Visual experience and spatial configuration: weighted isovists in Barnsbury’s street network

<jats:sec> <jats:title>Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>The purpose of this study is to integrate perceptual and experiential aspects into spatial models in order to increase the usefulness and relevance of visibility graph analysis (VGA). To overcome the drawbacks of conventional binary co-visibility, it investigates how weighted isovist overlap may more accurately represent how people move and experience space in urban settings.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Design/methodology/approach</jats:title> <jats:p>We provide a new method for VGA that builds a weighted graph using the area of overlap between isovists. We introduce two kinds of overlap: symmetric and asymmetric. We used these techniques to evaluate the Barnsbury neighbourhood of London using specially designed software (Blink), comparing the outcomes with conventional VGA measurements and observed movement.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>The study demonstrates that compared to typical VGA, both symmetric and asymmetric weighted isovist analyses had a stronger correlation with observed pedestrian activity. The best prediction value for actual movement patterns is shown by asymmetric overlap, which encompasses directional and transitional components of spatial perception.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Originality/value</jats:title> <jats:p>This research introduces a new weighted isovist method for VGA that accounts for cognitive and perceptual spatial experience. By moving beyond binary visibility, the approach offers a more nuanced and behaviourally relevant model of spatial configuration, advancing the analytical capabilities of space syntax.</jats:p> </jats:sec>