Influence of the Global Urban Grid on Natural Movement within a Local Public Space

Abstract

An urban centre acts as the interface of economic activities and people and represents diversity, which can grow or decline over time. Here, we review the literature to explain the factors supporting and obstructing urbanisation based on three theories on urban morphology: theory of natural movement, theory of movement economy and theory of spatial centrality. Two research questions were then formulated to explain the morphological logic of urbanisation and the influence of the global movement grid on local natural movement, which are key factors supporting the growth and decline of each local neighbourhood within the city. The selected case study was Nakhon Si Thammarat Old Town at the global and local levels and the space syntax theory was chosen for analysis. The results indicated that the spatial configuration of the global movement grid influence urbanisation and local natural movement the most. Therefore, local public spaces must be designed to support the global movement grid, which is fed by natural movement and influenced by the global morphological structure.