Quantitative Analysis On Street Network In Urban Environment

The paper developed a serie of quantitative devices and methods to define and visualize the spatial characteristics of network layouts. These finally support the urban design in a scientific way.In the research, the street networks are analysised in two categories of spatial characteristic——the geometric form and the topological structure. In each category, new variables of network are introduced, while the quantitative calculation methods are generized to construct an analysis platform. By plotting the values of the street networks, the devices can help to recognize different type of networks according to their spatial properties.Network analysis will be done in several actual urban cases. By using GIS techniques, space syntax etc., the comparative analyses cover on the one hand different districts from one city developed during different eras, and on the other hand districts from different cities with diverse contexts. The analysis clarifies the characteristic of distinctive street networks and develops a typology of urban network patterns to make the comparison between the urban network and its social context. The research results finally lead to a deeper insight into the spatial interaction between social/cultural elements and physical built environment in urban area.