Vertical Cities: Emergent movement and use patterns in dense vertically integrated urban spaces

In high-density, land-scarce cities like Singapore, the successful translation of ground-level urban qualities and benefits into vertical living is crucial for social, economic, environmental, and ecological sustainability. New research by FCL Global researchers Dr Srilalitha Gopalakrishnan, Anjanaa Devi Srikanth, external pageProf. Dr Thomas Schroepfercall_made and their co-authors introduces a external pageNetwork science-based spatial analysis framework to evaluate the connectivity and relationships of vertically integrated urban open spacescall_made.

They examine external pageKampung Admiraltycall_made (KA), a unique development integrating housing for the elderly with various facilities, as a case study. The methodology combines static spatial network measures and real-world movement data to predict movement flows, accessibility, and connectivity. Lift lobbies and elevated garden connectors emerged as critical paths, effectively distributing pedestrian flows. Landscape spaces played a key role in visual and physical connectivity, offering high recreational and social value. Strategic placement of ‘social attractors’ improved space utilisation.

The study highlights the importance of spatial design parameters in user-space interactions and provides insights into socio-spatial networks at both ground and elevated levels. It identifies key connectors that facilitate effective planning and design of vertically integrated public space networks, promoting social and spatial effectiveness. It is hoped that by applying the methodology to multiple case study sites at various scales, a predictive planning and design tool can be designed to better understand the links between humans and the built environment in vertically integrated urban developments.

_{Header photo credit: Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl}