Unpacking Walkability: Testing the Influence of Urban Design Features on Perceptions of Walking Environment Attractiveness
October 31, 2025Urban nuclei and the geometry of streets: The ‘emergent neighborhoods’ model
October 31, 2025Spatial sustainability in cities: Organic patterns and sustainable forms
By Hillier, B.
Full Citation
Hillier, B. (2009). Spatial sustainability in cities: Organic patterns and sustainable forms. In Proceedings of the 7th International Space Syntax Symposium, Edited by Daniel Koch, Lars Marcus and Jesper Steen, Stockholm: Royal Institute of Technology (KTH).
Key Findings
The study examines key underlying structures in the city with a focus on the street network. City structure is found to have a foreground network of linked centres at all scales, set into a background network of mainly residential space. A concept of spatial sustainability is proposed, focused on the structure of the primary spatial structure of the city, the street network. A well-structured street network of primary and secondary street types focused on the movement economy is the most critical relation of all in the ways in which the city expresses economic and social forces.