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XIM: Quantifying the Pedestrian Experience

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While the experience of a pedestrian walking through a city is inherently subjective, the physical characteristics that define it are not. The pedestrian's experience exposes the character of a city through his contact, or lack of contact, with the surfaces of buildings. These characteristics can be measured and quantified, informing our understanding of how the built environment shapes the perception of place.

We created an analysis system that quantitatively exposes the different affects urban morphology has on pedestrian experience, beginning with a pedestrian's field of view.

Floor Area Ratio: NYC vs LD

Floor Area Ratio: NYC vs LD

Floor Area Ratio, the ratio of the total building floor area to the lot area, is a common measurement system used to regulated the density of buildings. Most cities use floor area ratio (FAR) as part of their zoning regulations. Both New York City and London use FAR, but they measure it in different ways, resulting in different representations in density.

Transnational Cities Conference

Luc Wilson and Muchan Park will be presenting their work Diagnosing Globalism in New York, London, and Shanghai in Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 29th, 2014.

“Global cities are generally considered increasingly homogenized places as technological
advances in communication shorten our perception of distance. Many observers have faulted
this trend for erasing cultural and social distinctions between cities. However, there is a shift in
globalization occurring because urban decisionmakers have begun to understand the costs of
homogenization and the need to compete with other global cities for talent”

The event is presented by the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, the Center for the Southwest, the Department of History, and the Office of the Provost.

Click through to the UNM Department of History for details.