Analysis - Urban Calculator

Exploring design alternatives

Existing neighbourhoods, cities and regions can be analysed using Urban Calculator, but it can also be used to test design proposals. Streets can be added or removed to test changes in centrality and accessibility and to estimate the impact of the change on pedestrian movement.

Various spatial analyses run in parallel and within seconds, the results are visualised in maps. By printing the results, maps are automatically exported with scale, legend, and a short explanation.

Types of analysis

In cities, what happens in one place, depends on its relation to all other places. This affects density and proximity. For instance, how many services can be found within a 15-minute walk? Also, the amount of people walking the street, depends on that street’s position in the whole city. This affects where shops and service are best located.

Understanding this dependence of parts and whole is complex where Urban Calculator gives support. Four types of analyses are provided: centrality, accessibility to services, density, and proximity. All analyses cover the full territory, be it a neighbourhood, city, or region.

Centrality

Street centrality is an indicator for the flow of people one can expect in each street. It is based on the street’s position in the street network. It answers the question: How integrated is this street and based on that, how many people can be expected to walk it?

Accessibility to services

Accessibility to services calculates the total amount of attractions that can be reached when walking 500 meters from a location to all directions. It can be seen as a description of the presence of society in the city and answers the question: How many people, schools, or shops can be reached within a neighbourhood?

Accessible built density

Accessible built density gives an indication of the perceived density and is related to the intensity of a location. It is calculated using two variables, Floor Space Index (FSI) related to Gross Floor Area and Ground Space Index (GSI) related to building footprint and compactness of an area. These two variables in combination allow to relate the density of a location to a particular building type dominating an area.

Proximity

Proximity analysis shows the actual distance to public transport, parks, or other services in the neighbourhood. It answers the question: How far is it to the nearest bus stop, park, or school by walking/cycling or driving?