Extract

The measurement of dwellings per hectare as static density is imprecise to calculate urban, population, and building densities. The missing factor is the dynamics of human behaviour, either by moving or occupying a temporal area that changes to different and unpredictable activities. In order to improve the precision of real-time density, this paper introduces two novel equations to measure activities in an urban environment: intensity and frequency. Intensity is the measurement of the number of people occupying an area for more extended time activities. Frequency measures the shorter activities that do not occupy an area. These equations are tested in a human settlement, Tmor-Da in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to measure the activities along the laneways. The study conducts a systematic observation documented as time-lapse photos, to map and measure human activities for further statistical analyses. The findings suggest that the equations allow for customisation variables in specific activities, time-intervals and types of people of the context. The measurements could serve as a quantitative factor to test Jacob’s assumptions of public/private interfaces and offers insights into the study of human behaviour. In conclusion, these novel equations are generalizable to measure human activities in any place and serve as a quantitative indicator of real-time density.

Keywords: Urban Density; human intensity; human activities; temporal-occupied spaces [TOS].

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