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Using Space Syntax to Observe the Real Estate Land
Value of Government Housing
In Kuwait
Abstract— This paper will be exploring the connection
between the real estate market in Kuwait, and its urban
morphology. Urban morphology of neighborhood
configurations, with all accessibility of residents around the
land location, will be studied in depth. With an angular
segment analysis of metric distance, which belongs to the
theoretical and methodological field of space syntax, its impact
on land value will be understood. Space syntax
methodology investigates relationships between urban
planning and land value. Through that theory, analysis of the
"spatial configuration" of street networks will be done, and
focus will be placed on the role of spatial networks in
shaping patterns of distance with time, observing their
effect on the real estate market in Kuwait.
From a land value perspective, urban morphology appears
to be an important determinant of housing prices, since
morphology affects accessibility. Access accounts for the
distance from a particular location to all other locations in the
study area, and the time it costs to travel from a location to the
relevant facilities. Therefore, I will review urban locations,
neighborhoods, street patterns, cultural dimensions and the
social dynamics, by using the mechanism of space syntax, to
measure the distance between a neighborhood, the main
accessibility factors of services and amenities, and the strength
of relationships between all elements that impact housing
prices. So, I will measure the accessibility to understand its
impact on the housing market in Kuwait, and as a factor in
price determination.
This research aims to find the relationship between
accessibility and housing prices by using the space syntax
method. Space syntax can be a guideline for people who want
to choose their land from the Public Authority for
Housing Welfare. Overall, this paper looks at the real estate
market in the Government Housing areas of Sabah Al-
Ahmad city and Saad Al-Abdullah city, in Kuwait. These
were designed by the Public Authority for Housing Welfare
in the last 3 years. As case studies, I will analyze one
neighborhood from each area by using the space syntax
method. To form the data infrastructure surveys are
conducted and observations are collected. This survey
incorporates street networks and areas of activity from
people who live there to understand which aspects affect the
urban morphology and translate into changes in land value. The
results confirm that accessibility factors affect the land value in
Kuwait.
Key words- Space syntax; Accessibility; land value; Public Authority
for Housing Welfare (PAHW); Sabah Al-Ahmad city; Saad AL
Abdullah city.
I. INTRODUCTION
This thesis investigates how urban morphology is valued
through an observed study of Sabah Al-Ahmad city and Saad
Al-Abdullah city. The Public Authority for Housing Welfare
can use the methodology of space syntax, with the key
accessibility factors of services and amenities, while
referencing case studies, to explore how the land value is
affected. Likewise, this research studies the connection between
architecture and land value in Kuwait, in relation to distance
and accessibility factors of services and amenities, with
reference to the case studies of Sabah Al-Ahmad and Saad Al-
Abdullah cities. Statistical analysis was used to understand the
spatial configuration of spaces and how they will affect land
prices. Distance from the city center is a primary factor in
urban land values, especially in residential areas [1]. I studied
the network spaces, which I can use to calculate the distances
from basic elements such as; health, educational, regional,
recreation and cultural facilities, as well as the main pedestrian
paths and nodes to the house, to understand their impact on the
house's price or land value. Space syntax is used to calculate an
angular segment analysis, by metric distance, to understand its
impact on land value.
Accessibility is defined as a measure of an aspect of
freedom of action of individuals, and it is related to the concepts
of nearness, ease of spatial interaction, and the potential of
opportunities for interaction [2]. In this research I will focus on
attraction-accessibility measures [3], but I will show that
integration measures, as used in the space syntax method,
cannot, technically speaking, be viewed as an attraction-
accessibility measures. Accessibility networks contain spatial
Zainab Al-Saadi Department of Architecture
College of Architecture Kuwait University
6th Annual International Conference onArchitecture and Civil Engineering (ACE 2018)Copyright © GSTF 2018ISSN 2301-394Xdoi: 10.5176/2301-394X_ACE18.129
6th Annual International Conference on Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE 2018)
GSTF © 2018103
information on the arrangement of spaces and patterns of
distance and movement. The accessibility factor controls the
prices of houses in Kuwait. The street segmentation of a plot
has its value as a point of access to other places. The space
syntax theory allows for the measuring of housing prices in this
way.
In this research, space syntax deals with ’spaces’, i.e.
featureless spaces, in that their attractions are set of units, and
it is natural that geographical accessibility deals with ‘places’
that are not featureless, but differ in terms of their content,
embodied in their attraction [4].
Space syntax focuses on the arrangement of spaces, possibilities
and patterns of movement through ‘spatial configuration’ [5]. It
has attempted to define the elements of urban form by
measuring geometric accessibility; evaluating the relationships
between street segments with a series of measurements, such as
connectivity, control, closeness and betweenness [6], taking on
spatial position to understand all connections and relations
together. People use space in different ways for many activities,
we want to study the configuration of the neighborhood's street
topology to understand how these elements can affect land
prices by increasing or decreasing the value of the real estate
market in Kuwait.
Based on the case study of Sabah Al-Ahmad and Saad Al-
Abdullah cities, this research, in particular, aims to find out whether
applying space syntax theory in housing prices in Kuwait helps
to observe the effect of 'spatial configuration' on land value.
Also, this research examines the impact of waiting 15-20 years
for a house in Kuwait for the Kuwaiti families. In the following
texts, the analysis methods, and their theoretical underpinnings, will be
introduced before explaining the specific methods of this study. The results of
the case study, and its implications for urban design, will then be presented and
discussed respectively.
II. METHODOLOGY
This methodology is systematized according to a literature
review and case studies in Kuwait in order to understand the
land value by using space syntax method. space syntax is an
attempt to constitute a configurational theory in architecture by
generating a theoretical understanding of how people make and
use spatial configurations, in other words, it is an attempt to
identify how spatial configurations express a social or cultural
meaning, and how spatial configurations generate the social
interactions in constructed environments [7].
Space syntax is used as a creative vision in understanding the
pattern of movement between accessibility of the housing unit
and its price. Applying space syntax theory in housing prices in
Kuwait allows one to observe the effect of 'spatial
configuration' on land value. By making a case study of two
different areas I can view the average house prices and the
lowest price in Kuwait.
By taking two neighborhoods, designed by the PAHW, to
analyze and do a comparison between, I compare
neighborhoods which had a similar land value in last three
years, but one has more accessibility and the other less
accessibility, according to the Kuwait Real Estate Guide (''sell
and buy,'' 2017). Graphics (depth mapping application)
software or manual equations of space syntax theory help in
understanding the lines between all elements which impact the
of house or land value.
The graphic displays that the accessibility measures
associated with axial lines and their intersections are quite
different from those which result from measuring the physical
distance between such points and lines.
Space syntax is used in order to eventually obtain the
relationship between road width and integration degree [8].
Suppose that this the total node number in a connection graph.
The movement of people from one point to another point will
most often take the easiest route. For example, if a main street
connects to back streets, people are more likely to pass through
the main street than the back streets. Which means the main
street will be more accessible. This is what, in space syntax, is
commonly known as a to-movement and through-movement in
the configuration of space [9].
From all of the above, I can theoretically use the techniques
of space syntax to identify the configuration and structure of the
urban street network through manual calculation or a computer
model called 'UCL depthmap' [10], to compare each street
segment and examine how accessible that segment is to other
spaces in the system. There are three types of distance between
each street segment and its neighbors [11]:
1. Topology: the value of every change of direction or
turn between a segment and its neighboring
segments.
2. Metric: the distance in meters between the center of
a segment and the center of neighboring segments.
3. Geometry: the value of the degree of an angular
change of direction between a segment and its
neighbor.
By taking those three concepts of distance, we calculate the
measures of [11] integration (closeness), which captures how
close one street segment is in relation to all others under each
definition of distance, and choice (betweenness), which
calculates the distance of the shortest path between every pair
of segments that each segment lies on, under each definition of
distance. Therefore, the metric definition of distance will give
the shortest paths for integration and choice. The topological
definition will show a systemic Map of Fewest Turns. Also, the
geometric definition will show a system with the Least Angle
of Change map [11]. Choice and integration are used as a
measure by calculating the degree of centrality of a point in the
spatial configuration.
The Depthmap is used to analyze the street segments
according to the distribution of accessibility to the urban system
with time cost to that accessibility factors [12]. It classifies
accessibility from the most accessible, or 'integrated,' to the
least accessible, or 'segregated' as Hillier and Vaughan, 2007.
In formulaic terms "'RA (x) = 2 (MDF) k-2' wherein 'MD =
Mean Depth' or the mean number of spaces away from all other
spaces the selected space is; or '(x) k' is the total number of
spaces or cells in the system"[13]. Similarly, in the study
entitled 'Using Space Syntax Analysis in Determining Level of
Functional Efficiency: A Comparative Study of Traditional and
Modern House Layouts in Erbil City, Iraq' [14] he examines
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how the spatial morphology for traditional and modern house
layouts of Erbil City changes with space syntax theory when
using privacy as a factor. So, I used and studied depthmap
(accessibility factors) with the shortest paths for integration and
choice for a distance and time to gather (metric). Like Huda al-
Bahar (1989), she used space syntax theory to analyze the
relationship between physical space and social life in Kuwait
society.
III. Literature Review
In the dissertation of the "The Evolution of Kuwait's
Domestic Architecture: An Empirical and a Theoretical Study"
by Huda al-Bahar (1989), she studied the relationship between
physical space and social life in Kuwait society with the factor
of time. She explains the idea of space organization with the
spatial concept of the traditional courtyard house in Kuwait, and
how it divided the interior from the inside. Also studied was the
way in which Kuwaiti houses have developed through time
terms of their interior space. From this point I can study the
spaces at a distance between two areas from any neighborhood
area to any active point (accessibility services), as she did.
Huda's use of this method, as informed by Hillier (1984), is the
syntactic method for spatial analysis, giving us an experimental
study in which a relativistic study of the planned layouts of two
traditional and two modern houses is compared in detail. The
spatial patterns of the two building types will be analytically
described to determine whether the differences between them
are morphological differences, or whether they are merely
formal differences. Also, she examined the organizing
principles of Kuwait's plan layouts in relation to time, in the
context of socio-cultural changes. An examination is made of
the organizing principles of Kuwait's representational forms
over time, in relation to spatial changes, and in the context of
the socio-cultural transformations. The space syntax theory was
used for her to understand the subject matter. Also, spaces can
be described as being deep or shallow with respect to other
spaces and in terms of spatial interconnectivity through various
routes of accessibility. I can use the same method of space
syntax to understand relationships between spaces and their
impact on the land value but from an exterior perspective.
To explain what I mean by space syntax theory; based on the book
of "the Social Logic of Space" [15], presented is a new theory
of the relationship between physical space and social life, or,
more precisely, "the social content of spatial patterning and the
spatial content of social patterning" [15]. Hillier uses this theory
to analyze patterns of architectural space. Also, the theory
examines how spaces are connected, and how spaces are
integrated with whole spaces, which can affect society. It also
informs of how unintelligible systems are ones in which well-
connected spaces are not well integrated, so that what can be
seen of their connections misleads us about the status of that
space in the system as whole [11].
The space syntax method calculates the street network of a
space by measuring the accessibility of its spatial configuration
[5] and is valuable in relating and analyzing patterns of
architectural space. It is valuable in relating and analyzing
patterns of architectural space.
Huda al-Bahar (1989) explains how to account for the
various forms of spatial patterns, and of the relations which
arise between the different types of spaces, and can be
understood by the concept of spatial configuration. Also, her
arrangement of graphs acts as suitable graphical tools, that can
describe the "two configuration properties of spatial layouts
which seem most important in articulating cultural ideas and
social relations"; one is the property of depth, and the other is
the property of choice [5].
For example, if a space 'A' is directly connected to space
'B', space 'A' is at depth one from space 'B'. Differently, if one
must pass through a third space 'C' that lies between spaces 'A'
and 'B' to get from 'A' to 'B', thus 'A' is at a depth two from 'B'.
Likewise, if the point 'A' and 'B' are separated by two spaces,
'A' will be at depth three from 'B' and the pattern continues
accordingly. The property of depth can therefore be represented
on the justified graph as a level or a graphic height, originating
from the space chosen to be the root vertex in the permeability
plot of a particular spatial arrangement.
Which means, I can connect two areas of study an
accessibility factor; according to Hansen (1959) and Wilson
[16], the idea of accessibility is to measure the relation between
proximity of one place or person to all others. Through this, any
active movement in the residential areas can be observed. This
measures the easiest route and the best travel time from one
point to another location. Often, this accessibility affects the
price of houses in Kuwait. I can systemize the accessibility of
each house against the others in the neighborhood to link how
much all of the elements affect the real estate market in Kuwait
via space syntax theory. More accessibility will add more value
to the price of the house, which creates more axial lines to more
accurately understand pricing.
The accessibility theory concept is a measurement of ‘the
spatial distribution of activities about a point, adjusted to the
ability and the desire of people or firms to overcome spatial
separation’. Also, Hansen (1959) defined accessibility as: ‘the
potential of opportunities for interaction’. Accessibility can be
defined as ‘the ability of individuals to travel and to participate
in activities at different locations in an environment’[17] . In a
transportation model, accessibility is defined as ‘… the
distribution of some defined activity measure versus the travel
impedance (time, cost and distance) to reach that activity from
the selected zones...'[18]. Accessibility theory, as Batty (2009)
[19] summarized it can be divided into three types of
accessibility theory. Firstly, type one accessibility defines how
near an individual is to ̀ opportunities', measuring the size of the
opportunity at some other place or position and inversely
moderating the cost of accessing the opportunity by distance or
time. The other two types of accessibility are based on a
network. Type two accessibility is more focused on the
Euclidean distance between one location and another,
measuring this as the sum of the shortest routes in a planar
graph. This measurement is popular in traffic models, and high
accessibility normally is associated with the minimum distance,
travel time and travel cost. Thirdly, accessibility is also defined
as the simplicity with which activities in the society can be
reached, including jobs and public services that reflect the
6th Annual International Conference on Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE 2018)
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needs of the community. Accessibility is seen as a measure of
the cost of getting from one destination to another, a tradeoff of
benefits received once the destination is reached [20].
Architecture uses accessibility as a measure of distance.
Many investigators have explored the relationship between
specific measures of accessibility and property value, as shown
in Accessibility [21]. In his study, he reviews the aggregate
(Zonal index) against the individual; the distance/time involved
to move from a house with specified facilities, and access to
employment centers, public services, such as schools, shopping
centers, public transportation and general practitioners in
China.
A good example for accessibility and land values is
Levittown [22], Pennsylvania, a perfect suburb constructed
after World War 2. Beginning in 1947, Levitt and Sons started
mass creating planned communities as a potential business
opportunity. When people come back from World War 2, lots
of veterans would want a home to start a family. After Levitt
and Sons first successful planned community in Long Island,
Levitt brought his mass-producing building formula to Lower
Bucks County. The site of Levittown was selected because of
the area’s industrial industry. The U.S. Steel Company’s
Fairless Works Plant chose to construct their plant in this area,
meaning this was an opportunity for Levitt and Son’s
developers. Levittown was built as a development of over
15,000 homes, arranged in 4 master blocks, which then were
divided into smaller sections (Ibid). The residential subdivision
is a critical element in suburban development, with green area
for children to play outside, landscapes with security, and all
accessibility factors needed such as; parks, schools, jobs
nearby, open floor design plans, natural lighting, carports,
garages, and indoor/outdoor living options with common
spaces (Ibid). Which means, accessibility is measured at the
aggregate level and the individual level. At the individual level,
accessibility accounts for the distance or time it costs to travel
from a location to facilities, such as schools, transit stations,
employment centers, shopping centers etc. [23]. So, from an
accessibility factor, it will be an attractive house, this will in
turn affect the land value.
From the land value perspective, the movement of the real
estate market in Kuwait is measured by the price of land in
Kuwait. Together, land and house prices vary considerably
between jurisdictions and locations, and may have dissimilar
dynamics in different locations, however, this does not change
the overall situation: if land for housing is too expensive then
high land and house prices produce an affordability problem, or
the perception of a problem, for certain groups of potential
Kuwaiti homebuyers [24].
A primary factor in this is the policy of the Kuwait Oil
Company, which owns 90% of Kuwaiti national land, as well
as the limited land available; only 7% of Kuwait's land is
currently utilized for urban development [25]. The real estate
companies have a limited role in solving the housing problem
and the responsibility falls on the government to accelerate land
development and reduce the monopoly of power of the large
landowners [26].
Cost is usually an important factor in building
procurement, and higher construction prices may well preclude
the pursuit of sustainability during design [27]. Kuwait is the
only country in the world where the real estate value reaches
80% of the total value of a housing project, and the value of
property development bank loans is up to 45% of the total bank
loan market in Kuwait [28].
Both land and single-family house prices vary substantially
among jurisdictions and locations, and may have different
dynamics in different locations, but this does not change the
overall situation: land for housing is too expensive [24]. If one
is using a standard of new construction in Kuwait, a 400-sq.
meter house on a 400-sq. meter real estate plot, the land price
contributes about 65%–72% to the price of the final product
[24].
IV. Overview of the Public Authority for Housing
Welfare (PAHW):
In 1954 the problem of housing in Kuwait was broached;
as such the Kuwaiti government started to produce house units.
This was started through the Construction Council and included
the Ministry of Housing. In 1986 these were merged with the
General Authority for Housing to plan, implement, design and
distribute government houses.
The PAHW offers each Kuwaiti family residential care, for
eligible citizens, by preparing the designs for the rehabilitation
of housing units, the construction of houses and apartments, and
by providing temporary alternatives. Also, they developed the
distinctive designs for residential care, as well as adequate
housing, to achieve solidarity for a promising future. The
PAHW responsibilities are to design, plan and construct the
residential areas with their attached services and infrastructure.
Also, they are responsible for the construction of public
buildings (accessibility) such as mosques, schools, markets,
clinics, police stations, kindergartens and multi-use halls [29].
V. Case study analysis:
want to do a comparison between two neighborhoods
designed by the PAHW. These neighborhoods have varied
levels of availability in their accessibility factors such as
hospitals, citizen's service centers, schools with special needs,
bakeries, parks, malls and colleges, so they have different land
values in 2017, according to the Kuwait Real Estate Guide
(''Sell and Buy,'' 2017). To measure the distance between the
accessibility factors of the house and the house plot I will use
space syntax (metric) to measure the distance in meters between
the center of a segment and the center of neighboring with a
Depthmap (as a time) to plot the shortest paths for integration
and choice for a distance and time to gather.
"RA (x) = 2 (MDF) k-2 where MD = Mean Depth' or the mean
number of spaces away, of all other spaces from the selected
space (x) k = Total number of spaces or cells in the system [13]
VI. Case study location:Table 1.0
The table shows the average house price between two neighborhoods (4
SALE, 2017)
Location Price
1. Sabah Al-Ahmad city
(typical housing units)
160.000 to 240.000 (K.D)
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2. Saad A-Abdullah city (typical housing units)
190.000 to 320.000 (K.D)
Case study analysis 1: single family house (Sabah Al –
Ahmad):
Sabah Al-Ahmad City is a city of the Al-Ahmadi
Governorate is located in Arifjan, south of the State of Kuwait,
76 kilometers from Kuwait City. It covers an area of 4,000
hectares, and the number of housing units it contains is 11,794,
including 2,201 government houses and 7,373 government
vouchers. The city's facilities include 78 schools with primary,
intermediate, secondary and kindergarten care. Sabah Al-
Ahmad is divided into six zones. Zone A, B, C, D, E and F.
Sabah Al-Ahmad has an investment zone, industrial area and
information area, entertainment area, sports area, an area of
resorts, 28 shops in the center, 6 police stations, 6 health
centers, a clinic and 6 petrol filling stations, in addition to
educational services [29].
According to a survey I did (Accessibility Factors Next to
Your Home, December 2017), with people who are already
living in Sabah Al-Ahmad city and Saad Al-Abdullah city,
there are a few key accessibility factors which are most
important to citizens. I filtered the survey and chose the most
similar accessibility factors between Sabah Al-Ahmad city and
Saad A-Abdullah city, with the time it costs to reach each
location. Also included was an Instagram text message with Mr.
Fahad Al-Anizi (Instagram, Subah_City). I infer from this
information that what people need most are hospitals, citizen's
service centers, schools with special needs services, bakeries,
parks, malls and colleges. I measured the accessibility factors
by using space syntax (metric) and Depthmaps for the time
comparisons between the two cities as shown in the following
tables, charts and figures.
Table 2.0
The table shows the accessibility factors according to the
survey I did (December 2017) with time cost to reach the
accessibility point in Sabah Al-Ahmad city. (source: author) Location Nearest location Space syntax
(metric)
Depthmap
(time)
1-Hospital (Fig
6)
Al-Adan Hospital 44.2 km 35 min.
2-Kuwait
University (Fig 7)
College of
Engineering & Petroleum
75 km 1 hour 5 min.
3-Citizen
Service Center
(Fig 8)
Assabahiyah
Services Center,
Assabahiyah, Kuwait
41.5 km 34 min
4-Kuwait Flour
Mills & Bakeries Com.
(Fig 9)
Ahmedi Bakery 41.4 km 37 min
5-Park (Fig 10) Ali Sabah Al
Salem (Park)
28.1 km 27 min.
6-Malls (Fig
11)
Al Kout Mall,
Fahaheel
41.6 km 37 min
Figure 12 Space syntax (metric) Sabah Al-Ahmad city. (source: author)
Space syntax (metric) in Sabah Al-Ahmad city, Average =45.3
km
Figure 13 Depthmap (Time) Sabah Al-Ahmad city (source:
author)
Depthmap (Time) in Sabah Al-Ahmad city, Average =39 min.
Case study analysis 2: single family house (Saad Al-
Abdullah City)
Saad Al-Abdullah city is one of the most modern and
integrated cities in Kuwait. It provides for all the needs of its
citizens, in terms of public utilities and services, noting that the
Saad Al-Abdullah residential project is located in the western
44.2
75
41.5 41.4
28.1
41.6
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
AC
CE
SS
IBIL
ITY
FA
CT
OR
S
S p a c e s y n t a x ( m a t r i c ) i n S a b a h A l -A h m a d c i t y
35
65
34 37
27
37
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Depthmap (Time) In Sabah Al -
ahmad City
depthmap (time)
6th Annual International Conference on Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE 2018)
GSTF © 2018107
part of Kuwait City. It is between Amghara, the area from the
south of the Sixth ring road and west of the Jahra. The city
consists of eleven blocks, of which 9 blocks of housing units
were disseminated through vouchers for government loaned
land. These were fully distributed. The other two blocks, 8 and
10, consist of typical government housing units [30]. I studied
the nearest accessibility factors such as hospitals, citizen's
service centers, schools with special needs services, bakeries,
parks, malls and colleges as needed by the people, to compare
the space syntax and time Depthmap with Sabah Al-Ahmad city
to understand its impact on land value.
Table 3.0
The table shows the accessibility factors with time in the Saad
AL Abdullah city. (source: author) Location Nearest
location
Space syntax
(metric)
depthmap
(time)
1-Hospital (Fig
15)
Jahra Hospital 5.8 km 9 min.
2-Kuwait
University (Fig
16)
College of
Engineering &
Petroleum
28.4 km 29 min.
3-Citizen
Service Center(Fig 17)
Saad Al
Abdullah, Al Jahra
3 km 5 min
4-Kuwait Flour
Mills &
Bakeries Com.(Fig 18)
Kuwait Flour
Mills &
Bakeries Co., Daabal Al
Khuzaei St, Al
Jahra
11.7 km 15 min
5-Park (Fig 19) Ali Sabah Al
Salem (Park)
11.1 km 14 min.
6-Malls (Fig 20) Awtad Mall, Ain
Jalut St, Al Jahra
7.6 km 12 min
Figure 21, Space syntax (metric) km., In Saad AL Abdullah
city. (source: author)
Space syntax (metric) in Saad AL Abdullah city, Average
=11.2 km
Figure 22, depthmap (time) min., In Saad AL Abdullah
city. (source: author)
Depthmap (Time) in Saad AL Abdullah city, Average =14
min.
Comparison between the two-case study 1 and case study 2 for
accessibility factors and time to cost.
Figure 23, Average space syntax (metric) in Saad AL
Abdullah city and Sabah Al-Ahmad city. (source: author)
Figure 24, Average Depthmap (Time) in Saad AL Abdullah
city and Sabah Al-Ahmad city. (source: author)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Space syntax (matric) km. in Saad AL Abdullah city
Space syntax (matric)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
depthmap (time) min.
20%
80%
Average Space syntax (matric) between two case studies
Space syntaxSabah Al-Ahmadcity, Average
26%
74%
Average Depthmap (Time) between two case studies
Depthmap (Time)in Saad ALAbdullah city,Average
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Figure 25, land value in Saad AL Abdullah city and Sabah Al-
Ahmad city. (source: author)
VII. Limitations:
Though the study has reached its aims, there are some
limitations and shortcomings which need to be addressed. First,
because of the time limit, the research was conducted based on
only two case studies in Kuwait. Therefore, to improve the
result's validity the study should have involved a larger number
of case studies. Second, based on the literature review, this
paper shows in detail how space syntax (metric) and Depthmap
(time) are affecting the land value by increasing or decreasing
it depending on space syntax, but no decisive effect on the real
estate market inside of Kuwait is included.
VIII. Contribution
Based in the literature review and the two case studies
using space syntax theory; the contribution of This paper is to
explores the relationship between architecture and land value.
So, before selecting land from the Authority for Housing
Welfare, one must understand all locations of the land available,
and compare which is better by applying the space syntax
theory to choose the best land location. Thus, I have discovered
that urban network morphology features can have both positive
and negative impacts on housing prices. Also, we can integrate
banks into this process to better understand the impact of
housing prices on real estate based financial planning, and the
use of mortgage laws in Kuwait. In conclusion, land value in
the Kuwait real estate market is raised according to how many
accessibility factors are near the property, furthermore I will
study the real estate market in Kuwait in general in comparison
to the rest of the Gulf countries.
IX. Conclusion:
In my opinion, the current stage of the real estate market
development in Kuwait is transitional. Outcomes show that the
spatial accessibility of space syntax defines land value in
relation to the street distance layout with time. The findings of
this thesis will inform planners and economists, who benefit
from an empirically-based consideration of how distance and
time affect local land values, also architects and urban
designers, about how the spatial configuration affects land use.
The impact of physical layout on the social aspect of the city is also studied.
The higher the accessibility to distance ratio; the more accessibility with less
time to reach the destination, adds more land value. Less accessibility, as with
Sabah Al-Ahmad, insures less value comparable to Saad Al-Abdullah,
which has more accessibility, assuring it a higher land value.
Finally, according to the literature review and the two case
studies using space syntax theory; the space syntax (metric)
used to measure the accessibility factors and Depthmap of time
as a factor in price determination on land value in Kuwait, if the
accessibility factors are close to the house and take less time to
reach than other areas the land value will be higher than the area
with less accessibility factors. This means that if it will cost
more time for people to reach their accessibility factors, the land
value will be less than that of other areas. Therefore, the land
value can be measured by using accessibility factors and the
travel time cost, as professed in the Space Syntax methodology,
in Kuwait.
From the governmental side, which is responsible for
offering a better quality of life for people [29], it is important to
understand why prices are high and discuss what the
government could and should do to create conditions for
changing the price dynamics. Therefore, there is a clear need
for land management reform, which would aim to resolve a
number of land-related issues. Also, the policymakers and
mortgage law should not be ignored (F. Al-Sultan, 2005).
References
[1] E. D. Kahraman and A. S. Kubat, The effects of accessibility
factors on land values in the CBD of Izmir. London, The
Bartlett School of Architecture, 2015.
[2] J. W. Weibull, An axiomatic approach to the measurement
of accessibility. Regional science and urban economics, 6
(4), pp. 357-379, 1976. J. W. Weibull, On the numerical
measurement of accessibility. Environment and Planning
A, 12 (1), pp. 53-67, 1976.
[3] H. Miller, Place‐based versus people‐based geographic
information science. Geography Compass, 1 (3), pp. 503-
535, 2007.
[4] B. Jiang, C. Claramunt and M. Batty, Geometric
accessibility and geographic information: extending
desktop GIS to space syntax. Computers, Environment and
Urban Systems, 23 (2), pp. 127-146, 1999.
[5] B. Hillier and J. Hanson, The social logic of space, 1984.
Cambridge: Press Syndicate of the University of
Cambridge, 1984.
[6] B. Jiang and C. Claramunt, Integration of space syntax into
GIS: newperspectives for urban morphology. Transactions
in GIS, 6 (3), pp. 295-309, 2002.
[7] P. Dursun, Space syntax in architectural design. In 6th
International Space Syntax Symposium, pp. 01-56, June
2007.
[8] B. Hillier and C. Stutz, New methods in space syntax. Urban
Design, 93 (Winter), 2005.
[9] B. Hillier and L. Vaughan, The city as one thing. Progress
in Planning, 67 (3), pp. 205-230, 2007.
[10] S. Nijhuis, R. Van Lammeren and F. van der Hoeven,
Exploring the visual landscape: advances in physiognomic
190
320
160
240
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
house price(4sall, 2017)
house price (DK).
Saad A-Abdullah city Sabah Al-Ahmad
6th Annual International Conference on Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE 2018)
GSTF © 2018109
landscape research in the Netherlands (Vol. 2). TU Delft.,
2011.
[11] B. Hillier, Cities as movement economies. Urban Design
International, 1 (1), pp. 41-60, 1996.
[12] L. Vaughan and I. Geddes, Urban form and deprivation: a
contemporary proxy for Charles Booth's analysis of
poverty. Radical Statistics, 99, pp. 46-73, 2009.
[13] H. H. Al-Bahar, The evolution of Kuwait's domestic
architecture: and empirical and theoretical study
(Doctoral dissertation, University College London
(University of London), 1990.
[14] F. A. Mustafa and A. S. Hassan, Using Space Syntax
Analysis In Determining Level Of Functional Efficiency: A
Comparative Study Of Traditional And Modern House
Layouts In Erbil City, Iraq.
[15] B. Hillier, and J. Hanson, The social logic of space, 1984.
Cambridge: Press Syndicate of the University of
Cambridge, 1984.
[16] W.G. Hansen, How accessibility shapes land use. Journal
of the American Institute of planners, 25 (2), pp. 73-76,
1959.
[17] F. Des Rosiers and M. Thériault, House prices and spatial
dependence: towards an integrated procedure to model
neighborhood dynamics. Faculté des sciences de
l'administration, Université Laval, 1999.
[18] A. Adair, S. McGreal, A. Smyth, J. Cooper and T.Ryley,
House prices and accessibility: The testing of relationships
within the Belfast urban area. Housing studies, 15 (5), pp.
699-716, 2000.
[19] M. Batty, Urban modeling. International Encyclopedia of
Human Geography. Oxford, UK: Elsevier, 2009.
[20] L. Narvaez, A. Penn, and S. Griffiths, SPACE SYNTAX
ECONOMICS: decoding accessibility using property
value and housing price in Cardiff, Wales. In Proceedings
of the Eighth International Space Syntax Symposium,
Santiago de Chile pp. 1-19, 2012.
[21] Y. Xiao and C. Webster, Urban morphology and housing
market. Springer Singapore, 2017.
[22] R. B. Zehner, Neighborhood and community satisfaction
in new towns and less planned suburbs. Journal of the
American Institute of Planners, 37(6), pp. 379-385, 1971.
[23] H. J. Miller, Modelling accessibility using space-time
prism concepts within geographical information systems.
International Journal of Geographical Information
System, 5 (3), pp. 287-301, 1991.
[24] O. Kaganova, F. Al-Sultan, and J. Speakman, Overview of
Real Estate Markets in Kuwait. Journal of Real Estate
Literature, 13 (3), pp. 287-302, 2005.
[25] National Assembly of Kuwait, Housing issue (Report No.
1). Retrieved from http://www.kna.kw/clt-
html5/index.asp, 2013.
[26] R. Mohammad, The Role of Commercial Banks in
Financing, Private Housing in The State Of Kuwait, p. 4,
2005.
[27] C. Langston, Measuring Good Architecture: Longlife,
loose fit, low energy. European Journal of Sustainable
Development, 3 (4), p. 163, 2014.
[28] A. Khaled, Government Housing in Kuwait. Aljazeera.
Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.net, August 13, 2015.
[29] The Public Authority for Housing Welfare, Public
Authority for Housing Welfare Year Book. Kuwait, pp. 93-
95, 1998.
[30] A. Hamad, Residential» distributed 177 houses of the city
of Saad al-Abdullah in the block 10. Aal'anba'. Retrieved
from http://www.alanba.com.kw/newspaper/ , 2009.
Bibliography (Figures)
Case study location:
Location Price
1. Sabah Al-Ahmad city (typical housing units)
160.000 to 240.000 (K.D)
2. Saad A-Abdullah city (typical
housing units)
190.000 to 320.000 (K.D)
Figure 1. Axial map for traditional house (Al-Bahar, 1989, p. 220).
6th Annual International Conference on Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE 2018)
GSTF © 2018110
Figure 14. Saad AL Abdullah city neighborhood area.
Adapted from https://www.google.com/earth/.copyright2017
Table 2.0
The table shows the accessibility factors according to the survey I did (December 2017) with time cost to reach the accessibility point in Sabah Al-
Ahmad city. (source: author)
Case study analysis 2: single family house (Saad Al-Abdullah City)
Table 3.0
The table shows the accessibility factors with time in the Saad AL Abdullah city. (source: author)
Location Nearest
location
Space syntax
(metric)
depthmap
(time)
1-Hospital (Fig 15)
Jahra Hospital 5.8 km 9 min.
2-Kuwait
University (Fig
16)
College of
Engineering &
Petroleum
28.4 km 29 min.
3-Citizen
Service Center(Fig 17)
Saad Al
Abdullah, Al Jahra
3 km 5 min
4-Kuwait Flour
Mills & Bakeries Com.
(Fig 18)
Kuwait Flour
Mills & Bakeries Co.,
Daabal Al
Khuzaei St, Al Jahra
11.7 km 15 min
5-Park (Fig 19) Ali Sabah Al
Salem (Park)
11.1 km 14 min.
6-Malls (Fig 20) Awtad Mall, Ain Jalut St, Al Jahra
7.6 km 12 min
Location Nearest
location
Space
syntax
(metric)
Depthmap
(time)
1-Hospital
(Fig 6)
Al-Adan
Hospital
44.2 km 35 min.
2-Kuwait
University (Fig 7)
College of
Engineering & Petroleum
75 km 1 hour 5 min.
3-CitizenService Center
(Fig 8)
Assabahiyah Services Center,
Assabahiyah,
Kuwait
41.5 km 34 min
4-Kuwait
Flour Mills &
Bakeries Com.(Fig 9)
Ahmedi Bakery 41.4 km 37 min
5-Park (Fig
10)
Ali Sabah Al
Salem (Park)
28.1 km 27 min.
6-Malls (Fig 11)
Al Kout Mall, Fahaheel
41.6 km 37 min Figure 4 Sabah Al-Ahmad neighborhood area.
Adapted from
https://www.google.com/earth/.copyright2017
Figure 5 Sabah Al-Ahmad neighborhood area.
Adapted from https://www.housing.gov.kw
6th Annual International Conference on Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE 2018)
GSTF © 2018111
A.
Figure 6, from Sabah Al-Ahmad
city to Adan hospital Adapted from
https://www.google.com/earth/.
copyright2017
Figure 7, from Sabah Al-
Ahmad city to College of Engineering and Petroleum
Adapted from
https://www.google.com/ea
rth/.copyright2017
Figure 8, from Sabah Al-Ahmad city to Assabahiyah
Services Center, Adapted
from https://www.google.com/earth/.copyright2017
Figure 9, from Sabah Al-Ahmad city to Ahmedi
Bakery
Adapted from https://www.google.com/eart
h/.copyright2017
Figure 10, from Sabah Al-Ahmad city to Ali Sabah Al Salem (Park)
Adapted from
https://www.google.com/earth/.copyright2017
Figure 11, from Sabah Al-
Ahmad city to Al Kout Mall,
Fahaheel
Adapted from https://www.google.com/earth/.copyright2017
Figure 15, from Saad Al Abdullah city to Al- Jahra
Hospital
Adapted from https://www.google.com/earth/.
copyright2017
Figure 16, from Saad Al Abdullah city to College of
Engineering & Petroleum
Adapted from https://www.google.com/earth/.copyright2017
Figure 17, from Saad Al Abdullah city to Saad Al Abdullah, Al Jahra, Citizen
Service
Adapted from https://www.google.com/earth/.copyright2017Figure 18, from Saad Al
Abdullah city Kuwait Flour Mills
& Bakeries Co., Daabal Al Khuzaei St, Al Jahra
Adapted from
https://www.google.com/earth/.co
pyright2017
Figure 20, from Saad Al
Abdullah city to Awtad
Mall, Ain Jalut St, Al
Jahra Adapted from
https://www.google.com/e
arth/.copyright2017
Figure 19, from Saad Al Abdullah city to Ali Sabah Al Salem (Park)
Adapted from https://www.google.com/earth/.copy
right2017
6th Annual International Conference on Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE 2018)
GSTF © 2018112
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