Spatial configuration, perceived density and social interaction in residential environments: A Causal model A case study of gated communities in Mashhad

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 University of Art

2 Full professor in Architecture at the University of Shahid Beheshti

Abstract

Recently in many countries, there is wide acceptance of urban containment and concept of compact city to achieve sustainability. In fact density in residential environments, is used for design guidance to the aim of achieving to compactness. In terms of overall concept, density indicates on compactness of dwelling units and on the level of population. Therefore life condition of residents is in close contact with density. The experience and perception of density by people could be different at different densities and is not adequately expressed by either of density measures. The notion of perceived density is based on the fact that any environment offers cues that enable people to judge an environment’s nature, the potential for action that an environment offers, and the behavior appropriate for that environment. This paper considers the concept of density as one of the factors influencing the quality of human-environment interaction.
Social interaction and community spirit are considered essential for the sustainability of the community and social cohesion. There are contradictory claims about the relationship between high density and social interaction. Some research seems to suggest that high density promotes social interaction, other research indicates that overcrowding may have negative implications for social interaction. Some argue that higher density areas are considered more favorable to community life and social interaction within cities of developing countries than in cities of developed countries. Therefore the relationship of social interaction and density is not understood yet in the context of cities of developing countries.
This paper reports findings from recent research examining the relationship between urban design and layout and aspects of social and communal life in gated communities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of spatial configuration on social interaction through the mediating role of perceived density. To address this, three neighborhoods of same net residential and population density with same socioeconomic status of residents and different layouts and spatial configurations were selected for detailed investigation. Data on social interactions, social activities and perceptions of the built and social environment of the neighborhoods were collected through questionnaire surveys. For this reason 300 residents who were chosen randomly completed 4 point likert scale questionnaire. Housing layout and spatial configurations were analyzed using 3D visibility analysis methods and spatial openness index (SOI index).
Data analysis was done by applying SPSS-19 and Amos-23 software. The questionnaire which has been specifically prepared to draw people’s perception of density and social interactions had reliability. The alpha coefficient was satisfactory and confirmatory factor analysis is applied for assessment of construct validity of latent constructs. The results of path analysis showed that the effects of perceived density on social interaction, is significant (P<0.001) and there is negative structural relationship between perception of density and social interaction. This indicates that some of the negative social impacts found within high-density housing development might be rectified with better design. The data from path analysis indicated that, factor of perceived density mediating the spatial configuration and social interaction. The results confirmed our conceptual model.

Keywords

References

پوردیهیمی، شهرام (1391)، شهر، مسکن و مجموعه‌ها، انتشارات آرمان‌شهر، تهران.
رضازاده، راضیه؛ محمودی، فرزین؛ رکن‌الدین افتخاری، عبدالرضا و رفیعیان، مجتبی (1389)، استفاده از مفهوم تراکم ادراکی در برقراری مطلوبیت محیطی، نشریه مدرس علوم انسانی-برنامه‌ریزی و آمایش فضا، شمارۀ 3، صص 203-227.
زبردست، اسفندیار؛ ریاضی، حسین (1394)، شاخص­های محیط انسان­ساخت و تاثیرات آن بر آلودگی هوا (مطالعه موردی: محدودۀ پیرامونی چهارده ایستگاه سنجش کیفیت هوا در شهر تهران)، نشریه هنرهایزیبا- معماری و شهرسازی، دوره ۲۰، شمارۀ 1، صص 55-66.
سرمد، زهره (1378)، متغیرهای تعدیل­کننده و واسطه­ای: تمایزات مفهومی و راهبردی، نشریه پژوهش­های روانشناختی، شمارۀ 10، صص 63-81.
عزیزی، محمدمهدی و معینی، سیده مرجانه (1390)، تحلیل رابطۀ بین کیفیت محیطی و تراکم ساختمانی (مطالعه موردی: شهرک گلسار - رشت)، نشریههنرهایزیبا- معماری و شهرسازی، شمارۀ 45، صص 5-16.
عزیزی، محمدمهدی؛ جمال­آبادی، فاطمه (1395)، مدلی برای تعیین تراکم ساختمانی مطلوب محله با تأکید بر عوامل فرهنگی، نشریههنرهایزیبا- معماری و شهرسازی، دورۀ ۲۱، شمارۀ 2، صص 19-32.
عزیزی، محمدمهدی؛ آراسته، مجتبی (1390)، تبیین پراکنده­رویی شهری بر اساس شاخص تراکم ساختمانی، نشریههویت­شهر، شمارۀ 8، صص5-15.
علوی، موسی (1393)، گزارش‌دهی نتایج مطالعات با کاربرد مدل‌یابی معادلات ساختاری، فصلنامه مدیریت پرستاری، سال سوم، دورۀ 3، شمارۀ2، صص 8-19.
عینی­فر، علیرضا؛ قاضی­زاده، سیده ندا (1389)، گونه­شناسی مجتمع­های مسکونی تهران با معیار فضای باز، نشریه آرمانشهر، شمارۀ 5، صص 35-45.
کریمی مشاور، مهرداد (1393)، شیوه‌ها، فنون و ابزار تحلیل بصری در شهر، نشریه باغ نظر، شمارۀ 29، صص 3-10.
نیک­پور، عامر؛ ملکشاهی، غلامرضا و رزقی، فاطمه (1394)، بررسی و تحلیل نابرابری­های اجتماعی در مناطق شهری با رویکرد شهر متراکم- مطالعه موردی: شهر بابل، نشریه مطالعات شهری، شمارۀ 16، صص27-38.
Abu-Ghazzeh, T. M (1999), Housing layout, social interaction and the place of contact in Abul-Nuseir, Jordan, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 41-73.
Alexander, E. R (1993), Density measures: A review and analysis, Journal of architectural and planning research, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 181-202.
Altman, I (1975), The environment and social behavior: Privacy, territoriality, crowding and personal space, CA: Brooks/Cole, Monterey.
Bassand, N (2009), Densité et logement colectif: innovation architecturale et urbaines dans la Suisse contemporaine, Unpublished doctoral dissertation, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne.
                Bonnes, M; Bonaiuto, M; Ercolani, A. P (1991), Crowding and Residential Satisfaction in the Urban Environment: A Contextual Approach, Journal of Environment and Behavior, Vol. 23, No. 5, pp. 531-552.
Borgatti, S. P; Mehra, A; Brass, D. J; Labianca, G (2009), Network Analysis in the Social Sciences, Journal of science, Vol. 323, pp. 892-895.
Boyko, C. T; Cooper, R (2011), Clarifying and re-conceptualizing density, Journal of Progress in Planning, Vol. 76, No. 1, pp. 1-61.
Chuang, T. C (1998), Understanding residential density: The relationship between policy, measurement, and perception, unpublished master’s thesis, University of California, Berkeley.  
                Churchman, A (1999), Disentangling the concept of density, Journal of planning literature, Vol. 13, pp. 389-411.
Dave, S (2011), Neighborhood density and social sustainability in cities of developing countries, Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 189-205.
                Day, L (2000), Choosing a House: The Relationship between Dwelling type, Perception of Privacy and Residential Satisfaction, Journal of Planning Education and Research, Vol. 19, pp. 265-275.
Easthope, H; McNamara, N (2013), Measuring Social Interaction and Social Cohesion in a High Density Urban Renewal Area: The Case of Green Square, Proceedings: State of Australian Cities Conference 2013, Sydney.
Fisher-Gewirtzman, D; Wagner, I. A (2003), Spatial openness as a practical metric for evaluating built-up environments, Journal of Environment and Planning B, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 37–50.
Fisher-Gewirtzman, D; Shach Pinsly, D; Wagner, I. A; Burt, M (2005), View-oriented three-dimensional visual analysis models for the urban environment, Journal of Urban Design International, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 23–37.
Forsyth, A (2005), Density in Encyclopedia of the city, published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, http://www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/.
Fouchier, V (1998), Les densités urbaines et le développement durable, le cas de l'Ile-de-France et des villes nouvelles, Secrétariat général du groupe central des villes nouvelles (SGVN), Paris.
Freeman, L (2001), The effect of sprawl on neighborhood social ties, Journal of American planning association, Vol. 67, pp. 69-78.
Gifford, R (2007), Environmental psychology: principles and practices (4th Edition), Optimal books Press, Colville, WA.
Hur, M; Nasar, J.L; Chun, B (2009), Neighborhood satisfaction, physical and perceived naturalness and openness, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Vol. 28, pp. 1-8.
Jain, U (1987), The psychological consequences of crowding, Sage, New Delhi.
Kearney, A. R (2006), Residential Development Patterns and Neighborhood Satisfaction, Impacts of Density and Nearby Nature, Journal of Environment and Behavior, Vol. 3, pp. 112-139.
Lin, T; Lin, H; Hu, M (2015), Three-dimensional visibility analysis and visual quality computation for urban open spaces aided by Google SketchUp and WebGIS, Journal of Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design 0(0): 1-29.
Mc Carthy, D; Saegert, S (1978), Residential density, social overload and social withdrawal, Journal of Human Ecology, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 253-272.
Moch, A; Bordas, F; Hermand, D (1995), Approche psychosociale de la densité, Annales de la recherche urbaine , Vol. 67, pp. 119-127.
Moulinie, M; Naudin-Adam, M. D (2005), Appréhender la densité 2, Note rapide sur l'occupation du sol, n° 383, L'Institut d'aménagement et d'urbanisme d'Île-de-France (IAU), Paris.
Newman, P & Hogan, T (1981), A Review of urban density models: Toward a resolution of the conflict between populace and planner, Journal of Human ecology, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 269-303.
Putra, S (2006), A Perceptual evaluation of urban space using GIS-Base 3D volumetric visibility analysis, unpublished doctoral dissertation, National University of Singapore.
Talen, E (2000), The Problem with Community in Planning, Journal of Planning Literature, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 171-183.
Turner, A (2003), Analyzing the visual dynamics of spatial morphology, Journal of Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design,Vol. 30, pp. 657-676.
Raman, S (2010), Designing a Live able Compact City: Physical Forms of City and Social Life in Urban Neighbourhoods, Journal of Built Environment, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 63-80.
Rapoport, A (1975), Toward a redefinition of density, Journal of Environment and behavior, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 133-158.
Schmidt , D. E; Goldman, R. D; Feimer, N. R (1979), Perceptions of Crowding, Predicting at the Residence, Neighborhood, and City Levels, Journal of Environment and Behavior, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 105-130.
                Sivam, A;  Karuppannan, S; Davis, M. C (2012), Stakeholder’s perception of residential density-a case study of Adelaide- Australia, Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 473-494.
                Stamps, A & Zacharias, J (2004), Perceived building density as a function of layout, Journal of Perceptual and Motor Skills, Vol. 98, pp. 777-784.
Stokols, D (1972), On the distinction between density and crowding: some implications for future research, Journal of Psychological review, Vol. 79, No. 3, pp. 275-277.
Yang, P; Putra, S; Li, W (2007), Viewsphere: A GIS-based 3D visibility analysis for urban design evaluation, Journal of Environment and Planning B, Vol. 34, No. 6, pp. 971-992.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Journal of Fine Arts: Architecture & Urban Planning
Volume 22, Issue 1
March 2017
Pages 41-52

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics