Space Syntax is an influential theory which has been successfully applied to various disciplines such as archeaology and architecture to analyze spatial relationships. It has been defined as a method for representation and quantification of spatial patterns. Instrumental in this method is the definition of space as a two- dimensional convex structure. The method examines circulation in or through any space. The spaces that connect more spaces are thus defined as more integrated, while those with little circulation are considered to be segregated. Using the same method the central courtyard in a Persian house, for example, is highly integrated, while the talar and orosi rooms are segregated, although these are the most important summer and winter residential spaces, respectively. There are other spatial characteristics that are not considered in the application of the method: size, shape, function, atc. The paper tries to introduce and analyze the method and highlight its advantages and disadvantages.

Introduction The structure and shape of the historic core in many ancient cities of Iran were mainly disregarded in urban development trends. This has led to some problems of inconsistencies with new physical changes, lack of appropriate link with existing structural network and spatial isolation. The main structure of a city is a set of interrelated and continuous urban spaces encompassing the essential elements and main activities of the city. Understanding this structure requires a thorough analysis of all aspects of the phenomenon. Among the theories dealing with the urban spatial structure, the space Syntax theory has useful capabilities to address the problems. In the past decades, Urmia has experienced major changes in its traditional structure and also the historic core of this city like many other cities. Under the influence of hasty actions, this has undergone numerous difficulties. The objective of this paper is to identify and analyze the growth process of urban development of Urmia and its structure. Thus, we have addressed the effects of contemporary physical changes on the spatial structure of the historical district and the relationship between key elements of the historical structure to investigate the spatial coherence. We have used the Space Syntax theory to analyze the structure and spatial configuration of the city. According to selected parameters for analyzing the urban structure during various periods, the main goal is to study the changes of values and the performance of historical texture through the analysis of the elements of urban spatial structure and the output spatial parameters of this theory. Methodology This is a descriptive, quantitative and a comparative research in methodology. In this study, the Urmia city and its historical district is analyzed with the Space Syntax method using AutoCAD, Depth map and ArcGIS. In order to study the spatial structural changes of Urmia city and its impact on the spatial structure of the historic core of the town, based on available documents and maps, four main periods of physical evolution of the city, i. e., the years of 1933, 1976, 1994, 2016, have been considered for analysis of its structure through the space syntax theory. After the parameters and analytical maps of the space syntax were analyzed by the comparison of the periods, validity changes have been assessed. These are considered as the most important concepts in this method to study four factors of coherence and coordination of the structure of the historical district, assessment of value and importance of historical orders and its main elements and the manner of distributing activities in the range. Results and discussion The results of this research have revealed that the lowest deviation and the highest amount of affiliation and thus urban coherence is related to 1933 following physical changes of the city with reduction of structural integrity. The values of urban affiliation in historical range during the four periods indicate that the average historical context of the city is less than that of the city affiliation. This implies that the internal structure of this area has not been related to these axes. The changes in the values of the inter-connection of the main historical orders have been studied for structural analysis of the main axes. The spatial physical value of the axis is degraded to inferior position, because both the average value of the interconnection of each axes and also the average difference between the axes are declined compared with previous periods. In the subsequent analysis, public spaces containing historical market and the main fields of the historical core (The Velayat-faqih and Ayalat square) and the central mosque of the city have been considered as the main religious element in the texture. Integration of factors shows that until 2016, the extent of the interconnection of the main historical spaces has been reduced as one of the major city activity centers. The next criterion examines the overlaps of the most integration axes with the active and attractive users of the cities and their relationship. Conclusion According to the results of this research, it was revealed that the performance and historical coherence and its relation to the structure of the city have been reduced under the influence of physical changes over the time. The internal structure of this range could not be mingled with the overall structure of city. A large part of identity values and physical texture affected by these changes have been lost. The spatial continuity of main elements and the functional significance of historical orders have been weakened under the influence of the changes. This indicates that the rapid physical changes in the recent years had negative effects on the spatial structure of historical range of Urmia city.

Home is the first space which human kinds are affected by and are experience the sense of belonging during the day. Iranian traditional houses are big houses with yards inside and outside the houses. According to the division of overall structure of houses into inside and outside parts, the principle of hierarchy and spatial continuity from the entrance to the main part of the collection can be seen. Using a central courtyard had been a very old pattern in housing construction and residential spaces had been formed around the courtyard, by utilizing various methods. Yard as the main space in the past houses had formed the structure of the house by their geometric shapes. The result of this attitude had given a special place to the yard in the past; Something that today, because of the quantitative attitude to the issue of housing, the utilitarian approach to the land, the lack of attention to the space quality and meaning, and ignorance of the influence of the environment on the human psyche, is neglected and a little trace of it remains. In this study, with the aim of expressing the component with common indicators of the yard in the space structure of the Iranian house, and to answer this question that "What are common aspects of yard in the space structure of Iranian historic houses? ", spatial structure of a few examples of Iranian house will be studied. Among historic houses of Yazd, Garden house and among historic houses of Kashan, Boroujerdi house, and also Behnam houses and Mashroote house among Tabriz houses are chosen. Then the common components and aspects of these houses, which represent the greatest features of the yard in architecture space of the houses are explained. By considering the study topic, which was conducted as a case study, achieved data and information were analyzed by using the interpreting and comparing method and to analyze the spatial structure of the study samples, the method of "space syntax" and Depthmap and Pajek software were used in this regard. Space syntax is a set of methods and theories that, in order to explain how the interaction of space configuration explains social organization and social behaviors, studies space configuration in architecture and urban scale. This method is explained by Bill Hillier and Julianne Hansen in Bartlett and during three decades with the development of theory on one hand, and the development methods and techniques of space analysis on the other hand, has been changed to the present form. To analyze the spatial structure case studies, internal and external relationships of the elements and their relationship together should be analyzed. Elements that were checked by this method and this software, include sight-sight graph from a point-potential of eyesight-the hierarchy of access and depth of space that will result in access graph. This analysis helps to connection of effective elements in space. The results of the analysis are expressed in the form of the items for yard architecture at contemporary houses.

Problem statement: Space syntax is a theory and method that recognizes the space configuration and enables its analysis. Space syntax expresses the intrinsic features of space tangibly and quantitatively by studying space quantitatively. It makes this method more practical and increasingly important. Also, no model can calculate the landscape’ s subjective and objective aspects by computational and measurement methods in the landscape area. Given that the space syntax theory is a quantitative method that not only addresses the physique but also considers the social issues, such as activities, it seems that it has the capabilities and capacities that can help us evaluate the landscape. This research seeks to achieving the specific components of the landscape to fill in the gaps and weaknesses of conventional measurement methods and quantitative study of the landscape’ s objective and subjective aspects and wants to answer the question that, How can the syntax method of space be used for landscape analysis? The current study addresses the content analysis to recognize the space syntax and its fundamental theories and concepts using a mixed method of descriptive-analytical and deductive explanation. These concepts are then analyzed along with the landscape concepts to achieve the space syntax efficiency in the landscape. The landscape is a subjective-objective phenomenon. The landscape features depend on the objective (physical features of space) and subjective features (meaning). The subjective factor is classified into two groups of visual and drama groups, which have different measurement and evaluation methods and capabilities. The visual factors are perceived reflectively and sensually, and drama factors depend on the rational process and establishing a relationship between its different parts. Space syntax can be used to analyze some of the landscape factors and has a deficiency in analyzing others. The objective factors of the landscape can be studied using space syntax due to their syntax feature. However, the more semantic the factors, the more inefficient is the method of space syntax for recognizing and analyzing space.

Family welfare through humane communication as well as interactive opportunities among family members and relatives has always been integral to pertinent housing design. Due to different needs of family members at different age or social status, the residential spaces should be designed according to these real needs or it would result in an increasing individualism and unfavorable impacts to family structure. In the process of human psychological development, privacy and community are two essential needs, which have a special place in the hierarchy of human motivational needs. Every pattern of human behavior requires a desirable level and good balance of both types of communications. However, current housing policies in Iran mitigate the chance of providing spaces that increase residences interactions. This study introduces a special instruction and principles to design residential spatial territories and pursues spatial approaches in housing design that promotes family relationship and improves family interactions. This study's main question is the role of housing's spatial organization and its territories in the family members' mutual interaction. The aim of this research thus is to identify the role of spatial organization of housing and its territories in creating interaction and communication between family members and providing grounds for a suitable pattern and model for housing design. In fact, the design of spatial organization of housing as one of the most valuable physical and cultural pieces of each community plays an important role in flourishing and improving the society. In this regard, the design of individual as well as collective territories, communicative spaces, spatial linkages, and the position of territories to each other is taken for analysis. A qualitative research strategy based on questioners is used for the purpose of this study. In this regard, three different prototypes were proposed in the questionnaires. Subjects responses were summarized and coded represented in tables and matrixes. The resulting analytic information derived from these tables and matrixes, exhibit significant differences between residents of each prototype. After categorizing the responses and finding out satisfaction codes in the responses, these codes were counted to define which prototype was more satisfying. After this, the results were compared to the literature review and the final guidelines were developed. These guidelines will help to provide a space syntax, which is a modifying factor in design of individual as well as collective territories, communicative spaces and their spatial configuration. Designing residential spaces based on these guidelines helps to increase residences’ satisfaction and improve their interactions with their family members.

The "Space identity" and the effects has on the analysis of settlement patterns and their arrangement by using knowledge fields such as space-arrangement and phenomenology and creating novel concepts, in addition to emphasizing the relationship between natural and human issues, it shows the importance of space in human behavior. This research aims to study the space identity of Yazd (located in the geographical context of central Iran) and its landforms and the impact of the "Qanat" on the fundamental social institutions of Yazd, whit using "Paraphrastic Method". In this research, relying on several fields of knowledge, which is considered a new and creative approach in its own way (including conceptual models such as data-based technique, comprehension drawing techniques, Hillier space syntax technique, urban organic growth and Allometric space ratios), the relationship between theoretical and epistemological foundations of space identity and social behaviors were explained on a special scale. Meanwhile, the technological achievement of the people of this region by inventing the Qanat in maintaining the natural Allometric relationship between the mountain and the catchment of this region, despite major environmental changes, can be considered as one of the empirical intelligences of these people from cognitive understanding of the environment. The results of this study can be expressed as considering the logic of urban structure in this region, which owes to the space identity of Lake Yazd in the Quaternary period and the logic of rural structure and its space identity due to the function of ice rivers and water-ice equilibrium line, The Qanat and its invention in this region is not only an underground channel for transferring water from underground aquifers, but also shows the reading of the landscape by the residents of this region and is considered as a management strategy to preserve and strengthen the environment in almost all major climates.The results of these discussions can be an effective factor in better understanding of the environment and the relationship of the residents and the future of these.