Evaluation of Sociability of Urban Environment Using “Cognitive Maps” and “Spatial Configuration Maps”

The presence and social interaction of people in the public spaces of architecture and urbanism lead to the spaces’ sociability. In the present research, the subject of discussion was the sociability of public spaces. The quality of sociability is the inseparable feature of the urban public spaces but, it has been faded or lost in some urban public spaces. The present study sought to answer this question: how and with what parts, the measurement of the environment sociability is performed with focus on the two human and environmental approaches? To do this, Oudlajan neighborhood of Tehran was selected and investigated as the case study. Possible platforms of social interactions’ formation were investigated in this area (from two environment-based and human-based aspects). In this research, proper literature, theoretical foundations, the studied indexes, and research method were collected and classified using first hand resources. The present methodology included two cognitive and spatial sections. In the cognitive section, using available documents and maps, the area map was prepared. After field visits and interviewing with the local and nonlocal residents, cognitive findings were collected and cognitive maps were produced. The spatial configuration of the neighborhood was evaluated through quantitative parameters of the space syntax method. Finally, comparing qualitative and quantitative data, sociability of the Oudlajan neighborhood was analyzed. Findings of the research showed that it has been useful to consider the space syntax computer modelling as a principal in the evaluation of social concepts, althought it was not enough. In order for somatic activities to improve social status of the urban tissues, it is required to use complementary methods such as cognitive maps.