Vol. 11 No. 2 (2014): Space Syntax
Articles

Configurational exploration of pedestrian and cyclist movements: A case study of Hangzhou, China

Xiaoling Dai
College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, CHINA
Wenbo Yu
College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, CHINA

Published 2014-12-01

Keywords

  • Pedestrian,
  • cyclist,
  • movement,
  • configuration,
  • Hangzhou

How to Cite

Dai, X., & Yu, W. (2014). Configurational exploration of pedestrian and cyclist movements: A case study of Hangzhou, China. A|Z ITU JOURNAL OF THE FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, 11(2), 119 - 130. Retrieved from https://www.az.itu.edu.tr/index.php/jfa/article/view/458

Abstract

This research organized a systematic survey on both pedestrian and cyclist movements in Hangzhou, to test whether the strong correlation between spatial configuration and movement discovered in western countries is also valid in a Chinese city with different urban morphology and social/culture conditions. Both axial model and angular segment model are adopted. A statistical analysis then shows that angular segment model provides stronger explanation for the movements than axial model. Configurational variables are well correlated with cyclist movement, while R2 value drops significantly with pedestrian volumes. To understand the movement flow which cannot be interpreted by spatial model, three reasons are deduced. First, the gated community management culture in China brings difficulty in constructing an accurate axial map. Second, due to the water channels across the site and abundant crossing points with level changes, there is a significant difference between accessibility graph and visibility graph. Finally, the hierarchy street system made the wide road not only a spatial connector but also a line with severance effect. Standard axial map cannot represent this feature and on the other hand how to deal with different resolutions of axial lines in one model has not been properly discussed. It is believed that these problems are common issues need further discussion.