Application of spatial connectivity and preference-based computational analysis in an urban design case for young individuals in the city of Hangzhou

Abstract

Following the global trend of industrial upgrading, big Chinese cities compete domestically for young individuals with higher education and skills. Yet, cities claimed to be based on research, technology, marketing, and finance have failed to provide urban structure for active social life. The majority of young individuals came to big cities with high expectations. After making high accommodation expenses, they ended up in a subdivided apartment dedicated to the traditional family structure, as the spatially enclosed high-rise community was the only option in most cases.

This thesis aims to intervene with an urban design by analyzing the spatial connectivity of the urban structure using space syntax and combining it with other computational analysis methods to compensate young individuals’ needs and preferences in attempting to offer a design solution in a block-level site. The rule-based approach is capable of creating variations of solutions. The formal procedure of how the input data feeds to the output solution can be clearly discussed and optimized, and applied in future scenarios while avoiding repetitive copies of the outcome.