Brasilia, Brazil, 29 March - 3 April 1999
Space As A Paradigm for describing emergent structure
in strongly relational systems
Professor Bill Hillier
The Bartlett School of Graduate Studies
(Torrington Place Site)
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
England
tel (44) (0)171 391 1739
fax (44) (0)171 813 4363
email b.hillier@ucl.ac.uk
www http://www.spacesyntax.com
This paper examines the methodology of space syntax and suggests that
although it begins by defining different types of spatial element, depending
on the way in which the system under examination is thought to function,
its key feature is that it treats a system of space as being composed
primarily of the different points of view from which the system can be
seen, as shown graphically in the set of justified graphs, or j-graphs,
for the system. The effect is to define each element 'extrinsically',
that is, in terms only of its position in the system relative to all the
other elements. The most important outcome of this 'method of j-graphs'
is that it permits the description of emergent structure in spatial complexes
in general, including large spatial complexes, like cities, which have
grown over long periods through distributed processes, and it is this
description of structure, that is critical to the understanding of the
relation between structure and function. This, it is argued, is possible
and necessary because cities, seen spatially, are 'strongly relational
systems', that is systems in which the complex of relations amongst elements
is more important than the intrinsic properties of elements in how they
function. Such systems, it is suggested, pervade our artificial world,
and include both social and aesthetic systems. In both, the description
of emergent structure in a strongly relational system is a key problem.
The paper ends with brief explorations in how the 'method of j-graphs'
might contribute to the description of emergent structure in such systems.
_______________________________
_______________________________