Structural qualities of urban space revealed by spatial representation and intelligibility readings

the case of Setif City, Algeria

Abstract

This article discusses urban expansion in Setif, Algeria, with a periphery that lacks the spatial quality of what constitutes the city. Despite the presence of services, commerce, housing, and brand-new modern architecture, this periphery is not perceived as the city. The current study addresses the issue by combining two qualitative-quantitative techniques: spatial representation using sketch maps and syntactic analysis via space syntax. The findings were acquired using two software programs; SPSS 23 and Depthmap X . The performance indicated that the city center is the best representation of the city. To elucidate the structural characteristics that give birth to this representation, the space syntax is applied to two samples: the city center and El Hidhab. The intelligibility of the spatial arrangement, the spatial component, and the structuring features are the primary outcomes of spatial qualities. This study serves as a reference for other studies addressing the same issue. It may also serve as a guide for restructuring and projects aimed at creating what constitutes the city.