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Kritisk analys av centrala begrepp i boken städernas stenar

Ekholm, Anders LU (2025) In Nordisk arkitekturforskning 2(2025). p.151-170
Abstract
Lars Marcus’s book Städernas stenar (The stones of cities) presents
basic concepts and the latest directions in the space syntax research
area. Marcus’s presentation is based on the necessity of understanding
that urban planning as an area of knowledge is comprised of the material
reality of both the city and the “lived city”, human beings, and their use
of the city as a tool, of being comprehended as an “enabler”.
The main message of the book is that the built environment and the city
form a street network that steers human movement patterns and that
this impact can be analysed and quantified using methods developed
within space syntax. Marcus’s concept is said to show that the intensity
of road use... (More)
Lars Marcus’s book Städernas stenar (The stones of cities) presents
basic concepts and the latest directions in the space syntax research
area. Marcus’s presentation is based on the necessity of understanding
that urban planning as an area of knowledge is comprised of the material
reality of both the city and the “lived city”, human beings, and their use
of the city as a tool, of being comprehended as an “enabler”.
The main message of the book is that the built environment and the city
form a street network that steers human movement patterns and that
this impact can be analysed and quantified using methods developed
within space syntax. Marcus’s concept is said to show that the intensity
of road use in the street network results from the spatial structure of
the network. But this analysis shows that the concepts of axial line and
centrality are based on implicit assumptions about human choices with
respect to route.
In the concluding part of the book, Marcus criticizes architects for a lack
of insight into the importance of urban form to urban life, and for focussing
on the artistic design of the street space. But Marcus wrongfully
blames the early 20th century architects for the origin of this and disregards
the devastating consequences of later city zoning and traffic separation
for urban cohesion and for architecture’s ability to contribute to
urban life. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Space syntax, axial line, spatial concept, relation man - built environment
in
Nordisk arkitekturforskning
volume
2
issue
2025
pages
20 pages
publisher
SINTEF Academic Press
ISSN
1102-5824
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
824740d8-9ab9-4a51-8fff-11914715a1ab
date added to LUP
2025-12-31 17:50:15
date last changed
2026-01-09 09:47:25
@article{824740d8-9ab9-4a51-8fff-11914715a1ab,
  abstract     = {{Lars Marcus’s book Städernas stenar (The stones of cities) presents<br/>basic concepts and the latest directions in the space syntax research<br/>area. Marcus’s presentation is based on the necessity of understanding<br/>that urban planning as an area of knowledge is comprised of the material<br/>reality of both the city and the “lived city”, human beings, and their use<br/>of the city as a tool, of being comprehended as an “enabler”.<br/>The main message of the book is that the built environment and the city<br/>form a street network that steers human movement patterns and that<br/>this impact can be analysed and quantified using methods developed<br/>within space syntax. Marcus’s concept is said to show that the intensity<br/>of road use in the street network results from the spatial structure of<br/>the network. But this analysis shows that the concepts of axial line and<br/>centrality are based on implicit assumptions about human choices with<br/>respect to route.<br/>In the concluding part of the book, Marcus criticizes architects for a lack<br/>of insight into the importance of urban form to urban life, and for focussing<br/>on the artistic design of the street space. But Marcus wrongfully<br/>blames the early 20th century architects for the origin of this and disregards<br/>the devastating consequences of later city zoning and traffic separation<br/>for urban cohesion and for architecture’s ability to contribute to<br/>urban life.}},
  author       = {{Ekholm, Anders}},
  issn         = {{1102-5824}},
  keywords     = {{Space syntax; axial line; spatial concept; relation man - built environment}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  month        = {{12}},
  number       = {{2025}},
  pages        = {{151--170}},
  publisher    = {{SINTEF Academic Press}},
  series       = {{Nordisk arkitekturforskning}},
  title        = {{Kritisk analys av centrala begrepp i boken städernas stenar}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/237082265/Anders_Ekholm_NAF_Kritisk_analys.pdf}},
  volume       = {{2}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}