# Exploring Space Syntax Integration at Public Transport Hubs and Public Squares Using Drone Footage
## 1 Introduction
[PERSON] and [PERSON] (2020) [15] selected Municipality Square, a cultural pedestrian square with a lively social life, as a case study for their investigation into the effects of social interaction on behavioural patterns of people in urban spaces; they applied Space Syntax technique and empirical observation of pedestrian activities. To the authors' knowledge, only one (recent) application concerns micromobility [16]: this paper investigates to what extent spatial morphology at different scales (node, community and global network) influences the use of public space for micromobility. Based on the results obtained, its authors conclude that the Space Syntax properties are scale-dependent and that spatial morphology is not the only factor influencing micromobility. The overview provided by [PERSON] et al. (2021) [2] highlights, among the limitations of Space Syntax, the absence of 3D information and its failure to take into account attractors, such as public transportation hubs, as important factors in influencing the urban configuration and wayfinding. As a matter of fact, in many cases, the displacements are not only generated by the network configuration but can also be influenced by other attractors. Hence, the idea of this paper is to explore how spatial syntax theory can be used to understand pedestrian movement at public squares and transport hubs. These are two types of space to which less attention has been paid so far, and they are also crucial urban areas when thinking about both the rise of (shared) micromobility options in cities and their integration with public transport systems. How these new modes (shared bicycles and e-scooters, among the others) might coexist and be integrated with the existing public transport network is becoming crucial to creating more accessible cities. This issue has also been highlighted in the recent systematic overview provided by [PERSON] et al. (2020) [17], who stressed the need for \"the development and use of specific methods for data collection and analysis of micro-mobility and transport integration, to better understand the practices and mobility patterns of micro-mobility and public transport users\". However, there is a (quite obvious) consideration to take into account: syntax theory relies on sightlines to understand movement, and many public squares and public transport hubs are crossed by roads or other kinds of spaces where pedestrians are not allowed (or are at least not supposed) to walk even though it is possible to see across them. As such,this study presents an additional element of novelty compared to the previous ones applied to transportation [6; 18]. It aims to test whether Space Syntax theory is still useful when assuming that the pedestrian prefers to move in straight lines within the confines of an \"allowed\" area even though there are other pathways within sight. This will be the first step in allowing further comprehension of this matter, opening the possibility to explore the usage of Space Syntax in studies more closely related to planning for micro-mobility systems in urban areas. The rest of this paper is organized as follows. After introducing the proposed method, seven study locations are presented. The results of the analysis are arranged in two subsections, the first (Section 3.1) describing the entire analysis process at one location, the second (Section 3.2) sharing the combined results for all the locations. Finally, the paper discusses the results and limitations of the study and ends with some final remarks and conclusions.