas show variable visibility, ranging from very high (e.g., playgrounds) to very low (e.g., the rear of buildings).…”

Suggestion for a Visual Dynamics Analysis Model Using a Natural Movement Model

“…They appeared to be trying to integrate a movement model with a visual model. Turner (2003) later discussed this model with the concept of visual dynamics.…”

“…The purpose of this study is to suggest a visual dynamics model composed of a visibility analysis model integrated with a natural movement model. Turner (2003) used the term 'visual dynamics. ' He said that visibility analysis should assess not the visibility alone, but the visual ecological process which occurs between occupant and space.…”

How CREM Can Measure Added Value of Building Design: Knowledge Sharing in Research Buildings

“…And the visible (lighter) areas are hardly allocated to workplaces. An appealing side of isovists and visibility analysis is that they provide a description of space as how the user perceives it, interacts with it and Corporate Real Estate moves through it (Turner, 2001;Turner, 2003) and have the potential to reveal more of the life that occurs in a space than by just studying the space itself (Peatross, 2001). Spatial network analysis uses the VGA grid to determine metric distances.…”