New Design Ideas

Understanding and quantifying the stability defined as the adaptive capacity of spatial form of urban systems, how urban form supports multifunctionality, accessibility and resilience, is vital for sustainable planning. Existing methods often neglect the interplay of spatial complexity and human movement in urban environments. This study introduces a transferable simulation model integrating entropy measures with a new graph-based centrality metric to evaluate urban stability as a composite of structural coherence and diversity. Using GIS data, the model simulates movement by calculating centrality for street segments and entropy across four metrics, weighted by building area, population density, greenery and water. Results were aggregated within a 400 m hexagonal grid and a 1000 m radius, enabling fine-grained yet scalable stability assessment. Applied to Lithuanian cities, the model highlighted clear patterns: historically evolved, multifunctional cores achieved high stability, while monofunctional, fragmented or modernist areas showed lower values. Some smaller towns exhibited stability comparable to larger cities, revealing overlooked spatial qualities. The approach relies on globally available datasets (e.g., OpenStreetMap, Copernicus, census grids), thus it is adaptable to diverse contexts. The proposed index offers a tool for analyzing existing structures and comparing scenarios, supporting international agendas such as the 15-Minute City, Transit-Oriented Development and UN Sustainable Development Goal 11.