Research on the correlation between pedestrian density and street spatial characteristics of commercial blocks in downtown area: a case study on Shanghai Tianzifang

ABSTRACT Taking Shanghai Tianzifang as an example, this study attempted to utilize theories, such as the Space Syntax Theory, to build a multivariate model with street spatial characteristics as variables, and investigate the correlation between street spatial characteristics and pedestrian density in commercial blocks using multivariate regression analyses of the variables in this model. This study inspected two aspects of spatial characteristics of street space. First, in terms of commercial use characteristics, this study examined how pedestrian density is affected by three variables: store density, overflow ratio of store-front space. Density of building exits and entrances. Next, in terms of structural characteristics, this study probed the relationship between commercial pedestrian density and three other variables: street integration, height of buildings on both sides of the streets, and the stores’ distance from block entrances. Last, a multivariate regression analysis was conducted on the research data of the six variables. The results validated that four of the variables are correlated with commercial pedestrian density, in the order of their degree of influence: street integration, store density, density of building exits and entrances, and height of buildings on both sides of the streets. Graphical Abstrac