Evaluating enclosure in urban sites

This paper compares two mathematical models for evaluating a strong physical correlate of enclosure in urban sites. The physical correlate is the proportion of views covered by physical features which block vision or motion. The Station Point Method mimics how views are perceived from many station points within a geographical area. The Abstract Method uses GIS data to create two variables: average height of features ( ) and average distance between features ( ). It was hypothesized that the simple Abstract Model would be as accurate as the much more complex Station Point Model. The hypothesis was tested on two sets of data covering 750 views in 25 urban sites. In the first set, the multiple correlation between Station Point and Abstract estimates of proportion of views covered by features which block vision or motion was R=0.92. Replication was achieved in the second set (R=0.92).