Evaluating and Enhancing the Directionality of Natural Pedestrian Movement in Outdoor Urban Spaces: An Applied Study of El Oued City

Abstract

The spatial configuration of cities plays a central role in shaping movement patterns and human behaviors. It transcends purely physical dimensions, becoming a key determinant of both individual and collective mobility decisions. Within the theoretical framework that links spatial configuration to human behavior, the Space Syntax methodology was adopted as a quantitative analytical tool to explore this relationship and its impact on natural pedestrian movement. This study aims to assess the directionality of natural pedestrian movement in the city of El Oued through angular segment analysis using Depthmap10 software. Two main syntactic measures were applied in their normalized forms (NACH and NAIN): Angular Choice and Angular Integration, with analyses conducted at both the global (Rn) and local (R400) scales.

The findings provide an initial-stage assessment of the city’s spatial structure and natural pedestrian movement potential, offering a predictive framework and objective criteria for identifying locations with the highest likelihood of movement, thereby facilitating and standardizing future field observations.

The findings indicate that the city’s movement network exhibits pronounced spatial hierarchy, with the strongest potentials for movement and directionality concentrated along a limited number of central axes characterized by high NACH values. This concentration results in an unbalanced and inefficient movement structure that restricts the even distribution of pedestrian flow. However, the local-scale analysis revealed that certain neighborhoods can generate internal connectivity and effective directional movement within their limited spatial scope. These findings underscore the need to reconsider the current distribution of movement directionality and highlight the importance of strengthening local network connectivity to reduce excessive dependence on central routes. The study provides a quantitative analytical framework for evaluating and proposing enhancements to future urban design, contributing to the development of a more walkable and spatially balanced city.