Space Syntax: Selected Papers by Bill Hillier

by Laura Vaughan (Editor), John Peponis (Editor), Ruth Dalton (Editor)

Overview

Discover the visionary ideas that redefined architecture and urbanism—Bill Hillier’s most influential writings on space syntax, all in one critical volume.

Few scholars have reshaped our understanding of architecture and urban design as profoundly as Bill Hillier. Space Syntax compiles the most influential works from his career, spanning over half a century, to showcase the evolution of his innovative theories on the spatial structure of cities and the social functions of built environments.

Including his early explorations of architecture as a research discipline and his later theories on how spatial configurations influence human movement and urban vitality, this collection provides a definitive overview of Hillier’s intellectual legacy. Featuring newly redrawn figures, rare texts, and expert introductions from leading theorists and practitioners, the volume offers fresh viewpoints on the continued relevance of space syntax in contemporary research and practice.

Relevant to subjects ranging from archaeology to physics, Space Syntax cements Hillier’s place as a revolutionary thinker whose ideas continue to shape how we design and understand space.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781800087705
Publisher:	U C L Press, Limited
Publication date:	11/05/2025
Pages:	726
Product dimensions:	6.69(w) x 9.61(h) x (d)

About the Author

Laura Vaughan is professor of urban form and society and director of the Space Syntax Lab, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.


John Peponis is professor of architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology.


Ruth Conroy Dalton is a British architect, author, and professor of architecture at Northumbria University.

Table of Contents

List of figures
List of tables
Note on the figures in this book
Reproduction rights for the 20 texts
Foreword
Introduction : keys to Bill Hillier’s thought on architecture
John Peponis, Ruth Conroy Dalton and Laura Vaughan

1a Introduction to ‘Knowledge and Design’
Ruth Conroy Dalton
1b ‘Knowledge and Design’ (1972), by Bill Hillier (and Adrian Leaman), with John Musgrove and Pat O'Sullivan
2a Introduction to ‘The man-environment paradigm and its paradoxes’
Alan Penn
2b ‘The man-environment paradigm and its paradoxes’ (1973), by Bill Hillier and Adrian Leaman
3a The science of meaning and the meaning of design: Introduction to ‘How is design possible?’
Sean Hanna
3b ‘How is design possible?’ (1974), by Bill Hillier and Adrian Leaman
4a Syntactic generators and semantic algebras: introduction to 'The architecture of architecture'
John Peponis
4b ‘The architecture of architecture’ (1975) by Bill Hillier and Adrian Leaman
4c Postscript to ‘The architecture of architecture’
Adrian Leaman
5a Introduction to ‘Architecture as a Discipline’
Frederico de Holanda
5b ‘Architecture as a Discipline’ (1976) by Bill Hillier and Adrian Leaman
6a Introduction to ‘Space Syntax’
Sam Griffiths
6b ‘Space Syntax’ (1976) by Bill Hillier, Adrian Leaman, Philip Stansall and Michael Bedford
7a The impact of space syntax: a pivotal point for design: Introduction to ‘Space Syntax: A Different Urban Perspective’
Ricky Burdett
7b ‘Space Syntax: A Different Urban Perspective’ (1983) by Bill Hillier, Julienne Hanson, John Peponis, John Hudson and Richard Burdett
8a Introduction to ‘What Do We Mean By Building Function?’
Phil Steadman
8b ‘What Do We Mean By Building Function?’ (1984) by Bill Hillier, Julienne Hanson and John Peponis
9a Introduction to ‘Quite unlike the Pleasures of Scratching: Theory and Meaning of Architectural Form’
Wilfried Wang
9b ‘Quite unlike the Pleasures of Scratching’ (1985) by Bill Hillier
10a Purpose, Law, Function, Explanation: Introduction to ‘The Nature of the Artificial’
Sonit Bafna
10b ‘The Nature of the Artificial’ (1985) by Bill Hillier
11a The social logic of dwellings: Introduction to ‘Ideas are in Things’
Luiz Amorim
11b ‘Ideas are in Things’ (1987) by Bill Hillier, Julienne Hanson and Hillaire Graham
12a Introduction to ‘Against Enclosure’
Ann Legeby
12b ‘Against Enclosure’ (1988) by Bill Hillier
13a Commoditas, Communitas, and the Virtual Community: Introduction to ‘The architecture of the urban object’ Laura Vaughan 13b ‘The architecture of the urban object’ (1989) by Bill Hillier
14a Space and the Psychology of Natural Movement: Introduction to ‘Natural Movement’
Mahbub Rashid
14b ‘Natural Movement: or configuration and attraction in urban pedestrian movement (1993)’ by Bill Hillier, Alan Penn, Julienne Hanson, Tad Grajewski and Jianming Xu
15a Introduction to ‘Specifically Architectural Theory’
Ashraf M. Salama
15b ‘Specifically architectural theory: a partial account of the ascent from building as cultural transmission to architecture as theoretical concretion’ (1993) by Bill Hillier
16a The science of design improvement; or what kind of science of space can inform architectural and urban design? Introduction to ‘Virtuous circles, building sciences and the science of buildings’
Kayvan Karimi 16b ‘Virtuous circles, building sciences and the science of buildings: using computers to integrate product and process in the built environment’ (1994), by Bill Hillier and Alan Penn
16c Afterword
Alan Penn
17a How spatial laws mediate the social construction of urban space: an introduction to ‘A theory of the city as object’
Meta Berghauser Pont
17b ‘A Theory of the City as Object: or, how spatial laws mediate the social construction of urban space’ (2002), by Bill Hillier
18a Introduction to 'Society Seen through the Prism of Space' Vinicius Netto
18b ‘Society Seen through the Prism of Space’ (2002), by Bill Hillier and Vinicius Netto
19a Space Syntax and Spatial Cognition: Some Hits and Misses: introduction to ‘Studying cities to learn about minds’
Daniel Montello
19b ‘Studying Cities to Learn about Minds: Some Possible Implications of Space Syntax for Spatial Cognition’ (2012), by Bill Hillier
20a Cities as Extensions of the Human Body and Mind and Potentially the Body and Mind of other Species: introduction to ‘The City as a Socio-technical System’
Lars Marcus
20b The city as a socio-technical system: A spatial reformulation in the light of the levels problem and the parallel problem (2012) by Bill Hillier