The Impact of Urban Acupuncture on the Social Logic of Space

This study investigates the influence of urban acupuncture on the social logic of space, focusing on the recent intervention along Via Roma in Cagliari, Italy. Urban acupuncture, in the context of urban planning refers to a strategic approach where small-scale, precise urban interventions are implemented to stimulate positive, cascading changes across a larger urban area, akin to the precise points used in acupuncture to treat a system. Despite its significance as a major vehicular artery, the impact of this recent urban development, aimed at enhancing pedestrian walkability and social interactions within this critical street, has not been systematically examined. This analysis offers critical understanding of how diverse urban design typologies contribute to the social logic of space. To achieve this, the study employs the space syntax methodology to explore different scenarios. The initial phase involves analysing the syntactical properties of Via Roma prior to the intervention. The second phase re-evaluates the detailed urban design interventions through comprehensive space syntax analysis, utilising both axial line map analyses. All spatial analyses are conducted using AutoCAD 2026 and Depthmap10 software. The findings manifest a profound shift in the spatial paradigm of the area, revealing that the urban acupuncture project has effectively regulated the street’s social logic by significantly increasing integration and connectivity, thereby transforming Via Roma into the most prominent social node within the wider urban system. This research is expected to offer critical elucidation of the effectiveness of such design interventions in addressing the social needs of pedestrians within contemporary urban environments.