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Very pertinent point about urban sustainability.

I attended SSS6 in Istanbul in 2007 and during one of the breaks in proceedings I got talking to one of the keynote speakers, whose work I have long respected. He asked what my particular research interests were. I mentioned urban sustainability, and his reaction was "so what are you doing here?", the implication being that space syntax has little to contribute to the sustainability agenda... and perhaps vice versa.

I would disagree on both counts. Urban sustainability is about more than "green" buildings, it is about spatial configuration which privileges pedestrian, bicycle and public transport over the private car, it is about distribution of and access to urban green space, it is about building design which optimises spatial efficiency, flexibility and adaptability. In all these aspects space syntax methods - particularly applied in conjunction with other planning, analysis and design tools - have much to offer urban sustainability research and practice.

Perhaps the syntax community needs to be a bit more confident in the breadth of application of its methods? Which of course is something a new journal is well placed to address.

Cheers,

Paul Osmond
Faculty of the Built Environment
University of New South Wales
Sydney, Australia



On Behalf Of Vinicius Netto
Sent: Tuesday, 25 May 2010 9:42 AM
Subject: Re: [SPACESYNTAX] Publication

I thought the question had to do with other publications out there willing to receive space syntax-based papers, besides JOSS (welcome as it is). I think that is the key issue.
JOSS has space syntax in its name. It remains obviously connected to the syntax community.
But if one thinks that the strength of an approach lies -- among other things but perhaps most crucially -- in how it mingles and is absorbed in a broader field (and grasps attentions there) - say, urban studies as a discipline (if we might say so!), the question remains.

Furthermore, what is the state of affairs for configurational and analytic approaches to space (not only syntax) today.... Are we getting the attention we believe our approaches deserve? Have we really had a strong impact on how architectural and urban thinkers and researchers out there think? Have these approaches penetrated the way people are researching about current problems such as urban sustainability? Has the syntax community connected concepts able to relate to those matters?

apologies for sharing these concerns. It might well be some sort of midlife intellectual crisis kicking in earlier than it should

Vini


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Vinicius M. Netto
Núcleo de Estudos e Projetos Habitacionais e Urbanos (NEPHU)
Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF)
Rua Almirante Teffé 637
24030-080 Niterói - Rio de Janeiro
Fone: +55 (21) 9727-1512


Visite www.urbanismo.arq.br<http://www.urbanismo.arq.br/>