Compare methods

	Spatial Design Network Analysis (sDNA)	Space Syntax Analysis
Field	Urban Studies	Architecture
Family	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Year of origin	2020	1984
Originator	Crispin H. V. Cooper & Alain J. F. Chiaradia	Bill Hillier, Julienne Hanson
Type	Link-based spatial network analysis of street and path networks	graph-based spatial assessment method
Seminal source	Cooper, C. H. V., & Chiaradia, A. J. F. (2020). sDNA: 3-d spatial network analysis for GIS, CAD, Command Line & Python. SoftwareX, 12, 100525.	Hillier, B. (1984). The Social Logic of Space. Cambridge University Press.
Aliases	sDNA, Spatial Design Network Analysis, Link-Based Network Analysis, 3D Spatial Network Analysis	spatial configuration analysis, graph-based space analysis
Related	4	3
Summary	Spatial Design Network Analysis (sDNA) is a toolkit for analysing street and path networks as link-based spatial graphs, measuring how individual road segments function as routes and destinations within the larger network. Developed by Crispin Cooper and Alain Chiaradia at Cardiff University, it computes closeness- and betweenness-style measures over geometrically accurate, optionally three-dimensional networks, using hybrid distance metrics that blend metric length, angular turn cost and topological steps. By weighting links and analysing them within chosen radii, sDNA predicts pedestrian and vehicle flows, land values and accessibility, bridging the configurational tradition of space syntax with mainstream geographic-information-system network analysis.	Space Syntax Analysis is a quantitative method for assessing spatial configuration in buildings and urban environments through graph-based representations. Developed by Bill Hillier and Julienne Hanson in the 1980s, it quantifies how spatial layout affects human movement, visibility, and social interaction.