Author: Iacovos Loizou, Researcher, Society and Urban Form (SURF) Research Lab, University of Cyprus.

As part of a TWIN2EXPAND internship, I spent two months carrying out post-occupancy evaluations (POE) of urban design projects. The internship was at Space Syntax Ltd in London, UK, where I had the privilege of delving into the dynamic world of the private sector of urban planning in the UK.

The core element of my internship was the research I carried out: post-occupancy evaluation of projects completed in the past decade, where Space Syntax Ltd had provided consultancy regarding pedestrian movement and the use of the public realm. This involved assessing the impact of changes to the built environment on pedestrian movement by comparing pedestrian counts at the same locations before and after the implementation of an intervention.

My research focused on both understanding the factors influencing pedestrian movement and evaluating the accuracy of space syntax models in predicting these movements. I examined five UK-based projects:  Trafalgar Square (figure 1), Central St Giles court, One New Change shopping centre, Nottingham Old Market Square and Bloomberg HQ (figure 2). After reviewing the firm’s original reports on the proposed designs, we established a method for impact assessment and identified specific locations to collect pedestrian count data. This allowed us to compare actual, current movement rates with the original projected outcomes. A significant amount of my time was spent on site, counting pedestrians at designated locations following a protocol that would allow us to analysis the results comparatively to the original assessments and projections.

The study presented several challenges relating to:

• Inconsistent data availability. This was because not all assignments by Space Syntax Ltd were the same across the five projects that I was investigating with different levels of involvement and project scope, as well as because of the challenges of identifying relevant data for studies that were done 20+ years ago and were stored at the archives of the firm. Similarly, there were cases where data was not accompanied by sufficient explanation and could be open to multiple interpretations.
• Technological advancement of space syntax. The softwares used at the time of some of the projects are now outdated and only allowed for simplified analytics in comparison to the capabilities of the state-of-the-art softwares used presently, therefore evaluation of the accuracy of past projections must take into consideration the capabilities of past softwares and models comparatively to the evolution of space syntax technology.
• Volatility of pedestrian movement. Use of space and in particular levels of pedestrian movement is volatile to daily changes, with weather conditions, temporary construction works or road closures, affecting the choices of movement of locals and visitors across a city. The specific day of observation at the different sites might therefore distort the findings of the research. Characteristic of this discrepancy is how, for example, post implementation pedestrian counts at the Nottingham Old Market Square were conducted on a wet Wednesday in October, compared to the original data count in 2004 being carried out on a sunny Friday in August. In addition, the square’s central section was fenced off and inaccessible to pedestrians due to the setting up of the Christmas Market. As a result, movement through the central part of the square could not be recorded, though the observations were useful to understand movement in the surrounding area.
• External unplanned and unpredicted factors such as the impact of COVID-19, changing working habits, as well as major infrastructure projects like the Crossrail (new Elisabeth Line) might influence pedestrian movement patterns but could not be taken into consideration in the original studies.

Of course, in an ideal world, some of the above issues might be addressed, for example the choice of day and season for observations in Nottingham, but my study was limited by the timeframe, remit, and period of my internship in the scope of TWIN2EXPAND. Nonetheless, despite the challenges, the findings of the research were valuable, leading to an academic paper with Dr Kayvan Karimi and Ed Parham, which indicates that the redesign of the built environment changes dynamics and volumes of pedestrian movement. The extent of change differs from site to site, with data collected showing that space syntax models can predict changes in the (re)distribution of pedestrian movement. We concluded that there are clear relations between the impact of changes to patterns of visibility and the distribution of movement, and that space syntax models are a valuable tool for designers to test and shape proposals. The synopsis and key findings of the academic paper will be presented at the 2024 Space Syntax Symposium. 

The internship experience was a blend of hands-on learning at the firm and academic enrichment at University College London (UCL), as I had the opportunity to also audit lectures by Dr Kayvan Karimi for the MSc programme in Space Syntax: Architecture and Cities, offering me an elevated understanding of current urban design practices both in the academic and professional environment. At Space Syntax Ltd, I immersed myself in the firm’s working culture and participated in various types of in-house meetings, had informal yet impactful discussions and had the opportunity to share my ideas and perspectives.  It was a transformative experience that enhanced my skills as an urban planner and, I believe, my contributions and efforts were useful to the firm to assess the impact of Space Syntax technologies through POE, something which is often difficult to implement in the private sector due to budget and resources constraints. I’m particularly grateful to Ed Parham for his support and mentorship during my time in London. Beyond technical knowledge, I gained confidence in conducting research and interacting with professionals and academics, and I am excited to bring back these newfound skills and energy to contribute positively to urban planning initiatives in Cyprus.