Gating and syntactical analysis of spatial configuration of sectors of Gurgaon (Gurugram), India

The formation of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) in 1977 paved the way for a planned growth of the state of Haryana. Development of neighbourhoods, in the form of sectors, has witnessed great transition since the inception of this regulatory body. Sectors of Gurgaon that were developed before HUDA came into existence showcase a different form of urban development. Gating is one of the contemporary phenomenons of urban development. Ever since the involvement of private developers in urban development, gating has become an unavoidable part of neighbourhood development. Gated developments lead to full control over the street network of the development. This paper tries to bring out the difference in the changing street pattern through syntactical analysis of streets of sectors. The main objective is to understand the configurational differences in the neighbourhood street pattern by using syntactical parameters of street network. For this objective, three different sectors (Sector 4, 56 and 49) showcasing different growth patterns have been compared and analysed. The study has been divided into five major parts with the first part introducing the problem. The second part of the paper through literature review discusses various space syntax parameters/characteristics and presents their definitions. The third part presents methodology of study and introduces the case study areas. The fourth part puts forth the result and the fifth one draws conclusion of the entire study. The study reveals Sector 4 as more intelligible and having higher synergy value compared to sector 49 which is completely gated and privately developed.