Computationally mapping spatial properties of Chinese historic towns using space syntax

Due to its geographic size and long cultural history of fluctuating borders, China has a large number of historic settlements; each with their own unique geometric, cultural, social, and spatial characteristics. Despite the various studies that have attempted to qualitatively describe the spatial properties of historic towns, there are limited attempts to understand the spatial qualities of these towns through a quantitative approach, such as space syntax. This paper proposes and demonstrates a computational approach based on space syntax to map spatial properties of these towns. Four spatial features are examined and evaluated to capture the spatial patterns of Chinese historic towns: (1) axiality, (2) curvature, (3) intelligibility, and (4) synergy. The approach has been applied to four typical towns in China: Pingyao, Lijiang, Kulangsu, and Wuzhen. This computational approach provides a new way to complement existing qualitative measures of understanding the urban form and use of historic towns, providing a powerful tool to support the development of policy affecting historic town design/planning, heritage conservation, and heritage tourism.