An Evening of Urbanism: Space Syntax
Reflections on an evening of urbanism in Dubai looking at Principles and Practice for Urban Resilience
The Academy of Urbanism marked its first members’ event in the Gulf for 2026 with a thought-provoking Evening of Urbanism held on 15 January 2026 in Dubai, delivered in partnership with the RIBA Gulf Chapter and hosted by the University of Birmingham Dubai.
The headline talk, Space Syntax: Principles and Practice for Urban Resilience, was led by internationally recognised architect and urban planner Professor Tim Stonor, founding Director of the Academy of Urbanism and Managing Director of Space Syntax.
Addressing global challenges including public health, climate resilience and urban liveability, the session highlighted the critical role of evidence-based urbanism in shaping more resilient, walkable and human-centred cities.
Through regional and international case studies, Professor Stonor demonstrated how space syntax methodologies analyse human movement patterns across scales, from individual buildings and neighbourhoods to entire metropolitan networks, revealing the relationship between spatial configuration, land use, transport systems and economic value.
Key themes included walkability, comfort, connectivity, climate responsiveness and the impact of land-use distribution on congestion and urban performance.
The discussion underscored the limitations of car-dependent development models and reinforced the importance of integrated public transport and multimodal mobility.
The event was introduced by Andy Shaw, Chair of the RIBA Gulf Chapter, hosted by Dr Mohammad Radfar of the University of Birmingham Dubai, and moderated by Sandra Woodall, FRIBA, AoU, reinforcing the Academy’s commitment to advancing rigorous urban thinking and professional discourse across the Gulf region.
